Naval War College Hosts ‘Global ‘08’ War Game
By Matthew Breen
Naval War College Public Affairs
Approximately 200 participants commenced a seminar-style war game, “Global ’08,”
at the Naval War College from Aug. 4 through Aug. 8, 2008. “Global ‘08” was a Navy
Title X war game, the first since 2001.
The Naval War College’s War Gaming Department conducted “Global ‘08” on behalf of
the Chief of Naval Operations. The intention of the war game was to aid participants’
understanding of implications and challenges of implementing the new U.S. Maritime
Strategy, "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower."
According to Dean Barney Rubel from the Center for Naval Warfare Studies within
the Naval War College, game players examined four alternative futures for broad
challenges and opportunities, from which they identified the missions, concepts,
and capabilities required for Maritime Strategy implementation, along with the associated
risks.
Participants consisted of individuals from across the maritime services, the joint
community, partner countries, U.S. government agencies, international and non-governmental
organizations, and the defense industry. International participants added their
expertise and perspective to the activities.
Capt. Pedro Mesones of the Chilean Navy said, “In my particular case, the opinion
and point of view are seen as the reality of Latin America…We confirm how we trust
each other on working on these issues.”
Julia Pallares, representing the Department of State, contributed her experience
and knowledge of the Middle East to provide an interagency view point. “Working
with the military is a small part of my job,” said Pallares. Her presence provided
a broader perspective to discussions and illustrated how the Maritime Strategy crosses
over agencies.
The results from “Global ‘08” will be used to inform capabilities analysis, force
design and future concept development. The more immediate results were Maritime
Strategy familiarization and international engagement.
“Games have a significant educational component. The players themselves have an
educational experience playing the game,” said Dean Rubel.
Once the analysis is complete, the long-range results are intended to provide strategic
logic as ammunition for Navy staffers to work toward future efforts, such as the
Quadrennial Defense Review. The analysis will also shape the decision to hold future
games of this series.
Navy Title X war games were held annually at the Naval War College from 1979 to
2001. They were geared toward examining future force structure as part of the Navy’s
authority under Title X to man, train and equip naval forces and generally focused
on possible military scenarios of the time.
By 2001 the games had become extremely large, making them expensive and cumbersome
to execute. The Navy was looking at continuing the war game series biennially, or
as needed, when Sea Trial, as part of Seapower 21, moved responsibility for future
innovation to U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
Over the past several years Navy and Marine Corps leaders have increased interest
in revitalizing wargaming, including the need for a Navy Title X War Game. Title
X war games were subsequently reinstated as part of the Navy Strategic Planning
Process.
The Naval War College War Gaming Department is a component of the Center for Naval
Warfare Studies within the Naval War College. The department conducts approximately
50 games yearly in support of internal College needs and externally generated requests
from various branches of the Defense and Navy departments, operational commands
and civilian agencies. To support the objectives of each game's sponsor, the War
Gaming Department employs a wide variety of gaming techniques ranging from complex,
multi-sided, computer-assisted games to simpler, single-sided seminar games. War
games are used to study a wide range of issues from space to anti-submarine warfare,
from unconventional warfare to global war, from advanced technology to political-military
relationships.
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