June 27, 2003
AMWC holds Global Mobility Wargame
By Staff Sgt. Vann Miller II
305th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. (AMCNS) - June 22, the Air Mobility Warfare Center invited a unique group of military leaders to a serious discussion that had only been attempted once before in the history of Air Mobility Command.
The military leaders, including generals from across AMC, were players who gathered to discuss the topic of modern day war fighting.
The most notable improvement for this wargame over last year's game was the continued improvements in modeling and simulation capability using air mobility models, said Col. David Gillette, AMWC director of operations.
Some of the key players in this year's wargame were Brig. Gen. Kurt Cichowski of the 21st Air Force, who served as the director of mobility forces, Col. Patricia Battles, who was the logistics team chief, Mr. Dave Merrill, the joint support team chief and Maj. Bob Alexander, who served as the project officer.
The second Global Mobility Wargame, which began June 22 and concluded June 27, was held at the AMWC on Fort Dix. The commander that led this very special engagement was none other than retired Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Ronald Fogleman.
General Fogleman activated the Air Mobility Warfare Center at Ft. Dix in May 1994. As the command's primary advanced education, training and testing facility, the warfare center combines the functions of seven separate units.
There are distinct differences between a military exercise and a wargame, according to Colonel Gillette.
"Wargames are normally played at the operational level of war," he said.
An exercise is generally focused on training and can occur at the tactical, operational, or strategic level of war, the colonel said.
The participants selected to participate in this week's events were all key organizers and sponsors for the wargames, he said.
"The participants are all subject-matter experts in one of the following areas: modeling and simulation, expeditionary logistics, air mobility operations, and the Defense Transportation System," Colonel Gillette said.
There were four important purposes for this wargame: to improve the logistics and mobility dependability learned from the previous wargames, provide insight into the Global Mobility Task Force Concept, refine the Global Engagement VI Wargame products and pre-game analysis, and prepare players for future wargames.
This particular wargame is a milestone in the history of AMC. It marks the first time McGuire and Fort Dix played such a pivotal role in the examination of the power of air mobility. The discussions during the wargame elaborated on the tactical and logistical ability to support the aerospace expeditionary force.
The 2002 wargame's director of mobility forces stated in an earlier report that the wargame builds expertise troops may not already possess.
"We can't fight tomorrow the way we fight today," said Brig. Gen. Winfield Scott III, commander of the 43rd Airlift Wing at Pope Air Force Base. "There will be new force structures and new challenges."
In this wargame, issues such as tanker employment in threat environments were discussed.
"The reason the wargames are so important is that they bring in a level of mobility and logistics realism to the players," Colonel Gillette said.
The structure of the wargame was designed to be similar to the current logistics and mobility command structure.
"A wargame allows the Air Force to closely examine specific areas of interest, evaluating strengths and weaknesses," he said. "This then allows changes to future investment, modernization, force structure or doctrine."
The Global Engagement VI, which was conducted in November 2002, served as foundation for this year's wargames. The 2003 Global Mobility Wargames analyzed important issues discovered in the Global Engagement IV.
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