Contenu
In a world where threats are rapidly evolving, understanding the doctrinal and practical implications of emerging technologies is essential. This is the main idea behind the wargame developed by Naval Group. Its objective is to anticipate technological breakthroughs, co-develop tomorrow’s solutions, and immerse participants in future scenarios, while enhancing their technological insight.
The game allows players to face “strategic surprises”, i.e. new or uncertain developments that appear unexpectedly and may prove disruptive. Finally, by introducing a new capability or technological building brick into a scenario, the wargame encourages players to question its technical and operational contributions and to identify the challenges and obstacles involved in its development or integration.
To test the application of a disruptive innovation within naval forces, Naval Group architects are, for example, asked to design a ship that accounts for this innovation, its integration and the countermeasures it could generate. Meanwhile, naval forces sharpen their understanding of how disruptive technologies might affect usage patterns and inform military doctrine.
A collective, innovative dynamic
The wargame establishes a group dynamic based on open, exploratory, and often unconventional exchanges, creating a space where everyone learns from each other’s expertise. As a key player in the naval defence ecosystem and an advocate for collaborative innovation, Naval Group sees this wargame as an opportunity to share knowledge and challenges, and meet the demands of both present and future threats.
A one-of-a-kind wargame
The wargame developed by Naval Group is designed to assess how the introduction of a disruptive capability or innovation - whether technological like quantum tech or operational like a new drone tactic - impacts a theatre of operations.
The 3D game board covers five operational environments, from the deep sea all the way to outer space, and can be tailored to specific scenarios, focusing only on submarines or surface ships for example.
This design gives players a broad, holistic understanding of the challenges and constraints facing the naval force they command. The physical representation of the so-called “tactical” column makes it possible to visualise connections between different units and to factor in intangible elements (cyber, informational, electronic warfare, etc) within the scenario. The sheer volume and density of information processed during a game also reveal the potential for cognitive overload and the challenge of rapidly handling such a diverse and complex set of data.
Just like any wargame, it complements other exploratory methods such as experiments and military exercises since it allows a faster simulation of numerous tactical and operational scenarios using fewer human and material resources.
