The Expeditionary Maneuver Support Directorate, or EMSD, at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, or NSRDEC, recently hosted a wargame exercise focusing on camouflage, concealment and deception, or CCD. Claudia Quigley (pic...
NATICK, Mass. -- The Expeditionary Maneuver Support Directorate, or EMSD, at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, or NSRDEC, recently hosted a wargame exercise focusing on camouflage, concealment and deception, or CCD.
Claudia Quigley, director of EMSD and sponsor of the wargame, explained that the event was intended to help EMSD identify operational performance characteristics of CCD technologies, identify existing CCD technologies that require investment and identify new CCD technologies needed to offset projected threats in future operating environments. EMSD also hopes to garner insights to better prioritize efforts, understand risks and ensure best use of NSRDEC science and technology efforts based on Army priorities.
The NSRDEC event included participants from the 10th Mountain Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, the Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, the Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, or CERDEC, the Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical, or PEO-C3T, Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems, or PM-FSS, the Army Research Laboratory, or ARL, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Army Capabilities Integration Center, or TRADOC ARCIC, the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, or MSCoE, and the U.S. Navy.
"Through the wargame, the Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and the JRTC provided keen insights into CCD capabilities and technologies and their potential use that will enable overmatch against a near-peer/peer adversary, leading to successful mission execution during Phase 2/3 operations," Quigley said.
Quigley was grateful for the participation of military leaders and warfighters, as well as top scientists and engineers, noting that the exercise was a place to learn from one another and set the groundwork for future collaborations.
"Although the Expeditionary Maneuver Support Directorate sponsored this event, we had active participation from Army leaders, scientists, and engineers across RDECOM, ARDEC, CERDEC, PEO-C3T, TRADOC ARCIC, MSCoE, and PM FSS, so EMSD also benefited from the perspective of the entire Acquisition community," said Quigley. "The wargame laid the ground work for a potential collaborative science and technology effort across the Army enterprise. The Navy also sent a representative to this event, so we have the opportunity to collaborate with the Joint Service with this new CCD program."
During the games, participants were divided into two teams. Each team developed war strategies based on existing capabilities/technologies to outmaneuver the opposing team during various wargame scenarios. The teams also brainstormed new CCD concepts.
Brian D. Gemmill, an NSRDEC operational requirements analyst, served as the main facilitator for the wargames. Gemmill believes that the event is an important venue for scientists and engineers to interact with warfighters.
"The recent EMSD wargame effort is not only beneficial to the NSRDEC as an organization, but benefits the individual scientists, engineers, and Soldiers alike," said Gemmill. "By directly involving Soldiers and integrating them with scientists and engineers during wargame activities, the NSRDEC is able to create professional relationships and touchpoints from the S&T workforce directly to the warfighter, where the Army's required capabilities and S&T objectives can be openly discussed in a highly productive and efficient environment."
During the wargame, manipulating and controlling your opponent's perception of reality was a key strategy.
Jason Augustyn, ORISE Center, and president, FutureScout, LLC, explained the methodology for the game, stating that one the objectives is to confuse the enemy about the realities of the situation.
"Did I hide what I was doing and make them think I'm doing something else?" said Augustyn.
Rick Haddad, assistant deputy chief of staff, G-3/5, Operations & Plans at NSRDEC, and Scott Germain, team leader of the Soldier/Squad Interface Team, served as co-facilitators for the event.
"This is a regular process behavior that all RDECs should invest in order to achieve a level of customer intimacy that enables addressing and recommending solutions for complex problems like CCD," said Haddad.
"The wargame at NSRDEC on camouflage, concealment, and deception was a huge success and was an energizing event for all those who participated," said Quigley.
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The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the joint warfighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center
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