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“GOOD GAMES” Challenges for the War-Gaming Community Stuart H.Starr I n1999,theNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganizationissuedatechnicalreportlay- ingouta“Codeof BestPractice”forcommandandcontrolassessment.1Al- though specifically aimed at command and control, this document offers a framework for thinking about the changing nature of war gaming. In the opinion of numerous practitioners and observers, war gaming has reached a turning point: the changing basis of international security at the dawn of the twenty-firstcenturymakesgaminganespeciallyvaluabletool,butafundamen- talreformationofgamingisrequiredforittoachieveitspotential. TheCodeof BestPractice,asaunifyingandoverarchingframework,allows ustotakestockofthepresentstateofwargaming,tohighlighttheprimarychal- lengesthatthewar-gamingcommunityfaces,andtoproposestepstoimprove everyaspectofwargaming.Itmakesfourcentralpoints. First, as shown in figure 1, the framework of a good war game should be broadlybasedontheprinciplesofsoundoperationalanalysis.Thusthecorner- stoneofanygamemustbeaclearandunambiguousformulationoftheproblem tobeaddressed—thereasonthegameistobeplayed.Agame’ssponsorsneedto articulate very clearly the real issues of interest so that designers may develop (forthesponsors’approval)aconceptualframeworkwithinwhichtheseissues canbesuitablyanalyzed. Second,astheNatodocumentinstructs,thegame’sdesignersshouldidentify and address organizational and cultural issues that Dr.StarrisDirectorofPlansattheMITRECorporation emerge from the conceptual framework. What as- inMcLean,Virginia.Anearlierversionofthispaperwas preparedfordeliveryatawar-gamingconferenceatthe sumptions are to be accepted, for example, about Naval War College in March 2000. the values, behavior, and decision processes of the variousplayers? Naval War College Review, Spring 2001, Vol. LIV, No.2 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2001 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-2001 to 00-00-2001 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER ’Good Games’: Challenges for the War-Gaming Community 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval War College,686 Cushing Road,Newport,RI,02841-1207 REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 9 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 90 NAVALWARCOLLEGEREVIEW Third,thewargamemustdeviserelevantscenarios.Asiswidelyunderstood, nosinglescenarioisadequateforthefullrangeofissuesfoundinamajorgame. Sponsorsshouldexpecttobepresentedwith“families”ofscenarios;asystematic and efficient mechanism FIGURE 1 togenerateappropriateal- WAR-GAMING FRAMEWORK ternativescenariosallows a game to focus on the mostinterestingaspectsof Problem Formulation Organization/Culture theproblembeingstudied. Fourth,Nato’sCodeof Scenarios Best Practice envisions the use of “measures of Measures ofMerit merit”todrawoutinsights about the game’s results; Data Tools & TheirApplications forcontemporaryscenar- ios,hierarchiesofinterre- Risk & Uncertainty Report lated—and, increasingly, nontraditional—measures arenecessary.Thesemea- sures,inturn,requirethe collectionofappropriatedataandtheapplicationofsuitableanalyticaltoolsto beuseful.Forinstance,ancillarytoolscanbeusedtoperformanalysesbeforea game(perhapstodefinefruitfulpartsof“scenariospace”),duringit(toassess “moves”),andafterit,especiallytorelateoutcomestomeasuresofmerit.The NatoCodeconsidersitvitaltoperformriskanalysestoilluminatetheuncertain- tiesassociatedwiththeissuesof interesttothesponsor;manyagamepartici- pant (and sponsor) has drawn a misleading inference from the idiosyncratic outcomeofasinglegame.Finally,theresultsoftheassessmentsmustbedoc- umented,sotherecanbebothpeerreviewsandafoundationuponwhichfuture analysescanbebuilt. Althoughfigure1doesnotformallyspecifyit,theCodeofBestPracticeem- phasizes that an extensive feedback arrangement is needed to share insights among individuals carrying out these successive processes as game planning progresses. Further, the overall team must be an interdisciplinary one—com- prisingoperationsanalysts,war-gamedesigners,experimentaldesigners,com- puterscientists,socialscientists,andsoon—ifitistoaddressalloftheissuesof concern to a sponsor. A “good game,”then, blends clear problem formula- tion,technicalvirtuosity,accuratedata,scenariocreativity,appropriatedecision