The U.S. military is getting ready to fight nuclear World War III against Russia and China, and possibly North Korea and Iran as well. Last week, the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, hosted the 15th annual Deterrence and Escalation Game and Review (DEGRE) and Global 18 wargame, co-sponsored by U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT). “Designed to examine the dynamics of strategic deterrence, assurance, and escalation management and assess joint warfighting capabilities, the combined wargame provides U.S. government leadership, combatant commanders, and partners and allies with information needed to enhance interoperability and maintain competitive military advantage,” reports a War College press release.
“‘This game provides U.S. and allied leaders substantial learning opportunities when presented with a challenging simulated conflict involving multiple nuclear capable adversaries,’ the press release quotes Capt. William Lawler (ret.), game director, DEGRE 2024/Global 18 and associate professor, NWC, as commenting. Ideas presented and data generated at DEGRE/Global 18 will be used to inform decision-makers regarding future strategy and wider planning efforts, while also identifying areas needing additional research.”
The inclusion of PACFLT as one of the game co-sponsors highlights the anti-China orientation. “The Global series, which supports U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s objectives to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, uses wargaming to assess the Navy’s roles and responsibilities in leading joint warfighting capabilities from the component to task group levels of command,” the release says.
