On Relating Non-Technical Elements to System Studies

James R. Schlesinger

Expert InsightsPublished 1967

This paper speculates on the inherent limitations of traditional methods of systems analysis that neglect nonmilitary factors, and considers whether the structuring of such studies has contributed to policy failures. The paper asserts that the omission of broader political and social factors is an inherent limitation in military system studies; such self-imposed limitations are defensible in the attempt to deal (suboptimally) with a critical portion of the overall problem; the chief difficulties arise in the transition from these studies to decisionmaking; major system studies inevitably contain a number of implicit nontechnical assumptions; and using specialized studies without examining nontechnical factors leads to incomplete results and inadequate conclusions.

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Schlesinger, James R., On Relating Non-Technical Elements to System Studies. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1967. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P3545.html.
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