Skip to page content

Wargaming

Wargaming
essay
A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command
Aug 20, 2019
RAND analysts developed and hosted a wargame to help young women learn firsthand about national security. It's a lesson in strategy, in the hard realities behind news headlines, but also in agility and resilience. In that, it's not so far removed from the daily life of a teenage girl.
Read More »

China
blog
China's 70th Anniversary, Wargaming, Fentanyl: RAND Weekly Recap
Oct 4, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on what the future holds for China, the importance of gender diversity in wargaming, how Army families address life's challenges, and more.
Read More »
Information Operations
blog
And, By the Way, They Were All Women: RAND Hosts Forum on 21st-Century Warfare Honoring Roberta Wohlstetter
Nov 26, 2018
National security experts, flag officers, and decisionmakers attended the Roberta Wohlstetter Forum on National Security at RAND's Washington office on October 24. The featured speakers, moderators, organizers, donor, and namesake for the event were all women.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
Building a Pipeline of Wargaming Talent: A Two-Track Solution
Elizabeth M. Bartels
Nov 15, 2018
War on the Rocks
How does the Department of Defense imagine the future of war and make long-term investments to confront the challenges ahead? On issues ranging from potential conflicts with Russia to the future of transportation and logistics, senior leaders have increasingly turned to wargames to imagine potential futures.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
Just Let Them Compete: Raising the Next Generation of Wargamers
Sebastian Joon Bae
Oct 9, 2018
War on the Rocks
Wargames are games that simulate aspects of warfare at varying levels, aimed at analyzing human decisionmaking. To develop the next generation of avid wargamers, the first step is both radical and simple: Let them compete.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
Adding Shots on Target: Wargaming Beyond the Game
Elizabeth M. Bartels
Oct 9, 2017
War on the Rocks
Figuring out what the future may look like—and what concepts and technology we should invest in now to prepare—is hard. How can the wargaming community build a cycle of research to help understand what these paths might be?
Read More »
Wargaming
q&a
Gaming and Public Policy: Q&A with David Shlapak
Aug 11, 2016
David Shlapak discusses how using games in research can help improve decisionmaking across a wide range of areas, including national security, health care, and climate change.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
In Defense of a Wargame: Bolstering Deterrence on NATO's Eastern Flank
Karl P. Mueller, David A. Shlapak, Michael Johnson, David Ochmanek
Jun 14, 2016
War on the Rocks
A series of wargames examined the potential results of a Russian invasion of the Baltic states. While such an invasion appears unlikely, its consequences would be so dangerous that not taking steps to deter it more robustly would be imprudent.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
How Can Gaming Help Test Your Theory?
Yuna Huh Wong
May 18, 2016
PAXsims
The act of designing a game will force you to articulate your theory or to be more specific about it. It will also require you to operationalize your variables and theoretical constructs of interest into a specific context, and prompt you to anticipate the ways in which it may play out in that scenario.
Read More »
Russia
commentary
Outnumbered, Outranged, and Outgunned: How Russia Defeats NATO
David A. Shlapak, Michael Johnson
Apr 21, 2016
War on the Rocks
Today NATO is outnumbered, outranged, and outgunned by Russia in Europe and beset by a number of compounding factors that make the situation worse. But it is possible to begin restoring a more robust deterrent posture and to do so at a price tag that appears affordable.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
Gaming the System: Obstacles to Reinvigorating Defense Wargaming
Stacie L. Pettyjohn @StaciePettyjohn, David A. Shlapak
Feb 18, 2016
War on the Rocks
Reinvigorating wargaming in the defense community offers great potential value given the complex strategic situation that the U.S. faces today. DoD should educate sponsors and consumers about the appropriate use of wargames, set realistic expectations, and build the right amount of risk acceptance into its gaming enterprise.
Read More »
Wargaming
commentary
Getting the Most Out of Your Wargame: Practical Advice for Decisionmakers
Elizabeth M. Bartels
Jan 26, 2016
War on the Rocks
While some famous historical cases offer a compelling narrative of what wargames can be at their best and worst, they cannot illustrate the full range of contemporary wargaming that leaders should strive to achieve. A better understanding of how wargames can be helpful — or how they can backfire — is critical.
Read More »
Civil-Military Relations
commentary
A Funny Thing Happened When These Military Officers and Academics Got Together
Paula G. Thornhill
Apr 6, 2015
Defense One
If senior military officers and academics find themselves divided, is there a way to build respect and trust earlier in their careers? A tabletop exercise suggested that the best way to bridge the civilian-military divide is not via large conferences or formal papers. Instead, it can be done by building trust, one person at a time, over time.
Read More »
Military Strategy
commentary
Anatomy of a War Game
Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett
Jun 12, 2012
World Policy Blog
War games are especially important as countries prepare to counter adversaries who use asymmetric strategies or weapons, forcing military planners to deal with unfamiliar threats, writes Bruce Bennett.
Read More »