MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Air Force Wargaming Institute created a new wargame titled, “Air Force Wargame Indo-Pacific.”
They incorporated Headquarter Air Force inputs from the Trilateral Strategic Studies Group into a tabletop wargame to provide every Airman across the Air Force with access to an introductory experience that teaches and reinforces the instruments of national power, multi-domain integration and Agile Combat Employment.
“The goal when we set out for this was to have a game that could teach the basics of modern, multi-domain, air-centric warfare in under two hours,” said Philip Bolger, Wargaming Director at the Air Force Wargaming Institute. “As we return to Great Power Competition, and the specter of conventional war has re-emerged, it’s crucial that people understand what the stakes are, what tools we have, what tools do our adversaries have, and relatively speaking, how capable they are.”
The wargame consists of two players trying to accomplish a specified mission, and they have a variety of tools from various domains to engage with. The game matches the U.S. against the People’s Republic of China as the pacing threat so players will become more familiar with their capabilities.
“You’re not facing a random red force, you’re facing a specific adversary, because our National Defense Strategy from our executive branch has said this is the pacing threat,” explained Bolger. “That’s meaningful, and that’s something we wanted to communicate in the game.”
One of the greatest challenges in conflict is balancing risk versus reward. If a force dedicates resources to achieve any objective, or to accomplish a mission, be it equipment, technology, or human lives, critical thinking must take place at a rapid pace because the environment and the risks associated are rapidly changing.
“The air does not exist in a vacuum, the ground does not exist in a vacuum, and maritime does not exist in a vacuum, and especially space and cyber touch all,” Bolger said. “There is no such thing as infinite protection. Everything will eventually be beaten. It may not be beaten at a good cost efficiency curve for the adversary, it may not be defended at a good cost efficiency curve for us, but eventually it will go down and you are vulnerable.”
The AFWI team want players of their wargame to understand that current and future adversaries will have competing technologies and resources, and through engaging with their training tools will provide a better understanding of how our forces must operate to succeed in that kind of environment.
For more details on Air Force Wargame Indo-Pacific: www.dvidshub.net/video/919731/air-force-wargame-indo-pacific
For more information on AFWI and their Wargames like Air Force Wargame Indo-Pacific: www.airuniversity.af.edu/LeMay/AFWI/