Concealment measurement and flow distribution of military supply transportation: A double-entropy model

Abstract

To address the issues of military supply distribution and transportation under the restrictions of concealment during war preparation and warfare periods, this study proposes a double-entropy model to measure the degree of the comprehensive concealment of military supply transportation from the perspectives of transportation and detection. With respect to the real road conditions, we further develop this double-entropy model with consideration of the width and length of roads and introduction of the limitations of average transportation. The reasonability of this model and its related definitions are then demonstrated by theoretical analysis and mathematical proof. Subsequently, three distinctive properties of military supply transportation via a road or a road network, namely unordering, scalability, and directionality, are investigated. Based on the double-entropy model and the above properties, a flow distribution model of military supply is designed, which addresses a vital issue in the event of a military confrontation or regional war. Finally, we provide an example that calculates an optimal flow distribution schedule to carry out a regional military drill in the Jiangsu Province of China to demonstrate the proposed concepts and approaches.