Operational Research and Analysis

Series Description

This series consists of documents pertaining to the history and practice of operational research (OR) within Canadian and US defence establishments. The term “operational research” originated in the United Kingdom just prior to the Second World War to describe the activities of theoretical war scientists. Shortly thereafter, OR sections had been set up in both the US and Canadian Armed Forces. Following the war, Canada’s Department of National Defence established the Defence Research Board in 1947 and recruited OR scientists – specialists in advanced mathematics, physics, and engineering – to apply their expertise in a professional capacity to the study of Canadian national security.

Available Documents

Box 1

[Coming Soon]

Box 2

[Coming Soon]

Box 3 – OR History

File 1: Defence Analysis and Operational Research

File 2: The Contribution of OR to Canadian Business and Government

File 3: Address to the Honorable Charles J. Hitch, Assistant US Secretary of Defense

File 4: Identification and Formulation of Problems for Operational Research

File 5: Operational Research for NATO’s Navies

File 6: Techniques of Defence Analysis