Questions about "WarGames"

This may seem completely stupid coming from a person with the name of 'dotgov101,' but I have a few questions about the following article:

War-games find Iran strike unfavorable

When I was much younger, my father was a military officer during the Cold War, and would sometimes use the words "war games" to describe his job. I was a young girl with undying questions about his career, as his duties were very strange compared to my friends' fathers and our family life was just all-out unusual.

So, it's a phrase I grew up with until he was transferred to an unnamed agency (I won't say which one, as he is now happily retired into anonymity). The article mentioned above uses this phrase, and I can't help but wonder the following:

1) Why is it considered a "game?"
2) Who is playing it?
3) How can our culture determine another culture's actions during distress?

I can't call my father and ask him, because he will never discuss his past over the telephone, and I think he would give me a civilian-friendly answer. I know that there is computer sociological software involved, and that dozens of think-tanks are behind the modeling of the war psyche.

When I studied military philosophy, however, what was taught to me were tactics used in past civilizations through tactics used during the Cold War. Numerous government officials in today's Administration have said that the current war on terror is unlike any other, with little or no elaboration as to why, but that's a statement I can analyze later in a different post.

My viewpoint is the War on Terror is now turning into the War Against Countries Currently Developing Nuclear Weaponry, and the United States is desparately trying to find a way to stop it by strategizing a war with different nations. If I were a leader of a developing country, and I read in a publicized article that the United States was playing "games" to try to stop my development, I would actively speed up the progress of developing my weaponry. Why doesn't our Administration realize this??

Any military scholars out there who can hypothesize on these questions and statements?

Dot.

[edit on 20-9-2004 by dotgov101]

Wargames are practice for war. Nearly every soldier at least in America does them over and over. Soem are huge and are actually given names because they are joint exercises with multiple countries. Most are routine and are done by many different units. Some are live fire and others they use a type of laser tag system. The Games keep the troops ready for war because soldiers can't just sit around cleaning theri rifles all day. They have to get out their and shoot their rifle even if its at a mound of dirt 300 yards out.

How do we know that we would lose against Iran?

I would have thought that war games were more of an indoor, strategist type of enactment. I just don't know for sure. It would seem that if we were playing "cowboys and indians," the cowboys would always seem to win.

Dot.

Sometimes the wargames are just that......games. the military sets up computers on a network and they fire up the game and kill eachother virtually speaking.

The atricle only mentions a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. It doesn't mention the possibility of an invasion by American troops. We can give authorization to Israel to strike at their nuclear facilities and on the other hand, Israel doesn't need any authorization.

[edit on 21/9/04 by Intelearthling]

Originally posted by dotgov101
1) Why is it considered a "game?"
2) Who is playing it?
3) How can our culture determine another culture's actions during distress?

It isn't really considered a game. By those whose job it is to wargame, it is considered very serious business. Wargame is simply the euphemism for the process by which battle plans are assessed for thier feasability, survivability, and whether or not they can be reasonably assured of success. Once all of the proposed plans are 'played' out, including all variable conditions worth consideration, the plan that proves to be most likely to ensure success is chosen. Then the plan is implemented on the battlefield.

The battle planners wargame. Battleplanners are soldier generals and colonels, logisticians, statisticians, intelligence analysts, and civilian leaders who ultimately will be held responsible for the decision.

Currently, wargamers are trying hard to discern the motivations and intents of our self-proclaimed enemies. I'm not a wargamer, but if I were, I would liken our enemy's motivations and intents to those of a spoiled child in a candy store that can't have the candy.

Runnin' around all crazy-like with the screaming and the crying and the flying planes into buildings. bombing everything and everyone in a huge culture tantrum.