TradeSpace: Designing A Wargame for USSF Acquisition Program Managers

Abstract

The United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) worked with Toffler Associates, a future-focused strategic advisory firm based in Arlington, VA, to design, develop, and test an acquisition education wargame. This game fills a known gap in educating and training mid-level space acquisition program managers who have not had an opportunity to experience and practice acquisition-specific critical thinking skills in a realistic scenario. Toffler Associates’ facilitators ran two instances of the game with teams of five and six participants from SSC’s acquisition workforce. The game used a space acquisition scenario for which participants developed an acquisition strategy within the game mechanics. After a rapid briefing on their approach for approval to proceed, they played the game, creatively developing courses of action to mitigate risks and exploit opportunities. Feedback from participants indicated the game was logical and engaging, and met learning objectives. This initial playtest points to a future for this type of experiential environment in acquisition education as well as other acquisition strategy situations, including team building and real-world acquisition strategy testing.