Wargaming Article

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kevinkins
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Wargaming Article

Post by kevinkins »

https://warontherocks.com/2019/04/how-d ... a-wargame/

Long and detailed. Mostly ground warfare but interesting nevertheless.

Kevin
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SeaQueen
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RE: Wargaming Article

Post by SeaQueen »

Sounds like a really good strategic/operational level game. It'd be interesting to pull vignettes out of it which might make good Command scenarios.
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RE: Wargaming Article

Post by ARCNA442 »

Interesting article, but I did some research on the rule set they were using and it abstracts air and naval combat to the point where any tactical conclusions are likely questionable at best.

It also appears to completely ignore the limited number of advanced munitions available (also more of an air/naval thing), which could radically change the outcome of a war.
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kevinkins
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RE: Wargaming Article

Post by kevinkins »

Perhaps the most interesting conclusion was:
"Airpower, the few times it was available, was a decisive advantage on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the planes rarely showed up to assist the ground war, as they prioritized winning dominance of their own domain over any other task. Only when the Air Force had completed a multi-week campaign to take down the enemy’s Integrated Air Defense System( IADS) and win the air-battle, were they willing to assist the ground battle. In the Pacific, the unwillingness to risk carriers within the 900-mile range of Chinese DF-21s and 26s made them close to useless, unless they could operate under a land-based air defense umbrella."

The writer made an interesting comment about the USAF. He seems to indicate that they are not embracing wargaming to the same extent as other services. Maybe this is because modeling air warfare is just more complex and or they want to keep their techniques top secret. Command Pro might help them out at some point.

Kevin
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Gunner98
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RE: Wargaming Article

Post by Gunner98 »

This is a telling comment:

"as most of the Department of Defense’s wargaming community is decades behind commercial game publishers when it comes to designing realistic games."
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kevinkins
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RE: Wargaming Article

Post by kevinkins »

Yes, I agree. Perhaps there is too much abstraction at the tactical level and wargaming is sort of beneath the dignity of some of the military. That is wargaming equals playing with toy soldiers. I am finding a lot more articles on wargaming in the military these days. Like once a month or more.
It is making increasing inroads for sure. Most seem to help train the decision making process process strategically rather than at the tactical level.
The wargame described above was uber tactical. The most I have seen since the RAND study on the Baltics in 2016.

Another thing that struck me was the casualty rate predicted. I wonder if society could stomach that in today's world. Quote "For students, who have spent their entire military lives viewing the loss of a squad or a platoon as a military catastrophe, this led to a lot of discussion about what it would take to lead and inspire a force that is burning through multiple brigades a day, as well as a lengthy discussion on how long such combat intensity could be sustained." To paraphrase someone: moral is to physical three to one.

Kevin
“The study of history lies at the foundation of all sound military conclusions and practice.”
Alfred Thayer Mahan
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