Guns or butter: decision support for determining the size and shape of the South African National Defense Force

The joint strategic management process supported by OR/MS-based decision support models enabled the South African National Defense Force to maximize its resources. The project aims to reduce the size and shape of the defense force without compromising the quality. The result yielded 22% savings in approved force design for resources that have a variety of uses and where the value of money is not easily quantifiable.