Lecture by Jay Mischo, CIA
In a short presentation, Mischo raises the issue of the "soft" aspects of modeling reality. While we can model ships and tanks and planes pretty well, we have a difficult time on the impact of leadership and other societal aspects. The four main points to consider in the human portion of the equation are: Leadership, Culture, Education, and Militancy. In quantifying the unquantifiable, we must consider the homogenity of the society and the value it places on human life. Not all enemies follow Western civilization precepts. When plugging in the Leadership factor, consider leaders' vision against the desires of the population, how they have been shaped by domestic politics, and the timing of their previous decisions. It is difficult to consistantly do the above and get a true picture of a leader's "inner sight," or in other words, what cards to hold or play, and more importantly, when such cards will be played. More Connections 2000:
Lecture: Opening Remarks Lecture: History of Wargaming Lecture: Aerospace Power 101 Lecture: Games the Navy Plays: Naval Wargaming Past and Future Lecture: Sliding Timescales in Published Wargames Lecture: Wargaming: The End of the Millenium Lecture: Effects-Based Modelling Lecture: Global Defense and Wargaming Lecture: Army Transformation 2000 Lecture: Global Wargame Lecture: Global Engagement Lecture: Commercial Wargaming 1999 Lecture: The Human Factor: Modeling Inputs Lecture: The Modeling of Intangibles National Security Decision Making Game Recap Back to MWAN #109 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |