Category Historical Analysis Annual Conference

Historical Analysis for Defence and Security Symposiums (HADSS), 8 – 11 July in York, England

Dr. Niall MacKay, University of York, has organized a historical analysis symposium in York, England, 8 – 11 July 2024. The announcement is below and in this link: Historical Analysis for Defence and Security Symposium | ICMS – International Centre for Mathematical Sciences.

I will be presenting at that conference and would like to think that our Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC) last year was the inspiration for this effort. See last year’s schedule here: Schedule for the Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 27-29 September 2022 – update 16 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org) and this year’s schedule here: Schedule for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 – 19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

The announcement:

Historical Analysis for Defence and Security Symposium

 08 – 11 Jul 2024
 

ICMS @ York

Details regarding participation will appear here shortly

Scientific Committee

  • Colin Irwin, DSTL
  • Niall MacKay, University of York
  • Richard Underwood, RED Scientific Ltd

Local Organisers

  • Ian Horwood, York St John University
  • Niall MacKay, University of York
  • Chris Price, York St John University
  • Jamie Wood, University of York

About:

The theme of this meeting, which links academia, industry and government, is historical analysis (HA), the sub-discipline of operational research which conducts quantitative studies of historical warfare and other operations to learn lessons for contemporary defence and security. In addition to attendees from industry and government already familiar with the area, the meeting aims to attract academic operational researchers, mathematicians and statisticians with a strong interest in history, and historians sympathetic to quantitative approaches. Talks and discussions will be accessible to all, with the aim of the meeting being to seed innovative technique and analysis both directly in HA and across the traditional academic divide between history and the mathematical sciences.

Two Conferences in Norway

Two conferences in Norway from 31 October to 2 November that might be of interest to people. They are both in Oslo in the same week, but at different hotels:

  1. Building Resilience: The Russia-Ukraine War and Security Challenges for Ukraine and Europe – Forsvaret.
  2. International R&D Conference – Warfighting at the army corps and division level – Forsvaret.

I will be presenting on “Force Ratios” at the second conference.

Schedule for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 – 19 October 2023

This is the tenth provisional schedule for the second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC). We currently have 30 presentations scheduled by 24 speakers and two group discussions planned. Each slot is an hour long, so planning for a 45-minute presentation and 15 minutes of discussion. I am still looking for a half-dozen more presentations.

The conference is at 1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350, Vienna, VA 22182. This is basically across the street by Tysons Corner Shopping mall and the Marriot Hotel on Route 7. It is right off the Route 7 exit from 495 (the Beltway). It is at the corner of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Old Gallows Road. It is in the building above the restaurant called Rangos. Parking is in the parking garage next door to it.

Conference description is here: The Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 in Tysons Corner, VA | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Costs, Hotels and Call for Presentations: Cost of the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 -19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org) and Hotels for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org) and Call for Presentations for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

The cost of the conference is $150 for entire conference or $60 a day. Please pay through PayPal (www.paypal.com) to SRichTDI@aol.com. The conference is priced to cover the costs of the conference facility. We are also set up to take credit card payments by phone. Call The Dupuy Institute during working hours at (703) 289-0007.

We are set up for virtual presentations and virtual attendees. We are exploring the costs of having the presentations professionally recorded.

 

Schedule: Pike and Gallows Conference Center

Updated: revised 14 September 2023

 

 

Day 1: Analysis of Conventional Combat

0900 – 0930    Introductory remarks – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

0930 – 1030    Addressing the Decline in War Question with New Disaggregated Data – Dr. Michael Spagat (Royal Holloway University of London)

1030 – 1130    A Cautionary Tale: Alternative Interpretations of the Same Data – Jim Storr – virtual

1130 – 1230    Land Operations – consistencies and discrepancies between theory, historical analysis and doctrine – LtC. Trygve Smidt (Norway)

1230 – 1400    Lunch

1400 – 1500    World War 2 Operational Research Revisited – John Magill (UK)

1500 – 1600    Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Fatal Casualty Rates in WWI and WWII – Sasho Todorov, esquire  

1600 – 1700    Force Ratios – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1700 – 1800    Grinch in Ukraine – Carl Larson

 

Evening (1900):    Group Dinner – Rangos

 

 

Day 2: Analysis of Unconventional Warfare

0900 – 1000    Iraq, Data, Hypotheses and Afghanistan (old) –  Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1000 – 1100    Evidence of Fabricated Survey Data Collected during the War in Iraq – Dr. Michael Spagat (Royal Holloway University of London)

1100 – 1200    Unburdened by History: Understanding Russia’s Growing Influence in Haiti – Dr. Christopher Davis (UNCG)

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400    The Right Way to Do Risk Analysis: A Primer and Update, With Examples from Pandemics – Dr. Doug Samuelson (InfoLogix)

1400 – 1500    Close  Combat Overmatch Weapons (SLAMMER) – Joe Follansbee (Col., USA, ret.)

