Wargaming for Improved Acquisition: What Does It Take?

Key Takeaways

• Service‑level games uncover detailed industrial‑base and logistics gaps
• Joint strategic wargames need bottom‑up data for credible benchmarks
• Annual, governed framework ensures consistent methodology across services
• AI‑enhanced simulations reveal unexpected sensor and parts demand

Pulse Analysis

The defense acquisition system has long struggled with fragmented data and siloed decision‑making, leading to costly delays in fielding critical capabilities. By embedding wargaming at the service level, planners can simulate realistic mobilization scenarios that surface supply‑chain bottlenecks, war‑reserve misalignments, and emergent technology needs. This granular insight feeds a higher‑order strategic game, turning anecdotal observations into quantifiable metrics that policymakers can trust.

Recent prototype exercises, such as the Marine Corps Operational Logistics Wargame, demonstrated how early‑turn decisions—prepositioning supplies and calibrating depot maintenance—drive long‑term sustainment success. AI‑augmented modeling further highlighted a surprising surge in sensor requirements, prompting a reevaluation of production priorities. These findings illustrate the value of coupling traditional tabletop simulations with advanced analytics, creating a feedback loop that refines acquisition roadmaps in near real‑time.

Scaling this approach requires a formal governance structure, likely led by the Undersecretaries for Acquisition and Sustainment and the Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Policy. A standardized annual framework would harmonize data collection, ensure interoperability of models, and provide Congress with a transparent benchmark for funding decisions. As the nation confronts increasingly complex threats, a disciplined wargaming enterprise offers a pragmatic path to align industrial capacity, budgetary constraints, and operational imperatives, ultimately strengthening national security readiness.