We have just finished describing systems thinking and how to view enemy targets from a systems standpoint to determine the relevance and significance of those targets. However, we still need a way to rank them relative to each other. The method used to analyze targets and rank them relative to their importance, or perhaps more accurately, their significance to the system, must be structured to allow the orderly examination of the targets, yet flexible enough for use in different situations. Our solution will inevitably be based on both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Through the application of quantitative analysis we strive to reduce the level of uncertainty in a given situation or problem.
Quantitative analysis uses analytic reasoning and logical models.
Analytic reasoning reduces problems to a base of underlying causal relations. One builds a logical model structured with an explicit set of axioms, premises, and assumptions. All effort is directed toward detection of internal system relationships. One orders these relationships into a model. The resulting model is explicit and well defined.