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Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Analytical Gaming for Coast Guard

Interesting example intro of using gaming

Analytical Gaming Could Help the U.S. Coast Guard Address Key Challenges

COMMENTARY

(RealClearDefense)  by Scott Savitz and Abbie Tingstad  from RAND

November 8, 2021

Wargames can provide valuable insights that enable military services to anticipate challenges and improve future decisionmaking. Partly because its primary focus is on steady-state problems not directly associated with full-scale conflict, as well as its limited resources to focus on long-term challenges that wargaming can inform, the U.S. Coast Guard has historically conducted relatively few wargames compared with other military services. While the Coast Guard Academy and others within the service have undertaken some gaming efforts, these remain relatively small in scale or limited to participation in analytical games led by other organizations.

A larger-scale analytical gaming effort could help the Coast Guard improve planning, decisions, coordination, and training across a range of areas. These methods could provide a versatile option for exploring a large range of “what-ifs,” embodying the Coast Guard motto Semper Paratus (always ready). Unlike using other methods such as interviews, surveys, or computer simulations alone, the participatory aspect of gaming can be compelling for boosting understanding, engagement, and discussion as the participants “live” through the challenges embedded in the game. This can be particularly valuable for senior leaders, for whom games provide an opportunity to viscerally experience long-term issues in a way that grabs their attention. This can contribute to organizational redirection to address a changing operational environment and mitigate risks.

Gaming could be particularly useful to a service facing a series of rapid changes, as the Coast Guard is today. Many changes involve rapidly advancing technologies, such as uncrewed systems, low-cost cube satellites, cyberdefense, and 3-D printing. Gaming could help the Coast Guard to ascertain how best to acquire and prioritize specific technological capabilities, recognizing the need to integrate these swiftly advancing technologies with cutters, aircraft, and infrastructure that endure for decades.  .... '

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