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War College Plays International War Game

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090605-11
Release Date: 6/5/2009 3:02:00 PM

From Naval War College Public Affairs

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- The Naval War College (NWC) is participating in the 35th annual Inter-American War Game 2009 (IAWG), June 1-12 along with sister Western Hemisphere naval war colleges.

The IAWG is a virtual game with move responses submitted by Internet from each of the country's respective home stations.

"Our War Gaming and International Law (ILD) Departments are working together in this war game with the war colleges of a dozen other Latin American countries and Canada," said NWC professor Shawn Burns, from NWC's War Gaming Department. "This year's game focus is on counterpiracy operations and associated rules of engagement (ROE)."

Hosted by the Uruguay Naval War College (Escuela de Guerra Naval), the 2009 game is being led by Game Director Capt. Daniel Arancio, who served as Uruguayan liaison officer to U.S. Atlantic Fleet 1997-1999.

"This game will contribute to our joint military operations body of knowledge by documenting challenges of building a multinational C2 (command and control) structure, and the ROE challenges when conducting counterpiracy operations," said Burns. "While multinational counter-piracy operations are not novel, they are here in the Western Hemisphere. Working through the C2 and ROE bugs now will help us later, if called to a piracy threat here in the Western Hemisphere."

NWC's Newport-based game participants include U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Johnny Hayes and Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ahmad Bandani from War Gaming Department and U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Sandra Selman, from the International Law Department. Additionally, Burns is serving in Montevideo, Uruguay, with a three-nation Game Control Group, with representatives from the United States, Uruguay, and Mexico, at the Uruguay Naval War College's War Gaming Department.

The IAWG Control Group representatives from the Mexico Naval War College included Capt. Jorge Tobilla Rodríguez and Lt. Cmdr. Maximino Galindo Marin, both of whom visited NWC last year for a weeklong seminar between the countries' respective war gaming departments.

"In addition to enhancing the rapport among our war colleges, this event builds upon other recent (NWC) Center for Naval Warfare Studies events, such as a U.S. Pacific Fleet-sponsored command and control war game and ILD´s counterpiracy conference," said Burns.

"This game´s summary report will give us some good lessons learned for those who may be called to plan or execute such an operation, especially one a bit closer to home."

For more news from Naval War College, visit www.navy.mil/local/nwc/.