Training Tomorrow’s U.S. Airmen: The Rise of Secure Military Simulations

U.S. Airmen Are Playing A Wargame on Secure Networks: The United States Air Force has an "eSports" team that regularly competes against other professional gamers. But the "elite" team members are far from the only airmen who are now playing games. While the eSports team competes as part of a recruiting and awareness tool, other airmen are now playing a Windows-based strategy title on secure networks.

This isn't Call of Duty, but rather Command: Modern Air Naval Operations – or more specifically Command PE (Professional Edition), an online simulation that was first related in May 2015. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, this version was made with defense-related individuals in mind.

"The Air Force recently approved Command PE to run on its secure networks. Britain’s Strategic Command just signed up to use it in training, education and analysis, calling it a tool 'to test ideas.' And Taiwanese defense analysts tap Command PE to analyze responses to hostility from mainland China," the paper of record reported.

The U.S. Department of Defense had contacted the game's publisher, and was most interested in the company's "precise database of planes, ships, missiles and other military equipment from around the world, which allows exceptionally accurate modeling."

The History of Military Wargames

Games have been employed by the military to hone the skills of leaders for centuries. Wargames have been used alongside real-world training exercises.

"The military has been using games for training, tactics analysis and mission preparation for centuries. Each generation has had to wrestle with the personal and public image of a game being used for something as serious as planning warfare in which people's lives are at stake," wrote Roger Smith, U.S. Army PEO for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, in a white paper titled "Simulation & Gaming, 40th anniversary issue."

Smith noted as far back as the Roman Empire, commanders used sand tables and abstract icons to represent soldiers and units in battle – and this was among the earliest ways leaders could visualize an engagement before it happened. In the centuries since, military thinkers have played games such as Chess and Go, while in the 19th century, the United States Naval War College used wargames to plan U.S. defenses against a theorized British naval invasion of New York Harbor.

Modern wargames entered the market during the Cold War, and many of these were heavy on tables, charts, and statistics rather than visuals. Smith also noted in his paper how the RAND Corporation was developing strategic simulations in the 1950s, and at the same time, Charles Robert – who was awaiting his commission in the U.S. Army – created a game to hone his tactical skills. That game was called "Tactics," and Roberts went on to found a board game company known as Avalon Hill (now owned by Hasbro), where he released a commercial version as "Tactics II" in 1958.

Wargame or Simulation

Military-themed board games have come a long way and now focus on visually rich games with colorful map boards, wooden or plastic pieces, and decks of cards with robust artwork that help immerse the player.

As a training aid such niceties were probably considered unnecessary, but in recent years it seems that even those games being used by military planners are far more colorful. As The Economist reported in 2014, a group of defense and intelligence officials – members of the Strategic Discussion Group – gather to play board games such as " Persian Incursion." That particular title explores the political and military effects of an Israeli campaign against Iran.

Then the big change in the 1980s and 1990s as the computer entered the home. Video games are now played by billions around the globe, but yet, wargames are still far more complex in nature – which is why they have a place in military training.

"Computer wargames still generally resemble complex maps more than first-person shooter games such as Call of Duty. But their speed and processing power allow operators to run and rerun scenarios at a tempo never before possible, and to generate scads of data for analysis," the WSJ added.

"Historically, analytical wargaming has functioned as a critical tool for military leadership, offering insights into force capabilities and aiding decision-making through experiential learning," Jack Tribolet wrote for The National Interest earlier this year.

The Ultimate Training Tool

As training tools, games like Command PE can teach skills to younger officers, those who may have grown up with a device almost permanently attached to their hand.

"Simulations like Command: Modern Air Naval Operations are highly accurate representations of the problems and potential solutions that naval operators are facing," said technology industry analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics.

"These simulations allow up-and-coming naval officers to train in situations they hopefully will never experience in reality. The difference between simulations and lectures is doing versus listening. Both are important but practice makes perfect," Entner told The National Interest.

The other benefit of simulations like Command PE and similar games is that these can truly allow airmen to learn from their mistakes. But at the same time there it must be balanced against the concept of "multiple lives" that video games offer.

"Simulations develop skills, innovation, and promote strategic thinking however they may also create people that will take unreasonable risks since the consequences of a mistake in a simulation are relatively trivial," warned Rob Enderle, technology and game industry analyst at the Enderle Group.

"So, simulation must be used with real-world experiences so that the participant can make a reasonable risk/reward decision when in actual combat," he told The National Interest. "So, they are a very important tool when used appropriately along with more traditional methods of military training but if they are used excessively without the proper balance in reality they can lead to tragic avoidable mistakes as well."

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org

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