Connections 2002

Lecture: Building the Foundation
of Military Simulations

by Russ Lockwood


US Naval Academy
presented by: Lt. Andrew Biehn

Student wargaming is one slice of a larger modelling and simulation pie. Students are introduced to war simulations for two reasons: skill development, for things such as flight operations and ship handling, and development of critical thinking, for teaching a "bias for action" that encourages them to make decisions on less than perfect information.

Some wargames used are:

Fleet Command: Inexpensive, PC-based simulation that offers 80% of the lessons needed. The academy has four labs of about 100 PCs, with an expansion plan to double that number.

Rogue Spear: for SEAL training, it allows up to 16 men to participate, which is exactly the number of SEALs in a platoon.

Sub Command: This is new and still under assessment.

Echoing Major Mark White's call for Inter-Academy wargaming, Biehn noted that the reality may be in the offing with a game called ScudHunt. "The Taliban may come and go, but there's always Army to beat."

Part of the difficulty in using PC-based games is the distinct lack of multiplayer capability. Real campaigns need multiple decisions from multiple sources, but over-the-shelf comercial simulations often are meant for one player. Furthermore, comanders must learn to act and react in a complex system that integrate and synchronizes with others. If you have a single-player game, you don't get these concepts across. Finally, if there is no datalink across a network, the game is not even considered. Co-operation is key in wartime. In addition, commercial games have a short shelf life, so support is a concern.

One thing most packages do provide is a set of random events to introduce fog of war and the famous "friction" of combat. "You can fool a lot of students into getting educated with wargames," Biehn said.

Bio

Lt Andrew Biehn - US Navy, Naval warfare, network centric warfare, educational wargaming Lt. Biehn teaches Strategy and Tactics and Network Centric Warfare at the US Naval Academy. He is a leader in the Naval Academy's efforts to increase the scope and effectiveness of their educational wargaming. Last year he received the USNA's Apgar Award for teaching and leadership. Lt. Biehn's earlier assignments include serving as a TLAM mission planner with Afloat Planning System Atlantic and as Damage Control Assistant abroad the USS NORMANDY (CG 60). Lt. Biehn has earned a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and will soon complete his MBA at George Washington University.

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