Students, Topics, and Delivery Options to Reinvigorate Wargaming Through Education

Group 2 Outbrief Connections 2015

National Defense University 30 July 2015

Outline

• Task• Students• Topics• Delivery Options• Not that you asked us, but…

Group 2 Task

• Identify student sets, topics, and delivery options to reinvigorate wargaming through education.

What do we want to tell Dr Mears? (COS to DEPSECDEF)

• We appreciate your (DSD) support in accentuating the importance of wargaming. – We are committed as a community to providing you advisory and

actionable support going forward – What can the members of the wargaming community (e.g., Connections) do

to help you? – We believe we can help you add a definition of the term wargaming into JP

1-02, and provide a framework for discussing wargaming– We believe the three major components of the wargaming community to

be addressed: • Participants – who need OJT and participation to improve their skillsets• Practitioners – who need some level of training in wargame design• Sponsors – who need to understand the value of wargaming and its benefits/pitfalls

• Continue forward action and provide further guidance.

Student Sets- Who?(types of wargame/table top exercise participants)

• Customers, participants and practioners at entry level, mid career & senior ldrs• Civilian

– Universities: • Example: International Relations/Foreign Policy Students

– Non Govt Organizations• Government

– Senior Leaders– Interagency Rising Leaders– DHS, Justice, Commerce, Federal Regulators, State Dept, FEMA and State and local govts mid grade levels

• Hobby Clubs (including University Clubs)• Military

– NPS (used to be a class - needs to be returned as part of core curriculum)– Academies

• Need to ensure USNA as Wargaming as part of Ops Research curriculum

– Warfighting discipline training– Professional Military Education

• Junior War College/Staff College• Senior War College• Senior Enlisted Academies?

• Intelligence Community– NIU could have a more structured Wargaming course to assist in strategic planning– CIA does include Wargaming in Sherman Kent School

Topics- What?(subjects of interest to reinvigorate wargaming through education)

• Clearly depends on who you are and what problems you are challenged by• What is gaming?: participant, practitioner, customer:• how to do?: practitioner

• Important to recognize the value of the practioners and their interaction

• how can gaming help you?: practitioner, customers:• How to be a game designer/builder • To use wargaming to better learn the Army’s military decision making process

which concludes with COA Analysis Tactical, Operational, Strategic Levels• Tactical, Operational, Strategic Levels• Wargaming Courses need to make clear the roles of participants (both red, blue,

umpire and multi player), designers, and benefactors• Risk, Fog of War, Unknowns, Innovation• Working from a common lexicon and framework of wargaming (including

strengths and weaknesses)

Delivery- How?ways to present wargaming to reinvigorate education

• Participants: OJT, self development• Practitioners: Formal education, OJT, self development• Customers: Organizational Development, OJT, self-dev

– Senior Leadership in particular need OJT/Crisis response • Computer Based Delivery for any level• A professional wargaming you tube site

– make a “Ted talk” for wargaming (for senior leaders)• Have an avenue where gamers can self organize and

develop/refine their own games • Crawl, Walk, Run building so participants immediately get

sucked into the fun and believe they can play

Misc observations, takeaways

• Important to try and capture the ROI of the wargame for both participants and customer

What can we do to make Connections better next year?