Prisoner's Dilemma

[Clearedtoroll]

This is a bit abstract but it's raining and I'm bored. Watching 'A Beautiful Mind' recently reminded of John Nash and his work on Game Theory. And whilst that's about the extent of my knowledge on Game Theory, it occurred to me that the way each of the Services screws over the others is exactly like the Prisoner's Dilemma bit of the theory (ripped straight off Wiki):


Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act?


The Services understandably try to look after their own interests and the government just uses it against us. We'd all be far better off supporting each other, but Nash equilibrium suggests that will never happen.

So my question is how do we get our highly-paid, intelligent (?) starred officers to work together in the way that on the shop-floor we do just fine? Or is the constant competition a good thing for our effectiveness because bad ideas and practices in one Service immediately get criticised by the other 2 Services?

[SkyCamMK]

Say nothing and take the short rap is probably best as you cannot trust anyone these days it seems but...

As we head blindly towards becoming a third world country when our combined defence force or whatever it is called has rid itself of the top brass that grew up in the former services there may be some common ground. The rivalries belong to days of empire when squadrons and regiments and fleets had things to crow about and new technology was advancing quickly. Automated flying machines and guns are here already so you would not need much of a crystal ball as a civvie to predict the future given the cost of the current system, the reductions in size and the kind of defence that could be agreed to be essential. It is a shame but things change, threats develop and strategy is not the success that it should be in our upper echelons.

[Jambo Jet]

Trust is the key and I'm afraid it is the lack of trust that is the root cause of all service issues / military covenant / etc.

In the prisoner's dilemma if both prisoners trust each other then collectively they benefit, but it is the lack of trust that ultimately screws one or both of them.

I don't see the analogy really. Trust or loyalty (up and down) in the RAF/Military these days has gone.