Set-up in 2017, the
NATO STO’s Research Task Group on "Gamification of Cyber Defense /
Resilience" (reference : SAS 129) were given three years to develop
serious gaming for cyber defense and resilience in military training,
education and training. The idea of training strategic and tactical
thinking with games is not new. The chess game is an example of such a
strategy or war game. In the military, war, conflict or strategy games
have been used for almost 200 years in education, training and advanced
education. A game for the cyberspace is often expected to be a computer
game. However, all three game concepts they developed tries both the
computer-aided and table top approach because they essentially clarify
important basic concepts, promote critical thinking and trigger further
questions.
When it comes to training the officers of the future, it is evident from
SAS-129’s two year work that there will be no one single training tool
for use of cyber in military operations. Thus, SAS-129 is focusing on
developing and cataloguing as many gamified cyber training tools as
possible to put forward a guide for future developers and smart buyers.
With this aim in mind, a workshop was held 18-20 June at Military
Academy of the German Armed Forces (FüAkBw) under the umbrella of the
German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (GIDS) and brought
together 23 participants from seven nations. The workshop consisted of
three parallel R&D tracks in the areas of tactical (Cyber Resilience
Card Game (CRCG)), operational(Multi-Domain Urban Wargame) and
strategic level (Cyber Strategy Game) cyber warfare games. Click here for interviews with some of the participants.
SAS-129
had already conducted demonstrations and prototype testing of the game
at the National Informatics Congress and Turkish General Staff
Partnership for Peace Training Centre in Ankara (TUR), Strategic
Reconnaissance Command in Gershaft (DEU) and Land Training Centre in
Amersfoort (NLD). The NATO Operations Research and Analysis Conference
in Ottawa (CAN) from 7 – 9 October 2019 will be the next occurrence
where they will demonstrate their Multi-Domain Wargame - a hybrid
between conventional wargame, matrix gaming (argument games), and
serious games. Registration for the NATO ORA Conference (link) will open
soon.
Research Task Group SAS-129 is supervised by the System Analysis and
Studies (SAS) Panel - NATO STO’s expert analytical advice panel. The SAS
Panel develops and oversees studies, analysis and information exchange
activities that explore how operational capability can best be provided
and enhanced through the exploitation of new technologies, new forms of
organization or new concepts of operation.
(courtesy: German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies)
Pictures: Cyber Resilience Card Games
