U.S. Naval War College Students Develop AI Tool to Enhance Wargames, Assess Combat

Two U.S. Naval War College (NWC) students working under the Center for Naval Warfare Studies (CNWS) spent more than 300 hours to code an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to enhance wargames and aid combat assessment.

U.S. Army Maj. Anna Jones and U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jon Sanko of CNWS’ Halsey Bravo Group Advanced Research Program were recognized during the war college’s Current Strategy Forum on June 9, 2026.

“It’s really impressive how these students are getting after this Secretary of War priority to accelerate the way we’re incorporating AI into our warfighting,” said CNWS Dean Dr. Michael O’Hara, a retired U.S. Navy captain.

O’Hara said Jones and Sanko built on the knowledge they gained in the war college classrooms to develop classified software using “new statistical packages” to provide repeatable and replicable research and planning methods – analyzing the likely successes or failures of different military courses of action based on relative capabilities and limitations.

“This isn’t replacing the [classroom] learning, it’s leveraging the learning and making it readily accessible to planners and operators,” O’Hara said.

The 10-month Halsey Bravo program is a faculty and student collaborative wargaming effort that examines a broad set of real-world operational challenges in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Projects involve extensive individual and group research along with modeling, visits with theater and agency experts, simulations, and interactive wargaming.

Jones and Sanko enrolled in Halsey Bravo while completing their courses of study in the College of Naval Command and Staff, earning Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) certification and master’s degrees in Defense and Strategic Studies.

“It's important to highlight the work of Maj. Sanko and Maj. Jones, whose innovative approach used the most advanced AI to rapidly offer battlespace commanders the data they need to understand their possible moves and countermoves,” said Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, president of the war college. “For more than a century, the U.S. Naval War College’s wargamers have been giving our military leaders and fighting forces an asymmetric advantage over our adversaries, anticipating attacks, workshopping answers and planning our knockout blows. This project is the latest example of how we’re adapting with the speed of technology to maintain that edge and win the next war before the first shot is fired.

“At the war college, we’re helping our fleet commanders by unleashing experimentation with America's leading AI models and rewarding AI-first re-conceptions of the legacy approaches,” he continued.

Established in 1884, NWC informs today’s decision-makers and educates tomorrow’s leaders by providing educational experiences and learning opportunities that develop their ability to hedge aggressively, innovate continuously, fight distributively, delegate confidently, and command with clarity within complex battlespaces.