US Military Wargaming�Recent Developments, Future Initiatives

Matthew B. Caffrey Jr.

Colonel, USAFR (ret.)

Disclaimer 1

The views expressed in this briefing are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent those of the Air Force Reserves, the Air Force Research Laboratory or the United States Air Force.

Disclaimer 2

I am going to leave something out.

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Only the dead know Brooklyn

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New York City Saying

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Only the dead know Wargaming

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Matt Caffrey

Spectrum of Wargaming Today

Develop Strategies

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Develop Strategists

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Spectrum of Wargaming Today

Develop Strategies

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National

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Theater

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Local

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Decision Support

Develop Strategists

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War College

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Staff College

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Branch Schools

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Professional Dev

Strategic

Operational

Tactical

Overview

• Joint/DoD
• Air Force
• Army
• Navy
• Marines

Joint/Department of Defense

• Adaptive Planning and the integration of wargaming
• DDR&E – wargaming gray disruptive technologies
• Combatant Commanders
• USPACCOM – adaptive planning – S&T cell
• USSTRATCOM – S&T wargame

United States Air Force

• Toward an M&S profession
• Red Flag – the return of the Aggressors

United States Air Force

• Toward an M&S profession
• Red Flag – the return of the Aggressors

They’re bigger and badder and Redder than ever …

United States Air Force

• Unified Engagement
• To the warfighter, US & Allied
• Increased computer support – throughout process
• Air Force Futures, better Red play

+ Away from Washington

– Away from Washington

• Air Force Research Lab
• Forecasting Red to same era as Blue
• Anticipating military utility

United States Army

Expand Strong Operational Core Both Ways

• Strategic
• Title 10 wargame
• Long durations assessed for “Long War”
• Global AORs
• Attention to “DIME,” insurgencies & terrorism
• Tactical
• Beyond America’s Army
• Near real time mission rehearsal

United States Navy

US Naval War College’s War Gaming Department &

Center for Naval Warfare Studies

• Strategic Level Work
• Ongoing work gaming and researching future maritime strategies for the Chief of Naval Operations
• Operational level war games supporting professional military education
• JFMCC Course
• Maritime Operation Center
• Naval Operational Planners Course
• Junior and Senior curriculum war games
• Direct support to the fleet
• Policy games NAVEUR/6^th Fleet
• Staff training for 6^th Fleet
• Engagement games for NAVCENT/5^th Fleet, PACFLT/7^th Fleet
• Ballistic Missile Defense games for 2^nd/3^rd Fleets
• Interagency Maritime Homeland Security/Homeland Defense games
• International gaming
• Russian Naval Academy game series
• Western Hemisphere games
• Canadian Forces College war game seminar
• Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force games

United States Navy

• Leaders in exploiting game technology across a spectrum of applications; traditional to medical

United States Marine Corps

• Spectrum of wargames
• Decision Support to education and training
• From Rifleman to MAGTAF/CC
• From Long War wargames to learning Iraqi body language
• A culture of
• Strong common vision
• Individual initiative and innovation

26 MEU �underway on USS Bataan

Virtual environment reinforces real-world skills

DVTE

Deployable Virtual Training Environment

JSAF

Joint Semi Autonomous Forces

Simulation

Delta3d 3-D Viewer

& AAR Capability

Simulators & Workstations

Laptop Based

CAN

Combined Arms Network

FO Trainer

Combat Decision Range (CDR)

Tactical Decision

Making Simulations

ITK

Infantry Tool Kit

DVTE is a collection of tools specifically designed to provide deployed Marines with the ability to sustain specific unit, team, and individual skillsets

DVTE consists of a network of reconfigurable laptop computers capable of running any DVTE application

Instructor Operator

Station

DVTE: A Unique Set of Tools

VBS

Logistics

Analytical Decision Making

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• CSS specific planning and execution simulation�
• Aimed at Junior officer and SNCO development�
• Currently being evaluated

No end user editors

Tactical Language Training System�(TLTS)

Brief Description

• PC based tool that provides an organic foreign language and culture training capability.
• The system simulates the foreign environment, depicting characters speaking the foreign language and using gestures and other non-verbal cues characteristic of the region.

Payoff – Benefit to SOF/USMC

• Extend language and culture training to operators away from standard classroom to any location.
• Allows operators to train full-time or part-time
• Deployable training capability

User: USASOC, NAVSPECWARCOM, AFSOC, MARSOC, TSOC’s, Deployed Operators

Transition: SOFLO, CAOCL

POM Strategy: POM 08??

Requirement: Coded to individual billets

Current Status

• UUNS in from I MEF & II MEF
• 100 copies in DLRC in Iraq

VBS-2™

• Mission Rehearsal Capability
• Geo-specific terrain
• Networkable (100 players/ HLA)
• Arabic language version
• Simulates all MAGTF platforms and weapons
• Comprehensive AAR
• Virtual Toolkit
• Marine authored scenarios
• “Pluggable” AI
• Real Time Editor (Curveballs)

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Future Vision

• Virtual Toolbox
• Individual-> Co level
• Combined Arms tasks
• ROMO
• Scenario Editing Capability
• Terrain (geo-specific and)
• Urban, Desert
• Deformable
• Forces
• Friendlies (weapons mix, ammo load)
• JIIM
• Enemy
• Asymmetric threat
• Non-combatants
• Crowd modeling (adjustable)
• Connected to Combined Arms Network

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Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Why Change

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Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Why Change

• New Enemy
• Soviet Union
• Bureaucratic
• Conventional

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• Terrorism
• Nimble
• Unconventional

Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Why Change

• New Enemy
• Soviet Union
• Bureaucratic
• Conventional
• New “Blue”
• Digital Emigrants

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• Terrorism
• Nimble
• Unconventional

• Digital Natives

Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Why Change

• New Enemy
• Soviet Union
• Bureaucratic
• Conventional
• New “Blue”
• Digital Emigrants
• New Technology

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• Terrorism
• Nimble
• Unconventional

• Digital Natives

Maturing Tech

Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Recognition Growing

• “Everyone is looking at insurgencies”
• Deeper effects
• Longer periods wargamed
• Ops tempo will not permit “mainframe” speed use/modification wargames
• Today’s troops of the “N” generation (Nintendo) will not endure “DOS” interface wargames
• No service will have the money to reinvent the civilian gaming industry's technology

Future Directions of US Military Wargaming

Future Direction?

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The best way to predict the future is to figure out what you want the future to be – and make it so.

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Col John Warden, USAF (ret.)