Seeing the future clearly: creating new insights with analytical wargaming
The world is an increasingly complex and uncertain place. For those of us working alongside defence customers, that reality sharpens our focus every day: how do we enable informed decisions to be made with greater clarity, speed and confidence in the face of evolving threats? For me, the answer often begins with wargaming.
Put simply, wargaming is a structured, scenario-based conversation. It can be used to educate, to train, or to analyse; and analytical wargaming forms most of our work. At its core, analytical wargaming creates a safe, controlled environment to explore difficult questions, complex problems, and new concepts; or to test hypotheses and plans. The value of wargaming lies in the new insights it creates, in the perspectives and ‘hidden knowledge’ it unlocks, and the common understanding it generates through its convening power.
That is why I am passionate about the work of the UK MOD’s Defence and Experimentation Hub (DEWH). With over 80 wargaming tasks delivered since the creation of DEWH in 2024, the Hub has proven its value and proven its construct. The DEWH is a whole-force organization with industry and academia, Dstl and uniformed components under uniformed leadership integrating expertise and thought leadership and technology innovation. It provides a space to develop understanding of a concept, or a problem and test plans and hypotheses before they are applied in the real world.
Through collaboration with our uniformed and Dstl colleagues, we have evolved the Analysis-Led Wargaming Framework and developed a suite of protocols, tools and templates that support every stage of the wargaming lifecycle — from problem definition and commissioning through design and development, execution, analysis and reporting. Application of the ALWF ensures and assures consistency of quality and intellectual rigour (balanced with time available); and the coherence of a campaign of wargaming activities. DEWH can initiate ‘big’ strategic questions; and guide them methodically towards meaningful conclusions.
Wargaming is not about predicting the future with certainty; it is about broadening and deepening understanding. By immersing participants in realistic scenarios, wargaming can expose false assumptions, highlight interdependencies and risks, and reveal opportunities that might otherwise remain unseen. It can allow leaders to see challenges through multiple lenses – operational, technological, human – and to weigh options with greater understanding and confidence.
Ultimately, our role is to help defence organisations to make better decisions, faster, and with greater confidence. In a world where the stakes are high and time is limited, that ability is critical.
What continues to inspire me is the commitment and sense of purpose shared at DEWH and the impact that we have on the participants in our wargaming; and their subsequent decisions.
In defence, insight isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. And through wargaming, we are helping to deliver it where it matters most.
Want to learn more about how we can help? Speak to our experts about your requirements.
Our analysis-led wargaming helps Defence and Government organisations explore challenges, test plans and uncover risks in a safe, structured environment. Combining rigorous analytical methods, modern technology and deep Defence expertise, we deliver credible, operationally relevant insights that enable better, faster and more confident decision-making.