Wargames bring together the two concepts of simulation and games to offer structured and rigorous environments where players can explore strategies, concepts of operations, and technologies across different levels of war. Simulations ingest military doctrine and performance data into their high-fidelity platform models. Then, using a game construct, players enter plans that are carried out by high-fidelity models in which outcomes are compared against objectives. The future state-of-the-art U.S. Marine Corps wargaming facility at Quantico is capable of multiple simultaneous games across multiple classification levels. The simulation environment attempts to be as realistic as possible to provide an immersed training experience comparable to a real-world battle. For instance, weather represents an important factor in determining the course and outcome of battles. Rain can slow the movement of a force, or wind intensity can alter the range of a weapon system. Environmental data, such as terrain, wind, precipitation, turbulence, and other meteorological parameters are examples of the limits of the weather condition profile of a simulated environment. Converting these weather parameter features into quantitative effects and impacts is not only computationally burdening for simulation systems, but also compromises the “fair fight” aspect of the simulation since each simulation system computed the weather effect differently. Therefore, the weather data must be transformed into effects and impacts to be effective. The challenge for wargame designers is to provide accurate and timely weather data to the simulation systems, but also tactical decision aids that relate the impact of the weather on systems performance. This paper examines the role of weather simulation in the USMC Wargaming capability. It describes how the historical weather data augmented by a dynamic weather simulation model is used in wargaming. Finally, it will evaluate how the simulated weather is translated into effects and impacts on the simulation systems during a wargame’s execution.
Keywords
SIMULATIONS
Additional Keywords
Weather modeling; Wargames