Simulation and Wargaming

11Using Computer‐Generated Virtual Realities, Operations Research, and Board Games for Conflict Simulations

Armin Fügenschuh¹, Sönke Marahrens², Leonie Marguerite Johannsmann³, Sandra Matuszewski⁴, Daniel Müllenstedt⁵, and Johannes Schmidt¹

¹ Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus, Senftenberg, Germany

² German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies, Hamburg, Germany

³ German Air Force, Wunstorf, Germany

⁴ German Air Force, Kalkar, Germany

⁵ German Air Force Command, Cologne, Germany

Introduction

In the years 2014–2017, one of the authors (A. Fügenschuh) organized four trimester‐long interdisciplinary courses at the Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg on Simulation and Wargaming. One used “classical” conflict simulation board games (commercial board games) [6], three were based on electronic simulations: First we used the game “Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations (C:MA/NO)” [4] and then two times the professional simulation environment “Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3)” [3, 7, 8]. The suggestion for these courses came from the Defense Planning Office of the Bundeswehr in Ottobrunn (S. Marahrens). Computer‐aided analysis tools with different resolutions had already been in use there for various questions. The new development of such a system from scratch, being tailored to the special requirements of the Office, would have required a high financial outlay and a corresponding lead time. On the other hand, there were programs on the market ...