1500 – 1600    Chemical Weapons in Syria – Jennifer Schlacht, M.A. – virtual

1600 – 1700    Group Discussion: The Next Middle East Wars

 

Evening (1900):    Group Dinner – BJs

 

 

Day 3: Other Analysis of Warfare

0900 – 1000    The AEF and Consolidation of Gains Operations During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive  – Dr. Christopher Davis (UNCG)

1000 – 1100    The French Air Force in the 1940 Campaign – Dr. James F. Slaughter

1100 – 1200    The Application of the Scientific Method to Military History – Clinton Reilly (Computer Strategies, Australia) – virtual

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400    The Future of TDI and work of the conference (new) – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1400 – 1500    Russian Information Warfare Against Western Democracies Since 2013: A review and update – Dr. Doug Samuelson (InfoLogix)

1500 – 1600    open  

1600 – 1700    open    

 

Evening:    Happy hour – Rangos 

 

 

Schedule: Einstein Conference Room

 

Day 1: Poster and Book Room

Opened at 0800

 

Afternoon Day 1: Air Warfare Analysis

1400 – 1500    French Aerial Bombing Problem 1914-1940 – Dr. James F. Slaughter

1500 – 1600    Open    

1600 – 1700    Air Combat Analysis on the Eastern Front in 1944-45 – Daniel Horvath – virtual

 

Day 2: Analysis of Conventional Combat

0900 – 1000    Open    

1000 – 1100    Wargaming 101 – William Sayers

1100 – 1200    Urban Warfare (old) – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400    Open

1400 – 1500    Beaches by the Numbers – Dr. Julian Spencer-Churchill (Concordia University, Quebec) – virtual

1500 – 1600    Operation “Sea Lion”: Simulating the German 1940 invasion of England – Dr. Niall MacKay (University of York) – part 1 – virtual

1600 – 1700    Operation “Sea Lion”: Simulating the German 1940 invasion of England – Dr. Niall MacKay (University of York) – part 2 – virtual

– with Dr. Ian Horwood, Dr. Chris Price, and provisionally Dr. Jamie Wood 

 

Day 3: Researching Operations

0900 – 1000    Penetrate, Dis-Integrate and Exploit: The Israeli Counter-Offensive at the Suez Canal, 1973 – LtC. Nathan A Jennings, PhD – virtual

1000 – 1100    The Red Army’s Plans for a Preemptive Attack in 1941 – Dr. Richard Harrison

1100 – 1200    The Red Army’s Offensive Operations in Ukraine, 1943-44 – Dr. Richard Harrison

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400    Patterns of Explosive Violence Harm in Ukraine Before and After the 24 Feb. Invasion –  Chiara Torelli (AOAV) – virtual

1400 – 1500    Wagner Group structure and new infantry tactics – Carl Larson

1500 – 1600    Competing Proxy Strategies in the Russo-Ukrainian War and a War of Attrition – LtC. Amos Fox

1600 – 1700    Group Discussion: Russo-Ukrainian War

 

The presentations from all three days of the first HAAC are here: Presentations from the first HAAC – all three days | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

Schedule for the Center for the Study of Guns and Society Fall 2023 conference, 13 – 14 October.

I will be a panelist on Saturday the 14th October at the Fall 2023 conference for the Center for the Study of Guns and Society. The panel will be on “Quantifying Lethality in Historical Terms and Policy Implications.”

The entire conference schedule is here: Fall 2023 Conference Agenda – Center for the Study of Guns and Society (gunsandsocietycenter.com).

It is at Wesleyan University of Middletown, CT. There is no cost to attendance.

Schedule for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 – 19 October 2023

This is the ninth provisional schedule for the second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC). We currently have 32 presentations scheduled by 25 speakers and two group discussions planned. Each slot is an hour long, so planning for a 45-minute presentation and 15 minutes of discussion. I am still looking for a half-dozen more presentations.

The conference is at 1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350, Vienna, VA 22182. This is basically across the street by Tysons Corner Shopping mall and the Marriot Hotel on Route 7. It is right off the Route 7 exit from 495 (the Beltway). It is at the corner of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Old Gallows Road. It is in the building above the restaurant called Rangos. Parking is in the parking garage next door to it.

