Feints

Abstract

In both military and economic situations, agents may try to mislead adversaries about true types or plans, whatever they may be. We consider a simple model in which one player attacks and the other player defends. We show that such environments have two types of possible equilibrium behavior, depending upon the signaling technology. If the signal is not very revealing about the attacker's plans, then the attacker always invests some resources in misdirection but attacks with his main force. If the technology is revealing, then the attacker feints some times and attacks with his full force other times. When he feints, he invests more than half of his resources into misdirection. Comparative statics also depend on whether the technology is revealing.

Keywords: Feint, misdirection, sender-receiver games, games, beliefs, conflict, war, Normandy, Calais