Using Wargames for Command and Control Experimentation
Abstract
Wargames are a staple technique of military research, but various inherent characteristics have prevented their use as rigorous analytic tools. Traditional gaming has long employed C2 among players, however, C2 has been generally regarded as a necessary adjunct to generating player moves, not as an element of independent scrutiny or play. Games that explore network-centric warfare necessarily focus precisely on player C2. Beyond their traditional exploratory function, wargames can constitute the basis for valid C2 experimentation. Harnessing wargames for C2 experimentation is possible if we conceptually divide them into two layers: the simulation layer and the command and control layer. Traditional wargames have consisted solely of the simulation layer, whose limitations with respect to experimentation are well documented. By separating out player C2 we have a different situation. C2 in a wargame can be real, not simulated, because it is what players actually do to each other and therefore is subject to valid experimental treatments. Such conceptual separation also allows the C2 experiment to ride on a relatively simple game that can be iterated more easily than traditional wargames. An example of a recent joint Naval War College / Center for Naval Analyses C2 experiment using a wargame is provided.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA466408
Entities
People
- Robert C. Rubel
Organizations
- Naval War College