Strategic Challenge: A wargaming exercise that prepares leaders for crisis response and decision making.
- English
- Français
Over the course of three days, Senior Course 145 participated in the Strategy Challenge wargaming exercise, a simulation exercise designed to enhance their skills in strategic analysis, escalation response and decision-making during a political and security crisis. Divided into Committees, each acted as a national security council, providing strategic advice to their assigned country’s highest executive authority.
The exercise began with a presentation and panel discussion featuring Guermantes Lailari, a retired USAF Foreign Area Officer, and Professor Jean-Yves Haine, an expert in international strategy and crisis response. Mr Lailari explored US-China relations, including China's increased pressure on Taiwan, its decision-making complexities and the implications of multi-domain precision warfare. Prof. Haine elaborated on strategic decision-making in crises, focusing on the political nature of “red lines” and their role in deterrence, drawing on examples like the Cuban Missile Crisis.
On the first day, Course Members wrote one-page reports on the position and profile of a specific nation, its region and security environment. These reports, assessing strengths and vulnerabilities, served as a foundation for brainstorming during the exercise. In subsequent days, the game began with a “role-play analysis” to explore a crisis scenario: "A China-Taiwan Crisis in 2030."
Designed to foster critical thinking, the exercise required the participants to analyse the crisis, to identify stakeholders, and to examine key issues and geopolitical dynamics. They received “Game Player Profilers” for the United States, China and Taiwan, outlining each nation's interests, capabilities and relationships, which they studied and researched further.
The exercise unfolded in two stages: an initial stage (Stage I) and an escalation stage (Stage II). At each stage, Course Members assessed the crisis and formulated strategic responses, focusing on two main elements: situation analysis and immediate, actionable recommendations. Strategic responses emphasized clarity, practicality and alignment with desired political, economic or military outcomes. The exercise concluded with Committee presentations summarizing their analyses and recommending specific actions, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and the challenges of decision-making under pressure.