Integrating Sustainment in Wargaming: Posturing for Strategic Competition
Abstract
The DoD does not effectively employ comprehensive, sustainment-integrated wargaming to inform a data driven operational design framework that drives effective joint planning processes. The isolated nature in which wargames often assume successful sustainment and logistics support highlights this shortfall. Current DoD wargaming efforts focus primarily on evaluating the impact of kinetic effects in a static environment where logistics and sustainment factors are unverified. These assumptions degrade the ability of wargames to evaluate the complex system of sustainment requirements in their simulations. This results in wargaming outcomes and analysis that, if left unverified and untested, present risk to combatant commanders as they posture forces and theaters for campaigning efforts. Joint logistics enterprise leaders within the DoD should deliberately modernize and integrate sustainment into DoD wargaming efforts. Sustainment wargaming will enable effective posture for competition across the globe: great power competition demands a resilient, sustainable joint force that can conduct logistics under attack.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 25, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1227845
Entities
People
- John J. Harding
Organizations
- National Defense University