Major Adam Bunker

Wargaming has grown as a tool of practice for the modern military professional. New and more frequent wargames explore myriad areas of warfare at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. The purposes vary, but wargaming generally focuses on improving the players’ ability to fight a future conflict. But practitioners also may use wargaming for purposes beyond the battlefield—for example, to help modernize a military occupational field.

While tabletop exercises are routinely used for team building, improving team responses to disaster preparedness, and emergency planning, they can also contribute to less time-critical challenges such as program management and officer training.1 Most warfighters understand wargaming, and many senior officers have participated in wargames.

Nelson: You’ve spent more than two decades as an educator and, prior to that, 27 years as a naval officer. What are your thoughts on the naval profession today? FitzSimonds: I continue to be impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the midgrade officers I deal with daily. They are highly motivated individuals who truly desire to master their profession and prepare themselves to engage in combat operations.