Combat Commander Europe

Tactical Decision Games (TDGs, also known as Sandbox Exercises, Tactical Vignettes and a myriad of other names) are an important part of professional military education. Military professionals at all levels have to constantly practice decision making in tactical situations in order to sharpen their judgment and also widen their horizon. USMC Major John F. Schmitt writes in his paper How We Decide on the importance of TDGs as leader development tools and explores the reasons why they are an important part of professional military education. Gen. (ret.) James Mattis, former Commandant of the USMC and Secretary of Defense, has often stated how a study ofRead More →

TL;DR: Wargames are a great way of learning about history and the conduct of warfare on all levels (tactics, operations, strategy) in a simple, safe, easy to setup environment. This is a multi-post series that presents some wargames. This is the final article concluding the series. You can find the rest of the series here: Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Historical Wargames Part 3: Tactical Wargames Part 4: Operational Wargames Part 5: Strategic Wargames Part 6: Conclusion This article was supposed to give a quick overview on wargames that can be used for self-study and practice in one’s free time. All of them can beRead More →

TL;DR: Wargames are a great way of learning about history and the conduct of warfare on all levels (tactics, operations, strategy) in a simple, safe, easy to setup environment. This is a multi-post series that presents some wargames. This article focuses on strategic wargames. You can find the rest of the series here: Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Historical Wargames Part 3: Tactical Wargames Part 4: Operational Wargames Part 5: Strategic Wargames Part 6: Conclusion Strategy often comes too short when conducting professional training. Apparently, it is the least important aspect of warfare for officers, as field grade officers are busy with tactics, staff officersRead More →