If they had not done so, Germany and two other NATO nations would not have shown up for the fight in Poland. team also invested a large sum in directed diplomacy. Every team invested heavily in hypersonic technology, cyber (offensive and defensive), space, and lasers. Each team was given $200 billion dollars to invest, with the Russians and Chinese being forced to split their funding. Nearly everything was on the table, from buying an additional carrier or brigade combat team, to taking a shot at getting quantum computing technology to work. Prior to the wargame, the students were given a list of approximately 75 items they could invest in that would give them certain advantages during the game.
Interestingly, although it was not part of the original player organization the Blue side found it necessary to have a player take on the role of the Joint Staff, to better coordinate global activities. All of these teams were permitted to coordinate their activities both before the conflict and during. There were three red teams, representing Russia, China, and North Korea combatting three blue teams representing Taiwan, Indo-Pacific Command (Korea conflict) and European Command. The wargames were played by six student teams, or approximately five persons each. For purposes of the wargame, each of these events occurred simultaneously. And Kim Jong-un, ever the opportunist, decides that the time has arrived to unify the Korean peninsula under his rule. China begins the scenario in the midst of a debt-related financial crisis and plans to use America’s distraction with Russia to grab Taiwan and focus popular discontent outward. Similar to 1939, Poland became the catalyst that finally focused NATO’s attention on the looming Russian threat, leading to a massing of both NATO and Russian forces on the new Eastern Front. Consequently, the scenario starts with a surging Russia threatening Poland. To set the stage, the students were given an eight-year road-to-war, during which time Russia seized the Baltics and all of Ukraine.
That is the verdict of a Marine Corps War College wargame I organized that allowed students to fight a multiple great state conflict last week. The United States can win World War III, but it’s going to be ugly and it better end quick, or everyone starts looking for the nuclear trigger.