Conference description is here: The Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 in Tysons Corner, VA | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Costs, Hotels and Call for Presentations: Cost of the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 -19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org) and Hotels for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org) and Call for Presentations for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

The cost of the conference is $150 for entire conference or $60 a day. Please pay through PayPal (www.paypal.com) to SRichTDI@aol.com. The conference is priced to cover the costs of the conference facility. We are also set up to take credit card payments by phone. Call The Dupuy Institute during working hours at (703) 289-0007.

We are set up for virtual presentations and virtual attendees. We are exploring the costs of having the presentations professionally recorded.

 

Schedule: Pike and Gallows Conference Center

Updated: revised 22 August 2023

 

 

Day 1: Analysis of Conventional Combat

0900 – 0930    Introductory remarks – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

0930 – 1030     Addressing the Decline in War Question with New Disaggregated Data – Dr. Michael Spagat (Royal Holloway University of London)

1030 – 1130      A Cautionary Tale: Alternative Interpretations of the Same Data – Jim Storr – virtual

1130 – 1230 Land Operations – consistencies and discrepancies between theory, historical analysis and doctrine – LtC. Trygve Smidt (Norway)

1230 – 1400    Lunch

1400 – 1500    World War 2 Operational Research Revisited – John Magill (UK)

1500 – 1600 Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Fatal Casualty Rates in WWI and WWII – Sasho Todorov, esquire  

1600 – 1700    Force Ratios – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1700 – 1800    Grinch in Ukraine – Carl Larson

 

Evening (1900):          Group Dinner – Rangos

 

 

Day 2: Analysis of Unconventional Warfare

0900 – 1000    Iraq, Data, Hypotheses and Afghanistan (old) –  Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1000 – 1100     Evidence of Fabricated Survey Data Collected during the War in Iraq – Dr. Michael Spagat (Royal Holloway University of London)

1100 – 1200  Unburdened by History: Understanding Russia’s Growing Influence in Haiti – Dr. Christopher Davis (UNCG)

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400    The Right Way to Do Risk Analysis: A Primer and Update, With Examples from Pandemics – Dr. Doug Samuelson (InfoLogix)

1400 – 1500    Close  Combat Overmatch Weapons (SLAMMER) – Joe Follansbee (Col., USA, ret.)

1500 – 1600    Chemical Weapons in Syria – Jennifer Schlacht, M.A. – virtual

1600 – 1700    Group Discussion: The Next Middle East Wars

 

Evening (1900):          Group Dinner – BJs

 

 

Day 3: Other Analysis of Warfare

0900 – 1000   The AEF and Consolidation of Gains Operations During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive  – Dr. Christopher Davis (UNCG)

1000 – 1100   The French Air Force in the 1940 Campaign – Dr. James F. Slaughter

1100 – 1200   The Application of the Scientific Method to Military History – Clinton Reilly (Computer Strategies, Australia) – virtual

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400 Russian Information Warfare Against Western Democracies Since 2013: A review and update – Dr. Doug Samuelson (InfoLogix)

1400-1500     The Future of TDI and work of the conference (new) – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1500 – 1600    open

1600 – 1700    open

 

Evening:         Happy hour – Rangos 

 

 

Schedule: Einstein Conference Room

 

Day 1: Poster and Book Room

Opened at 0800

 

Afternoon Day 1: Air Warfare Analysis

1400 – 1500   French Aerial Bombing Problem 1914-1940 – Dr. James F. Slaughter

1500 – 1600   Soviet WWII Aerial Photography – Eugene Matyukhin

1600 – 1700    Air Combat Analysis on the Eastern Front in 1944-45 –  Daniel Horvath – virtual

 

Day 2: Analysis of Conventional Combat

0900 – 1000    Wargaming 101 – William Sayers

1000 – 1100    Urban Warfare (old) – Christopher A. Lawrence (TDI)

1100 – 1200    none

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400  Penetrate, Dis-Integrate and Exploit: The Israeli Counter-Offensive at the Suez Canal, 1973 – LtC. Nathan A Jennings, PhD – virtual

1400 – 1500 Beaches by the Numbers – Dr. Julian Spencer-Churchill (Concordia University, Quebec) – virtual

1500 – 1600   Operation “Sea Lion”: Simulating the German 1940 invasion of England – Dr. Niall MacKay (University of York) – part 1 – virtual

1600 – 1700   Operation “Sea Lion”: Simulating the German 1940 invasion of England – Dr. Niall MacKay (University of York) – part 2 – virtual

– with Dr. Ian Horwood, Dr. Chris Price, and provisionally Dr. Jamie Wood 

 

Day 3: Researching Operations

0900 – 1000  The Red Army’s Plans for a Preemptive Attack in 1941 – Dr. Richard Harrison

1000 – 1100   Kursk Photo Analysis – Eugene Matyukhin

1100 – 1200   The Red Army’s Offensive Operations in Ukraine, 1943-44 – Dr. Richard Harrison