rules,andcredibleevaluationprocedures.Therestofthisarticletreatssomeof thesepointsingreaterdepth. STARR 91 PROBLEM FORMULATION There is no shortage of problems amenable to useful analysis by war-gaming techniques.Infact,policymakersarelikelytofindwargamingthemosteffective toolforclarifyingmanyissuesandsetsofissuesthatcanbeexpectedtocometo theforegroundinthenearandmiddleterm.Letushereconsiderafewproblems forwhichwargamingcouldbeparticularlyappropriate. Strategic Visions. An indication of the variety of problems to which gaming mightbeappliedasananalyticaltoolisthesetofthreelistsofstrategicprob- lemsassembledrecentlybyformersecretaryofdefenseWilliamJ.Perryandfor- mer assistant secretary of defense Ashton B. Carter, in their book Preventive Defense.2 Their “A list”comprises potential (and possibly preventable) future matters that could threaten the The overall team must be an interdisciplinary survival,wayof life,andposition one—comprising operations analysts, intheworldof theUnitedStates war-game designers, experimental designers, (such as a resurgent and hostile computer scientists, social scientists, and so on. Russia, uncontrolled prolifera- tionofweaponsofmassdestruc- tion,orcatastrophicterrorism).The“Blist”containsdirectthreats(deterrable throughreadyforces)tovitalAmericaninterests(forinstance,majortheater wars).The“Clist”citesproblems(likeKosovo,Bosnia,andSomalia)that“indi- rectlyaffectU.S.securitybutdonotdirectlythreatenU.S.interests.”3Manyof theseissues,particularlythoseonthe“Alist,”haveyettobeexploredadequately inwargames. HomelandDefense.Initsrecentreport,“SeekingaNationalStrategy:AConcept for Preserving Security and Promoting Freedom,” the congressionally estab- lishedHart-RudmanCommissionemphasizestheneedtoenhancewhatitcalls “homeland security” to deal with emerging world threats.4 A third and final phaseofthatstudywilladdressavarietyofassociatedquestions:Areresponsi- bilities,authorities,andaccountabilitiesclear?Dointegratingmechanismsex- ist?Whatcapabilitieswillbeneeded?Istheoverallcapacitysufficient,andifso, willitcontinuetobe?5Asuitablydesignedsetofwargameswouldbeapromis- ingwaytoilluminatetheseissues.6 OperationalTempo.Oneofthedrivingissuesinthe1997QuadrennialDefense Reviewwasthenecessitytodevise“architectures”andpersonnelpoliciestoal- lowU.S.forcestorespondtooperationaldemandsthatwereexpectedtobehigh enoughtoputpressureonunittrainingandmaintenance,aswellasmoraleand retention.The“DynamicCommitment”wargamewasdevelopedandplayedto addressthatissue;itisbeingrevisedtoservethesameneedfortheQuadrennial DefenseReviewof2001.7Thatgame—whichistoplayasinglescenario,drawn randomlyfromalistofsixty-one“vignettes”—isitselfacaseinpoint,showing 92 NAVALWARCOLLEGEREVIEW thatcontemporarygamingdoesnotreflectsufficientunderstandingofrisksand uncertainties.The consequences of a particular vignette being played out in a singlegame,andofdrawingconclusionstherefromaboutlevelsofdemandsthat canbeplacedonU.S.equipmentandpersonnel,areworrisome. ServiceTransformation.Eachofthemilitaryservicesisinthemidstofsweeping modernizationdesignedtotakeadvantageofopportunitiesofferedbytheinfor- mationage.SpecificinitiativesincludetheNavy’snetwork-centricwarfare,the Army’s“FutureCombatSystemforSmallerScaleContingencies,”theairexpedi- tionary forces of the Air Force, Howcanscenariosbekept(inAlbertEinstein’s and“OperationalManeuverfrom formulation) as simple as necessary— theSea”oftheMarineCorps.War but no simpler? games have contributed to pre- liminary assessments of each of theseconceptssingly,buttherehasbeennoattempttogamethetotalityoftheir effects.Doingsowouldappeartobeahigh-prioritymatter. JointVision2020.Thechairmanof theJointChiefsof Staff,intherecentdoc- trinalwhitepaperJointVision2020,conceives“ajointforcecapableoffullspec- trum dominance, persuasive in peace, decisive in war, and preeminent in any formofconflict.”8Thedocumentreaffirmsastheprerequisiteoffull-spectrum dominancefouroperationalconcepts—dominantmaneuver,precisionengage- ment,focusedlogistics,andfull-dimensionalprotection—identifiedinanear- lier white paper, Joint Vision 2010. These four operational concepts in turn dependonthreefactors:interoperability(jointforce,interagency,andmultina- tional),innovationleadingtotransformation,and“decisionsuperiority”(toal- lowcommandersto“makebetterandfasterdecisionsthantheiropponents”). Allof