Kingfish Ace: Application of Gaming to Help Air Force Leaders Understand Agile Combat Employment

Abstract

The use of games to model and understand complex systems has an extensive history in military circles. Gaming is used by commanders at all levels to inform their understanding of the operational environment, evaluate disparate courses of action, and refine future concepts of operation. The current article examines the use of gaming by the U.S. Air Force to mature and promote its Agile Combat Employment operational concept. The case is made that this approach is extensible to allow leaders with varying problem sets a tool to develop a deeper understanding of their leadership options.