1200 – 1300    Lunch

1300 – 1400   Patterns of Explosive Violence Harm in Ukraine Before and After the 24 Feb. Invasion   –  Chiara Torelli (AOAV) – virtual

1400 – 1500   Wagner Group structure and new infantry tactics – Carl Larson

1500 – 1600    Competing Proxy Strategies in the Russo-Ukrainian War and a War of Attrition – LtC. Amos Fox

1600 – 1700    Group Discussion: Russo-Ukrainian War

 

The presentations from all three days of the first HAAC are here: Presentations from the first HAAC – all three days | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

Wargaming 101 – Summary

Chip Sayers has posted a number of articles to this blog under the title of “Wargaming 101.” He had lots of hands-on experience in the bowels of the Pentagon, so I found this to be a particularly interesting series of posts. He will be making a presentation at the second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC) on 18 October 2023. The presentation is called Wargaming 101. See: Schedule for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17 – 19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

Anyhow, as a read ahead, all of his Wargaming 101 blog posts are listed below:

Wargaming 101: The Use of Wargames in Training | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Wargaming 101 – Sayers vs. The U.S. Navy | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Wargaming 101 – The 40-60-80 Games | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Wargaming 101 – The 40-60-80 Games | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Wargaming 101: The Bad Use of a Good Tool | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Wargaming 101: A Tale of Two Forces | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

 

A couple supporting posts:

“The Games the Marine Corps Plays” | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

A story about planning for Desert Storm (1991) | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

 

Also, we are still looking for presentations for the 2nd HAAC: Call for Presentations for the Second Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC), 17-19 October 2023 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org).

Air Combat Analysis on the Eastern Front in 1944-45 – Daniel Horvath

We did separate the conference in the afternoon and had two presentations given in another conference room. The first one was on Midway and the Aleutians. We did not record that. The second one was a virtual presentation, so we recorded that. It is here: (10) Air Combat Analysis on the Eastern Front in 1944 45: Horvath – YouTube

The link to the 21 slides for that presentation are here: Presentations from HAAC – Air Combat Analysis on the Eastern Front in 1944-45 | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

The link to the 64 slides for the previous unrecorded presentation is here: Presentations from HAAC – Midway and the Aleutians | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Understanding Dupuy – Dr. Shawn R. Woodford

The final presentation of the day was Understanding Dupuy: Trevor N. Dupuy’s Theory of Combat by Dr. Shawn R. Woodford. The room was aware enough to restart the zoom recording after cutting Jim Storr’s previous presentation short, so we got this one fully recorded. It was kept short as it was getting late the in the day. 

The presentation is here: (9) Understanding Dupuy: Woodford – YouTube

The slides for the presentation are provided here: Presentations from HAAC – TND’s Theory of Combat | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

Weaponising Historical Analysis – Dr. James Storr



The sixth briefing of the day was Weaponing Historical Analysis by Dr. James Storr. He is the author of three well received books.

Concerning my book War by Numbers, one Amazon.com reviewer stated that:

A great deal of the value of the book to the reader will depend upon how much that reader needs to see the data to believe. If one is prepared to accept the word of an expert, then Jim Storr’s The Human Face of War is the better book and the better read and presents much the same conclusions in briefer form – it would definitely be more suited to the average reader. On the other hand, for the reader that needs to see the numbers, this (along with Rowland and Biddle) is the must read. And for those most interested in the subject, both are very rewarding in different ways.

Anyhow, we only have less than 17 minutes of his presentation. Then the Zoom video recording stopped because it does not record for more than six hours, unbeknownst to us. So we missed the rest of his presentation. What we have is here: (9) Weaponising Historical Analysis: Storr – YouTube

His slides are here: Presentations from HAAC – Weaponizing Historical Analysis: A Case Study of the Introduction of HA Into Doctrine | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)

The recording ends of the slide titled “Factors,” which is slide 18 out of 32.  You will have to go here to catch the rest of the slides: HA-Conference-DC-Sep-22-V1.2.ppt (live.com). Sorry, nature of self-funded conferences, we don’t employ professional audio-visual people. 

Killing Captain Hindsight – Dr. Niall MacKay



Our fifth presentation of the day was Killing Captain Hindsight: Quantifying Chance in Military History by Dr. Niall MacKay of the University of York.

It is posted to our YouTube Channel here: (9) Killing Captain Hindsight: MacKay – YouTube

The briefing ends at 57:40 and then there is five minutes of discussion afterwards.

The slides for the briefing are here: Presentations from HAAC – Killing Captain Hindsight: Quantifying Chance in Military History | Mystics & Statistics (dupuyinstitute.org)