thesefactors,aswellastheirrelationshiptothecentraloperationalcon- ceptsofJointVision2020,areveryattractivesubjectsforgaming. ORGANIZATION AND CULTURE IngamesplayedbycoalitionalliespriortoOperationDESERTSTORM,differences in cultures were sometimes recognized as a major factor.For instance,British analyses reflected a particular appreciation of Iraqi characteristics that pro- foundlyaffectedtheplanningandoperationalconceptsof theBritishforcesin thetheater.9 Cultural differences were again acknowledged as central strategic factors in 1999,duringNato’scoerciveaircampaigntoterminateinternecinehostilities in Kosovo. The subsequent debate about what actually prompted Slobodan Milosevic’sacquiescencetoNato’sdemandshasproducedatleastoneanalysisof theculturalandpoliticaldynamicsoftheSerbianleadership.10 STARR 93 Ithasbeenwidelyappreciatedthatwargamesrequireamuchbettertheoreti- calbasisthanisnowavailablefortreatingthesemattersinfutureconflictsitu- ations.Onepotentialsourceof somenecessaryinsightmayemergefromwork beingdoneintheOfficeofNavalResearchon“AdaptiveArchitecturesforCom- mandandControl.”Itexaminesthecommand-and-controlstaffsofvariousna- tionsforpertinent“culturalartifacts”andtheirpotentialinfluenceondecision making.Inaddition,thewar-gamingcommunitywoulddowelltodrawonthe effortsof sociologistsandpoliticalscientists,whocouldanalyzetheunderlying cultural forces at work in such recent operations as Somalia and Kosovo,and whocanbeconsultedinplanninggamesforprospectiveinvolvementinforesee- ablecrises. SCENARIOS Today,basicissuesintheselectionanddevelopmentof scenariosarebeingex- amined. Can a baseline scenario be used for a series (or “cluster”) of games? Howcanscenariosbekept(inAlbertEinstein’sformulation)assimpleasneces- sary—but no simpler? Can “excursions” into important issues be accommo- dated,andifso,inwhatways? Clearly,nosimpleanswerstothesequestionsexist,butthereisafundamental principle that game designers today should acknowledge—that no single sce- nariocanadequatelyilluminateriskanduncertainty.Thechallengeistodevelop an efficient mechanism for finding and exploring regions of “scenario space” wherekeyfactorsplayinsignificantways.TheNatoCodeofBestPracticeoffers oneapproachtotheproblem,ascenarioframeworkthatsubsumesthreemajor categories—externalfactors(thepolitical,military,andculturalsituation),the capabilities of actors (friendly and adversary forces,noncombatants),and the environment(geography,terrain,andweather). Asanillustrationofhowsuchaframeworkmightbeusedtodevelopabase- line scenario (and possibly scenario excursions),consider a methodology that enumeratesthefactorsapplicabletoagivengame.11Foreachofthosefactors,a numberofvalues(specificgeographies,particularordersofbattle,etc.)canbe assigned,eachmakingascenariomoreorlesschallenginginsomerespectthatis significantintermsofagame’sobjectives.Betweenthebounding(“easy,”“very difficult”)valuesforeachfactorlietheelementsofapotentiallyinterestingbase- linescenario;alternativescenarioscanbereadilyproducedforsensitivityanaly- ses by selecting different values for particular factors. In effect, this approach generates a very large experimental-design matrix, each cell of which corre- spondstoaspecificscenario.Intraditionalscientificexperimentation,anum- ber of iterations would be run for selected matrix cells in order to achieve statisticallymeaningfulresults;statisticaluncertaintywouldbeafunctionof 94 NAVALWARCOLLEGEREVIEW thenumberofcellsexaminedandthenumberofindependenttrialsofeach.In wargames,ofcourse,a“fullfactorialexperiment”wouldbeimpossible;still,it wouldbeprudenttoplayatleastasamplingof variants—a“sparse,fractional factorialexperiment.” Closely related to scenarios is consideration of risk and uncertainty.As the Code notes,a useful way to display and characterize areas of uncertainty in a game is to play variations of the Today’s state-of-practice technology simply scenario.In doing so,however,it collects stand-alone collaboration tools— is important to take account of, however, the state of the art has advanced to and offset,the effects of learning the point of integrating those capabilities into thatoccursintheplayof agame. “virtual buildings.” Forinstance,thesequenceofvari- ationsshouldanticipateandmin- imizethe“carryforward”insightsobtainedineachvariation;onewaytodothis istomakethenewproblemappeardifferenttotheparticipantsbuthaveitcon- tain the same essential stimuli. It