Link, comments?
I googled it. Worth the read.
US Forces didn’t shoot back lol
The exercise is a joke.
I recall the story. He used swarm tactics with their small boat squadrons. Lots of ants taking down an elephant.
I’m surprised it even got reported.
More typical was the military exercise Admiral Yamamoto
carried out before attacking the US at Midway. The
exercise resulted in Japan losing. So Yamamoto changed the
rules of the game until Japan won.
"There is more to this than the article states.
"The article is championing a maverick general that is trashing a wargame that he lost. Fine. . .but. . .the rest of the story is just as important.
"Wargames of the national/joint level are not at all like tactical exercises in the local back-40 at Fort Irvin, Red Flag, or anywhere like that. They are highly complex and use many different levels of command and control and technology and procedure. Exercises of this nature are primarily designed to test the ability to coordinate and integrate, on a national/theater/joint level, all the forces of the United States. This is a far cry from what Van Riper is used to playing in.
"Another complicating factor are having to deal with expected capabilities vs. what we have today. Many technology and weapon systems are under development and emerging technologies are vetted during these exercises. Perhaps the general didn’t like having to fight weapons that are beyond “smart.”
"It does not good to lie to ourselves during these exercises, and exercises of this level are so complex, in-depth and expansive, many assumptions have to be made, and apparently these assumptions bothered Van Riper. Fine, but if he is to play in these types of exercises he should think about two levels higher than he is used to operating.
"Another thing, exercises are notoriously more difficult than the real mission, as we challenge our capabilities. This means that when the war starts we find we win faster and save more lives—on both sides. For example, in May of ’90 I participated in a joint exercise at Ft Bragg. It was a computer exercise where Iraq invades Kuwait and goes into Saudi. Sound familiar? Anyway, we won that exercise but we took a heck of a lot more casualties than in the real war.
"As far as doctrine and sloganeering, not so. We explore all doctrine (the way we think things be done) and challege this doctrine all the time--if it wasn't doctrine it would be dogma. In fact, the Air Force has a doctrine web site for anyone in the services, at any level, to take a hack (https://www.doctrine.af.mil/).
"Bottom line: This exercises was not a bunch of guys running around in miles gear or aircraft outfitted with ACMI pods. . .no, it was an exercise to test command and control at a national/theater level. Van Riper better calm down. He may be a great tactician, but he is a lousy national/joint/theater planner/fighter.
"Some “free play” is more than other free play, and when Van Riper was limited as to WMD, he threw a snit fit. Face it, if someone throws WMD our way it is a whole new ball game, with the US going for quick and dirty win—nuke. Van Riper wanted WMD options that would have ended the game. Not good, and if he had that option, then why exercise at all?"
This wasn't just a war game. It was also a lab for command and control and war-fighting concepts that needed testing. Testing requires controlled environments, and Ripper didn't like the controls. If the game is over on day one, then several years of work gets wasted. That is not realistic either.