This story initially was revealed by Real Clear Wire
By Paul Ok. Van Riper
Actual Clear Wire
The Marine Corps’ present use of wargames is incomplete, defective and commandeered by current navy leaders to justify their foregone choices about how one can construction the Corps.
With a long time of expertise supervising the conduct of wargames, in addition to taking part in a mess of video games, I’m troubled that navy leaders make essential choices on the construction and equipping of operational forces based mostly on video games that ignored essential warfighting features.
In an article revealed within the Marine Corps Occasions this March, author Irene Loewenson reported that personnel who ran the Marine Corps Power Design 2030 (Power Design) wargames admit they didn’t check all seven Marine Corps warfighting features, together with logistics and command and management. Nonetheless, former Commandant Basic David Berger cited the outcomes of those wargames as assist for a basic overhaul of the Marine Corps.
I do know of no different case the place the Marine Corps made necessary choices on its future power construction with out absolutely inspecting the impact on all seven warfighting features: command and management; fires; power safety; data; intelligence; logistics; and maneuver.
In keeping with Loewenson’s article, a Wargaming Division spokesman indicated the Marine Corps is now trying to rectify the error by belatedly inspecting logistics and different warfighting features glossed over within the authentic Power Design wargames. This seems like a case of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Basic Berger had already made essential choices resulting in the divesture of weapons and gear and cuts in power construction.
Loewenson’s article additionally raises issues in regards to the fight or power growth course of.
Correctly accomplished, this course of begins with the identification of a navy drawback, then strikes to a number of conceptual options, that are in flip modified and elaborated upon in workshops and conferences. Solely when builders think about an operational idea sufficiently mature do they look at it in a collection of wargames to make sure the seven warfighting features adequately assist the idea.
If operational ideas present promise in these wargames, then they endure additional analyses earlier than evaluations in discipline workout routines. Ideas that builders decide mature sufficient to implement result in the creation of requirement paperwork for brand new or modified doctrine, organizational buildings, coaching packages, materials options (weapons and gear), chief growth packages, personnel actions and the development or modification of amenities.
However there may be little proof the Marine Corps used its fight growth course of to create Power Design.
Moderately, there may be ample proof the Marine Corps made choices to divest weapons and gear and stand down items earlier than conducting the Power Design wargames. The present Commandant, Basic Eric Smith, claims the Marine Corps couldn’t wait till the ideas had been “completely fleshed-out” earlier than implementing them.
I do know of no different case the place the Marine Corps short-circuited the fight growth course of earlier than implementing an idea. Previous leaders definitely by no means made the elemental, Corps-wide adjustments that then-Commandant Basic Berger did from 2019 by means of 2023.
I’ve learn the 17 pages of notes revealed by one recognized and two nameless people concerned within the wargames. These officers reported inappropriate manipulation of the video games and their outcomes. Their notes comprise observations comparable to these:
- “MCWL [Marine Corps Warfighting Lab] leaders have been pressured to place their ‘thumbs on the dimensions’ in ways in which seem to ‘validate’ early FD [Force Design] choices […]”
- “FD 2030 is the reply so now determine how one can make use of it […]”
- “briefly there was a transparent want to assist and form CMC’s [the Commandant’s] most well-liked outcomes.”
Basic Smith said that the Power Design wargames had been “one aspect within the Corps’ ‘virtuous cycle’ of studying,” however the three whistleblowers who participated within the video games preserve the wargames had been something however upright and trustworthy.
In conclusion, the Congressionally mandated independent study (part 1076) of the implementation of Power Design should be thorough and complete. Moreover, if leaders manipulated these wargames to attain a sure consequence, they owe it to their Marines and to their nation to articulate the ensuing dangers to nationwide safety.
Lieutenant Basic Paul Ok. Van Riper is a retired infantry officer whose final project was because the Commanding Basic of the Marine Corps Fight Improvement Command. Whereas on energetic responsibility and in retirement he participated in a number of Joint, Navy, Military, and Marine Corps wargames, most notably because the Crimson Crew chief in Millennium Challenge 2002.