Wargaming

“Now the great secret of its power lies in the existence of the enemy—a live, vicious enemy—in the next room waiting feverishly to take advantage of any of our mistakes, ever ready to puncture any visionary scheme, to haul us down to Earth.” -- William McCarty Little, 1887

Our building, McCarty Little Hall, is named for Lt. William McCarty Little (1846-1915), who was instrumental in developing Naval War College’s wargaming techniques. In 1884, Little left active service after losing sight in one eye and began volunteering in the library of a new war college. In 1886, he introduced wargaming and soon became the U.S. Navy’s first expert in the field. One of his earliest activities including working alongside NWC’s second president, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, to develop a system of graphical representations behind historic naval battles.

In 1903, to honor Little’s contributions to NWC, Congress passed a special act that promoted him to captain and permanently assigned him to the college faculty. He served on the faculty and continued to develop wargaming for 30 years, retiring in 1915.

Inside our 111,000-square-foot wargaming facility, you’ll find a 180-seat auditorium, a television studio, 20+ reconfigurable gaming cells, and classroom and conference space.

Our gaming cells can host up to 400 computer stations—and access to classified and secure networks—and all are equipped with state-of-the-art video technology and the ability to broadcast throughout the facility and around the world. The largest of our gaming cells is the Joint Command Center, which can hold up to 100 computers.

The auditorium is equipped with high-definition cameras and video-conferencing capabilities—and its large floor can double as an additional gaming cell or hold a 25-by-40-foot map to conduct a rehearsal of concept drill.

In addition to our on-campus facilities, our wargaming professionals also travel off-site and abroad to conduct tabletop exercises or give seminars.

Wargaming covers a wide range of issues including:

• Space
• Cyber
• Political-military relationships
• Sea control
• Nuclear deterrence
• Humanitarian assistance
• Disaster relief
• Homeland security/defense 

Gaming not only helps our students grow as leaders, but it supports internal research needs and external requests from other commands and civilian agencies. We work individually with requesting sponsors to develop gaming programs.

Partners and games have included:

• Chief of Naval Operation (Global Title X War Game Series)
• Office of the Secretary of Defense (Proliferation Security Initiative Game)
• OPAV (Maritime Domain Awareness Operational Game)
• U.S. STRATCOM (Strategic Deterrence and Escalation Game)

The following publications provide insight into a range of wargaming topics, including fundamentals, theory, research, and reference, all of which enhance the educational experience and support the complex gaming simulations conducted in the Wargaming department.