Based on the MTF POP, the U.S. Army decided to fund development of PERSIM. PERSIM is a complete model of the processes used by DCSPER in distributing the enlisted personnel and the stresses imposed on the processes.   PERSIM considers all facets of the distribution process from accessions to promotions to retirement.

PERSIM grew out of a proof of principle (POP) simulation also developed by DAS and Booz•Allen. The POP, shown in the following figure, was developed in support of the Manning Task Force (MTF) initiative that presented the vision of manning the U.S. Army to 100% of the Congressionally mandated authorization by the year 2004.

The POP, developed entirely in Sun Microsystem’s Java JDK, partially modeled the processes used by DCSPER and PERSCOM in determining the current force structure and how that structure can be manipulated given the various constraints on who can be moved, promoted, etc. 

The POP initially reads databases, provided by the U.S. Army, describing the current force structure (authorizations) and available inventory. Once the POP database was populated, it was aged based on historical statistical data to determine which soldiers in the inventory were promoted or left the army, voluntarily or involuntarily. Using a subset of the rules defined by the Army to determine the moveable personnel, the POP then selected appropriate soldiers from other areas of the U.S. Army to fill open authorizations in the ten divisions and two Armored Cavalry Regiments (ACR). Throughout the simulation a set of statistics was gathered to aid users in analyzing the feasibility and costs of the solution presented by the model.

PERSIM Screenshot Based on the MTF POP, the U.S. Army decided to fund development of PERSIM. PERSIM is a complete model of the processes used by DCSPER in distributing the enlisted personnel and the stresses imposed on the processes.   PERSIM considers all facets of the distribution process from accessions to promotions to retirement. It allows DCSPER to change policies and effectively evaluate the pros and cons of those changes. After verification and validation, it may also be used as a tool to aid in distributing the real enlisted force, which is currently performed manually. © Dynamic Animation Systems, Inc.