Shall We Play a Game?

In the beloved film, WarGames, young Matthew Broderick plays a teen hacker who stumbles into a military supercomputer and accidentally triggers what appears to be the countdown to World War III. The 80s classic was ahead of its time, envisioning a future where gaming grows so advanced that it mirrors real warfare. Fast forward forty years, and Air Mobility Command (AMC) is harnessing the power of gaming technologies to prepare for the future fight. AMC leaders are using sophisticated war-gaming software to test real-world scenarios, anticipate threats, and refine strategies in ways that were impossible a generation ago.

At the heart of this effort is the Virtual Warfare Center at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), where teams engage in high-stakes simulations using Command Professional Edition (CPE), a commercial game modified for military use. Known as the Swiss Army knife of military gaming and simulation, this software allows up to sixteen teams to participate in real-time multiplayer scenarios, often pitting a red cell (adversaries) against a blue cell (U.S. and allied forces), with a white cell overseeing the action.

These war games are not just theoretical exercises—they are rehearsals for real-world conflicts. “While the exercise is progressing, we would program in the actual missions, injecting something like, ‘Hey, China just put up a live-fire training zone in the middle of your exercise. What are you going to do?’” shared Donald Anderson, Director of Analyses, Assessments & Lessons Learned for Headquarters AMC. Anderson, who is heavily involved in leading the war gaming, explained that this exercise helps Airmen think through their next move. Another real-life example that has been used was inserting that a C-5 disappeared from radar—but neither the red nor blue team were told why.

Another exercise might involve a transport aircraft disappearing from radar, forcing both U.S. and Chinese forces to scramble, with neither side knowing whether the disappearance resulted from an accident or an act of aggression. “So obviously, everybody thinks the worst thing,” Anderson said. With both sides scrambling, not knowing what caused the aircraft to disappear, AMC or U.S. Transportation Command has decisions to make and strategies to form. The decisions made in these war games provide invaluable insights into military tactics, logistical challenges, and the unpredictability of modern warfare.

The Air Force also uses these simulations for education and training. In 2024, a war-gaming competition near Eglin AFB brought in teams from across the Air Force’s Major Commands for a large-scale exercise designed to test strategic thinking. According to Anderson, such competitions offer a hands-on way for participants to understand real-world military strategy. One participant noted learning more about U.S. and Chinese military tactics in a few hours than in any classroom setting.

The future of war gaming goes beyond human decision-making. The Air Force is now exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance these simulations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s GameBreaker Artificial Intelligence (AI), for instance, will be integrated into CPE, allowing planners to rapidly analyze potential courses of action. “They could take literally trillions of different courses of action,” Anderson added, “These war games are very sophisticated.” AI steps in and analyzes the situations in real time, providing near-instant feedback about strategies, tactics, and outcome predictions—which all would take human analysts significantly longer to compile.

The potential for AI-driven war gaming grows even larger when paired with quantum computing. Through a recent agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory, AMC now has access to IBM’s Quantum Computing Center, which offers near-unlimited processing power for simulations. Although the full implications of this technology remain unknown, Anderson believes the possibilities down the road are nearly endless.

In an unpredictable world, preparation is not just an advantage; it is a necessity. By running these simulations, AMC is not just playing a game—it is making sure that if a real-world crisis unfolds, they have already tested their options.