Five Wargames Every Force Design Process Needs

Military force design often relies on wargaming to justify enormous investments, yet the Department of Defense lacks a standardized process for these crucial simulations. To solve this, a new five-phase framework is proposed to bring discipline and traceability to force planning, ensuring concepts are properly vetted before adoption. This structured approach begins by using an initial wargame to simply identify if a future problem exists, preventing the mistake of choosing solutions before fully understanding the challenge. By embedding wargames within a broader "cycle of research," this method ensures that future military capabilities are developed based on operational logic rather than just technological appeal.