摘要: The setting could have come from a Hollywood science fiction movie. A dozen figures, handful in uniforms of the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) and slightly larger contingent variously business suits shirtsleeves, were gathered around large mainframe computer whose blinking lights signaled run progress. — on an early70s behemoth that represented state-of-the-art period—was seeking response to scenario first wave nuclear strike U.S.. Each us present had security clearance at level Secret or higher. Mine, lowly clearance, via engagement with Defense Communications Agency other-worldly SAC installation buried beneath Cheyenne Mountain. My involvement project was result labyrinthine trail wended its way through my earlier associations research groups Carnegie Mellon University California, Berkeley reach me post Colorado. currently progress engaged testing new type search procedure applied objective discovering appropriate counter hypothetical strike. conditions surrounding this objective, which hinged satisfactorily meeting collection prioritized sub-goals, embodied complex combinatorial optimization model. For routine be successful, effective retaliatory identified less than 5 minutes. Experience suggested such undertaking might not easy. Previous efforts, utilizing diverse array approaches implemented by “shirtsleeves crowd” OR group California Think Tank organization for been unable generate under 47 minutes, resulting solution deemed marginal. concerted initiative remedy outcome had, reasonably unreasonably, wound up doorstep confronted challenge designing approach do better. did conceal their doubts about likelihood pulling off, openly