Service Parochialism and the Defense Planning Process: a Case Study of the Title 10 Wargames

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Service Parochialism and the Defense Planning Process: a Case Study of the Title 10 Wargames Service Parochialism and the Defense Planning Process: A Case Study of the Title 10 Wargames KATHLEEN MCCABE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE MCGILL UNIVERSITY, MONTREAL MAY, 2016 Thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science © Kathleen McCabe 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract/Résumé .......................................................................................................................................... iv Aknowledgements......................................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 2: Service Parochialism in the Modern American Military ................................. 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 5 Parochialism in the Planning and Budgeting Process ............................................................... 6 Institutional Drivers of Service Parochialism ............................................................................ 9 Institutional Preferences ............................................................................................................ 10 Autonomy of Decision .............................................................................................................. 11 Identity Determined Preferences ............................................................................................... 12 Challenges to Service Identity Expression ................................................................................ 15 Challenges to Army and Navy Service Autonomy by the Rise of Airpower ........................... 16 Airpower in the Army ............................................................................................................... 17 Adoption of Airpower into “Command of the Sea” .................................................................. 20 Solidification of the New Status Quo ........................................................................................ 22 The TFX Controversy: Challenging Autonomy from Above ................................................. 23 Onward to Goldwater-Nichols ................................................................................................... 27 The F-35 and Army Air Support ............................................................................................... 30 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 3: Wargames ........................................................................................................... 34 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 34 A Brief History of Wargames .................................................................................................... 35 ii Purposes of Wargaming ............................................................................................................. 37 The Components of a Wargame ................................................................................................ 39 Game Design and Development ................................................................................................ 42 The Three Witches of Wargaming ............................................................................................ 45 Battle of Midway Wargame ...................................................................................................... 46 Millennium Challenge ‘02 ........................................................................................................ 47 Free Versus Rigid Kriegsspiel................................................................................................... 51 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER 4: Case Study of the Title 10 Wargames .............................................................. 54 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 54 Origins of Tile 10 Wargaming ................................................................................................... 56 First Global Series....................................................................................................................... 57 Limited Focus and Objectives.................................................................................................... 59 Navy Global .............................................................................................................................. 60 Marine Corps Expeditionary Warrior ....................................................................................... 63 Army Unified Quest .................................................................................................................. 65 Back-end Scenarios ..................................................................................................................... 67 Passive Red .................................................................................................................................. 71 Navy Global .............................................................................................................................. 73 Marine Corps Expeditionary Warrior ....................................................................................... 74 Army Unified Quest .................................................................................................................. 77 Game Design Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 79 Are Traditional Service Interests Observable in the Wargames? .......................................... 81 High Intensity Conflict .............................................................................................................. 81 Sea Control and Amphibious Operations .................................................................................. 85 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 85 CHAPTER 5: Final Conclusions ............................................................................................... 88 Appendix ...................................................................................................................................... 91 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 106 iii ABSTRACT This thesis examines the impact of service parochialism on one of the largest and longest running series of professional military wargames in the United States, the Title 10 wargames. By examining this important feature of modern American defense planning, the research identifies the effect that service parochialism can have on all aspects of the defense planning process, from capabilities acquisition to the formation of doctrine to force structuring. The time period of the analysis begins in 1979 with the predecessor to the modern Title 10 wargames, the Global War Game, and continues to the wargame events played in 2014. The conclusions of this research have been derived from a content analysis of official published documents pertaining to the Title 10 wargames and supplemented by data obtained through expert interviews. The research shows there is a trend in the modern Title 10 wargames to move away from the wide-scope, competitive wargames played during the original Global War Game series. As a consequence, the strategic implications of the wargame events are limited. These design changes render the Title 10 wargames susceptible to continued parochial influences by their organizing service. Ce mémoire examine les répercussions de l’esprit de clocher qui imprègne le service militaire sur l’une des plus grandes et des plus longues séries de jeux de guerre (« wargames ») militaires professionnels aux États-Unis, les « Title 10 wargames ». En examinant cette importante caractéristique des plans de défense modernes américains, cette étude permet d’identifier l’effet que l’esprit de clocher qui prévaut dans le service militaire peut avoir sur différents aspects du processus de planification de la défense, notamment en ce qui concerne tant l’acquisition de capacités militaires que l’élaboration de la doctrine et la structure des forces armées. L’analyse survole une période débutant en 1979 avec la création du prédécesseur des « Title 10 wargames » modernes, le « Global War Game », et se terminant avec les événements reliés aux jeux de guerre de 2014. Ce mémoire tire ses conclusions d’une analyse du contenu de nombreux documents officiels
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