will almost certainly not be possible to run enoughiterationstoboundmeasuresof meritastightlyasaphysicalscientist wouldwish;nevertheless,tosomeextentwelldesignedpre-andpostgameanal- ysescanrefinethoseestimates. Amorebasicissueistheestimationofrisk.Riskanalysisasadisciplineiswell developedinanumberoffields,suchastheinsuranceindustryandstockbro- kerages, but in the context of national security there is little agreement even aboutthedefinitionofriskitself.Thisisbecomingapressingissue,becausethe congressionalmandateoftheQuadrennialDefenseReviewspecificallyrequires “a comprehensive discussion of [the] national defense strategy of the United Statesandtheforcestructurebestsuitedtoimplementthatstrategyatalowto moderate level of risk.”12 To meet this requirement the national security com- munitywillneedtoagreeondefinitionsofrisk,definitionsthatareamenableto evaluationinfuturewargames. MEASURES OF MERIT Fordecadesgamershaveemployedthefamiliaroperations-analysisdeviceof “measures of effectiveness” to structure game outcomes and relate them to sponsors’concerns.Inrecentyears,however,theconceptof measuresof effec- tivenesshasbeenbroadened,resultingintheideaof “measuresof merit.”13As discussedintheNatodocument,thisconceptionnotonlyembracestheconven- tional measures of effectiveness but allows a linked hierarchy of increasingly specificmetricstobeconsideredaswell.Forexample,theevaluationmeasures ofagamemightemploymeasureseachofwhich“nests”withinthenexttopro- videbothbroadanddetailedattentionasappropriate.Anexamplefollows: STARR 95 • Measuresofpolicyeffectiveness,assessingtheextenttowhichthe participantsinanoperationareabletoachievenationalorinternational securityobjectives; (cid:127) Measuresofforceeffectiveness,examiningthepurelymilitaryeffectivenessof aforceintermsofitsprimarytask(suchasthetimerequiredtohaltan attack); (cid:127) Measuresofmissioneffectiveness,appraisingtheabilityofthemilitaryforce toperformkeysubordinateorsubsidiarymissions; (cid:127) Measuresoffunctionalperformance,evaluatingthesuccessofaparticular weaponsystemorcommand-and-controlorganizationinimportanttasks, suchastargetengagement; (cid:127) Dimensionalparameters,thepropertiesorcharacteristics(suchas bandwidthandresistancetojamming)ofaspecificsystem,suchasa communicationsnetwork. Gamedesignersmightusefullydevisemeasuresforeachlevelofthishierar- chy, and analysts might explore their relationships during the course of the game.Atthelowerendofthehierarchy,extensiveanalyseshavebeenperformed for traditional warfare;that literature is being expanded upon to embrace informationsuperiority.14Itwouldbenecessary,however,toformulatemean- ingfulmeasuresofmeritforthetopofthehierarchy.Inonepromisingeffortin this direction, economic measures were used to reflect the societal impact of militaryoperations.15Participantswereaskedtoestimatetheeffectthatpostu- latedcrisesmighthaveonsuchindicatorsastheDowJonesIndustrialAverage, thepriceofabarrelofcrudeoil,ortheexchangeratebetweenthedollarandthe deutschemark. AstheNatoCodeofBestPracticeconcludes,gamesarenotsuitableforevery analyticalquestion.Indeed,nosingleassessmenttechniqueislikelytobesuffi- cient(seetable1).Sincegamesareincreasinglylikelytoaddresssuchconceptsas informationsuperiorityandinformationdominance,assessmenttoolsmustac- countforbothfriendlyandadversaryinformationprocesses.Inaddition,disci- pline is necessary; formal experimental-design matrices may be advisable, or multipleiterationsofincreasinglyfine-grainedanalyticalroutinesmayhaveto bedone(forinstance,insuccessiveattemptsbeforeagametoidentifyfruitful aspectsof thescenarioenvironment,clarifyassumptions,assignvaluesforkey parameters,andmodeldetails). Newly developed sophisticated collaboration tools may revolutionize war games by allowing geographically dispersed individuals to participate fully in deliberations and decisions. Today’s state-of-practice technology simply 96 NAVALWARCOLLEGEREVIEW collects stand-alone collaboration tools—like video teleconferencing, shared whiteboards, and Internet chat rooms. However, the state of the art has ad- vancedtothepointof integratingthosecapabilitiesinto“virtualbuildings”in which participants interact in real time. Efforts are under way to improve “scalability”(usefulnessforvariousnumbersofplayersandcomplexitiesofsce- nario)andtodealwithsecurityissuesregardingthetransmissionofgamedata. TABLE 1 SPECTRUM OF CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES Typical Ops/ LeadTime Techniques Systems People Resources Credibility Application Mission Create Use ClosedForm; Assumedor Relatively Weeksto Weeksto Fairto Analysis Analytical Simulated Statistical Simulated Modest Months Months Moderate ForceonForce Models; Assumedor Monthsto Weeksto Constructive Simulated Simulated Moderate Moderate Communication Simulated Years Months Systems Wargames; Monthsto Weeksto Moderateto Virtual Humanin Simulated Real Simulated High Years Months High theLoop CPX* Realor Weeksto Live Real Real VeryHigh Years High FTX** Simulated Months AfterActionReports; Extremely ActualOps Real Real Real N/A N/A VeryHigh LessonsLearned High *CPX-CommandPostExercise **FTX-FieldTrainingExercise Oneofthemajoradvantagesthattheseemergingcollaborativegamingtools offeristhepossibilitythatprincipals—commanders,headsof agencies,senior executives—willbeabletoparticipatepersonally.Thedemandsonthetimeof such individuals normally make it difficult for them to get involved in war games,especiallyiftravelisinvolved;typicallytheymustdelegatesuchmatters tosubordinates.Distributed,collaborativewar-gamingtechnologieswillmake itpossibleforactualdecisionmakerstoplay,increasingboththefidelityofthe games and the real value of the entire activity by educating the principals di- rectlyabouttheintricaciesandnuancesoftheproblemsbeingconsidered. NOTES 1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization,Code of 2. Ashton B. Carter and William J. Perry,Pre- Best Practice (COBP) on the Assessment of C2, ventive Defense: A New Security Strategy for RTO Technical Report 9, AC/323(SAS)TP/4 America(Washington, D.C.: Brookings Insti- (Hull, Que.: Communication Group, Inc., tution Press, 1999). March 1999). 3. Ibid., p. 11. STARR 97 4. Gary Hart and Warren Rudman,Seeking a 9. Discussions with Jim Moffat of the Defence National Strategy: A Concept for Preserving Se- Evaluation and Research Agency, U.K. Minis- curity and Promoting Freedom,Phase II Re- try of Defence, 4 April 2000. port (Washington, D.C.: Commission on 10. Barry R. Posen, “The War for Kosovo, Ser- National Security/21st Century, 2000), avail- bia’s Political-Military Strategy,”Interna- able on the World Wide Web: tional Security,Spring 2000, pp. 39–84. http://www.nssg.gov (15 April 2000). 11. See the author’s “Developing Scenarios to 5. “Hart-Rudman Panel to Focus on Homeland Support C3I Analysis,” inAnalytic Ap- Security in Final Phase,”Inside the Pentagon, proaches to the Study of Future Conflict,ed. 25 May 2000, pp. 1, 19–20. Alexander Woodcock and David Davis 6. The Hart-Rudman Commission’s final re- (Clementsport, N.S.: Canadian Peacekeeping port, “Road Map for National Security: Im- Press of the Lester B. Pearson Canadian In- perative for Change,” was released on 15 ternational Peacekeeping Training Centre, February 2001 (available on the World Wide 1996), pp. 291–300. Web: http://www.nssg.gov/PhaseIIIFR.pdf). 12. Public Law 106-65-Oct. 5, 1999,Statutes at It concluded that protecting the homeland Large113: 716. against twenty-first-century threats “should 13. For a discussion, see North Atlantic Treaty be the primary national security mission of Organization,Code of Best Practice. the United States.” The report proposes an- swers for the institutional and organizational 14. IS Metrics Workshops sponsored by David issues cited above, but it does not obviate the Alberts (Office of the Assistant Secretary of need for war games to assess critically the via- Defense for Command, Control, Communi- bility and desirability of the proposed cations, and Intelligence [OASD (C3I)]) and solutions. by John Garstka (Office of the Director for Command, Control, Communications, and 7. “Services Meet Snags in Readying Dynamic Computers [J6], Joint Staff). Commitment War Games,”Inside the Penta- gon,27 April 2000, pp. 1, 17–8. In March 15.Jeffrey Sands,The Critical Link: Financial Im- 2001 the Pentagon announced that Dynamic plications of Threats to National Security(a re- Commitment had been postponed port on the Economic Security Exercise, indefinitely. cosponsored by the U.S. Naval War College and Cantor Fitzgerald, Newport, R.I., Decem- 8. Henry H. Shelton [Gen., USA],Joint Vision ber 1997). 2020(Washington, D.C.: Joint Chiefs of Staff; U.S. Govt. Print. Off., June 2000).

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