From the MORS President

Ted Smyth, Johns Hopkins University/ APL, Ted.Smyth@jhuapl.edu

 

I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as President of our Society. MORS has a well-deserved reputation of addressing critical and challenging national security issues and a rich and proud heritage of service to our membership, our Sponsors, and our nation. If the recent past is any indication I am certain that the year ahead will once again find our Society’s membership confronted with new and difficult analytical challenges and opportunities. It is my goal during the forthcoming year to ensure that MORS remains true to its heritage and ready to support its members in today’s rapidly changing environment. To this end I have selected as this year’s MORS’ theme, “Military Operations Research for Tomorrow’s Warrior.” The selection of this theme is intended to acknowledge the dramatic changes that have occurred within the past year, the uncertainties of today’s national security environment, to provide a focus on our operational forces, and to recognize the challenges before us in the 21st century.

 

NEW OFFICERS

 

To assist me and the Society in achieving this goal we are fortunate to have in place an exceptional MORS’ leadership team. Newly elected officers for the 2002-2003 MORS’ year include: LTC Willie McFadden, USA, US Military Academy, President-Elect; Dr. Andy Loerch, George Mason University, VP(Finance and Management); LtCol Suzanne Beers, USAF,      , VP(Meeting Operations); Dr. Dick Hayes, Evidence Based Research, VP(Education and Professional Affairs); Dr. Steve Pilnick, US Naval Postgraduate School, Secretary; Mr.Brian Engler, MORS, Executive Vice President; and Ms. Natalie Strawn Kelly, MORS, Vice President for Administration.

 

70th MORSS

 

As many of you already know, in June MORS conducted a highly successful annual symposium at Fort Leavenworth, KS. Thanks are richly deserved to all of the presenters, organizers, and attendees. Special thanks are necessary for the sponsorship of Mr. Mike Bauman, TRAC, Fort Leavenworth, the leadership of Dr. Tom Allen, my predecessor as MORS President, and the extraordinary efforts of Dr. Steve Pilnick, the 70th MORSS Program Chair, and his staff of dedicated workers. On behalf of the Society thank you all for a job well done!

 

Congratulations are also in order to the following prize winners who were recognized at the 70th MORSS. One of the highest honors of MORS, the Wanner Memorial Award, was presented to Mr. Mike Bauman. The Clayton Thomas Award was presented to Dr.Greg Parnell, FS. The John Walker Memorial Award was presented to Dr. Alan Washburn for the best technical article in PHALANX during the past year and the Richard Barchi Memorial Award was presented to Mr. Branford McAllister for the best paper presented at last year’s annual symposium. In addition, there were two recipients of the MOR Journal Award, Norman D. Curet and the team of Alan Washburn and Ryusuke Hohzaki. The Society also inducted three new Fellows of the Society, Ms.Mary Pace, Mr.Vince Roske, and Dr. Jerry Kotchka.

 

THE YEAR AHEAD     

 

A number of events are currently in planning for the 2002-2003 MORS’ year that members should hi-lite on their calendars. Under the leadership of Ms. Anne Patenaude and Dr. Marion Williams, FS, MORS will lead off the year with a Special Meeting on the subject of “Test and Evaluation V&V Methodology” at the DOE Training Complex, Albuquerque, NM, from 15-17 October 2002. This event will be followed during 19-21 November 2002 with a Mini-Symposium entitled, “New Techniques: A Better Understanding of their Application to Analysis.” This Mini-Symposium is being led by two MORS’ Past Presidents, Drs. Bob Sheldon and Roy Rice, and will be conducted at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD. Yet another Special Meeting is scheduled for 28-30 January 2003 that will address the timely subject of the “Combat Analyst.” A tentative site for this meeting is the Booz, Allen and Hamilton facility in McLean, VA.

 

In addition the Society has plans to conduct its annual Education Colloquium in the April 2003 timeframe at a location to be announced. Currently, the Society is looking at the feasibility of conducting this annual colloquium on a rotating basis at a site that is home to a MORS Local Chapter. The intent of rotating the location of the Education Colloquium is to demonstrably provide support to the Local Chapter and to facilitate exposure of the Society to other practitioners of operations research.

 

The MORS’ year will conclude 10-12 June 2003 with our annual symposium at the “Crossroads of the Corps,” Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA, where our theme will also fittingly be “Military Operations Research for Tomorrow’s Warrior.” Planning for the 71st MORSS is already well underway under the capable leadership of Mr. Pat McKenna. More information on all of these meetings will be available on the MORS web site, www.mors.org.

 

INITIATIVES

 

There are several other activities underway that I believe will provide further benefit to our Society. I have asked Ms. Lana McGlynn to lead an ad hoc committee to review the current Composite Group/Working Group (CG/WG) structure that supports our annual symposium. It has been six years since our last such major review. Significant changes in the national security environment warrant another look. I have asked the ad hoc committee to provide the MORS Board of Directors with an interim report at our December 2002 meeting and recommendations in June 2003. If changes are warranted and approved, the changes to the CG/WG structure will be enacted to support the 72d MORSS in June 2004.

 

I have also asked LTC(P) George Stone, USA, to lead another ad hoc committee to review and recommend changes to the existing Electronic Media Committee. Although formed only a short six or seven years ago, the Electronic Media Committee was formed to provide a roadmap and guidance to the Society as it moved into the “age of electrons and the internet.” The Committee has performed this function and has performed it well. However, now that the use of desk-top automation and the internet permeates every facet of our professional and private lives, it is time for the Society to determine the next task or role for the Electronic Media Committee.

 

VOLUNTEERISM

 

I have specifically referenced the aforementioned meetings and activities to inform the 3,000 plus members of our Society with as near as complete a picture as I can of the “full plate” of tasks that confronts our Society. I can assure you that the individuals who are named above will welcome any and all assistance, offered by our members. We all recognize and appreciate that MORS is a volunteer society. As such, the Society will only reflect the quality and quantity of effort expended by its volunteer members. I encourage each and every one of you to make a commitment to your professional society in the year ahead. Contact either myself or the MORS office if you have questions as to how you may become involved. But do get involved; MORS is your professional society!

 

                                                                  Ted Smyth

                                                                  MORS President