Future joint leaders wrestle with fictional world in crisis Published April 10, 2015 By Courtesy LeMay Center Wargaming Institute MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Imagine a "worst case scenario" for the world a decade from now. What if, almost simultaneously, the major world powers find themselves in situations that could rapidly escalate into military chaos? Terrorist attacks once again rattle North American cities; primary shipping lanes threatened in the eastern and western hemispheres; refugees crossing borders to escape pandemic diseases; and military conflict involving kinetic, cyber and space attacks in the same day. In fact, none of these events are beyond the realm of possibility. Beginning April 12, 2015, 135 students from six senior-level military colleges will face such a world. The 32nd annual Joint Land, Air and Sea Strategic Exercise, or JLASS-EX, wargame runs through April 17, 2015, at Air University's Curtis E. LeMay Wargaming Institute. The event provides future leaders an opportunity to confront such serious issues before becoming decision-makers who have to deal with them in reality. JLASS-EX is the only major educational wargame that integrates strategic decision-making, politico-military theory and international participation across the military's senior level colleges, said Col. Howard Ward, wargaming director. During the five-day exercise, students and faculty from Air War College, Army War College, Marine Corps War College, Naval War College, The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy and the National War College will critically analyze key issues at the strategic and operational levels of war. Students from the service-specific colleges generally represent geographic combatant commands, while National Defense University students role-play national-level policy makers. In addition to the students, more than 80 faculty members, subject matter experts and technical and support staff keep the game focused and on-track. Not all the simulated problems require a U.S.-only military solution, said Army Col. Martin Clausen, exercise director. "Students will use diplomacy and combined forces to execute national- and theater-level strategies, which also helps each school meet their desired learning objectives," he said. The in-depth fictional scenarios are designed to challenge this select group of future senior leaders to their limits. While addressing more than six global contingencies, this year's students will deliberate on civil support; foreign humanitarian assistance; homeland security; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives consequence management; and stability operations, said Clausen The exercise occurs in two phases: a distributed phase at the parent SLC's home station and an "execution" phase at Maxwell. During the distributed phase, students communicate via web contact, telephone and video teleconferencing to develop theater strategies, select courses of action, and request initial force laydowns. Conversely, the five-day execution phase enables face-to-face student interactions, but their collaborative planning occurs in a time-compressed environment, said Steve Crawford, senior wargame specialist. The exercise environment isn't limited to adaptive mission planning processes, said the center's wargaming director, Col. Howard Ward. Students also face simulations of real-world challenges, such as media and public pressures. To set the stage each day, students view a "Special Report" by the fictional Global News Network, which recaps world events as the wargame progresses. Students are also given a situation briefing and a daily press summary that requires them to employ instruments of national power and intergovernmental agencies to deal with the crises at hand. "Communication is the connective tissue that holds together all elements of national power," said Aaron Henninger, director of the U.S. Air Force Center for Strategic Leadership Communication. "Within the context of wargames, our team injects real-world pressures and scrutiny into scenarios to battle-test operational strategy and execution. Ultimately, we are focused on developing leadership communication within the military. Our center develops leaders who understand and engage in the global information environment." The 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs television arm, Maxwell Video Productions, and individual Reserve and National Guard Public Affairs volunteers also support the annual wargame by developing realistic news products based on student responses during the event. Once the students return to their respective schools, the multi-service JLASS-EX Steering Group immediately begins to plan next year's exercise. "The steering group is instrumental in synchronizing all the moving parts leading to a successful wargame," said Ward. "The group meets quarterly, and this helps us identify, discuss and adapt processes and details to make the wargame even better next time and beyond." Since the initial exercise in 1983, nearly 3,000 senior leaders have graduated from JLASS-EX and its earlier iterations. The graduates include Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, AWC Commandant Maj. Gen. Brian Bishop and at least 30 other general officers still on active duty in each of the service branches.