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INTRODUCTION
This is a distributed Analytical Wargaming Exercise hosted by Fight Club International. Designed for defense professionals, analysts, and students of strategy, this module offers a low-friction environment to test operational concepts. Unlike traditional real-time simulation, this format isolates the decision-making process from the mechanics of execution. Participants analyze a complex planning problem, formulate a layered defensive posture, and receive data-driven feedback on the consequences of their command logic.
This exercise builds on our first module (Op Iron Umbrella) and scales the problem considerably, from defending a single radar site to designing and deploying an entire theater-level Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) network. The planning space is larger, the threat is more varied, and the trade-offs are harder. It is not a puzzle with a correct answer. It is a command problem with competing demands and a finite budget. The scenario has a Basic mode with fewer units to defend.
This exercise can be played individually or within a group. Time commitment is approximately one to two hours.
THE SCENARIO
Context: Persian Gulf | Strait of Hormuz | Coalition IAMD
Task: Defend critical coalition infrastructure against a multi-axis Iranian strike campaign
Threat: Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, OWA drone swarms, anti-radiation missiles
Intelligence indicates the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is prepared to execute a coordinated strike against Gulf state energy infrastructure and military installations. You are the JFACC/AADC (the Joint Force Air Component Commander and Area Air Defense Commander) responsible for the entire coalition air defense network across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
A pre-deployed network of Patriot, THAAD, and early warning radars is already in position. It is not enough. You have a finite Mission Points budget to select, deploy, and task additional forces: ground-based interceptors, radars, fighters, tankers, AEW aircraft, and ISR assets. The threat is designed to exhaust your interceptors before delivering the decisive strike.
The problem is not just what to defend with. It is how to layer your defense, where to accept risk, and how to match the right interceptor to the right threat before your magazines run dry.
THE FORMAT: OPERATIONAL DECISION GAME (ODG)
Participants do not engage in real-time unit control. You act as the Task Force Commander during the planning phase. Your submission has two components.
First, a series of structured operational decisions made through the web interface that define your defensive posture. These decisions cover force selection, unit deployment, air tasking, and engagement doctrine. They are translated directly into the simulation for adjudication.
Second, a free-text Commander's Intent where you articulate your reasoning, priorities, and risk calculus. This is where you explain why you configured your defense the way you did. It is what separates a planning exercise from a multiple-choice test.
You will not observe the execution in real time. After submission, the scenario is adjudicated via Command PE (Professional Edition), a physics-based simulation engine used by defense organizations for operational analysis. Your command logic is tested against validated Iranian threat models and engagement mechanics, not abstract dice rolls.
COMMAND DECISIONS
Your orders cover three sequential planning phases:
1. FORCE DESIGN
Select units from the deployable force pool within your Mission Points budget. Choose between upper-tier BMD (THAAD), lower-tier AMD (Patriot PAC-3 MSE, PAC-2 GEM+, NASAMS), short-range and C-UAS systems (Iron Dome, IFPC, C-RAM Centurion), early warning radars, DCA fighters (F-15E, F-35A, EF-2000, F/A-18D), and air support assets (AWACS, tankers, ISR). Budget is finite. Every purchase is a trade-off.
2. FORCE DEPLOYMENT
Place your selected ground units on the tactical map. Mobile assets can go anywhere in the AOR. Your positioning determines which infrastructure gets layered coverage and which axes are left thin. The pre-deployed network is shown; your job is to fill the gaps, not duplicate existing coverage.
3. AIR TASKING ORDER
Assign DCA fighters to CAP patrol zones, support aircraft to tracks, and set engagement doctrine. CAP zones must remain over the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or coalition territory. Any aircraft that cross the Iranian coastline are adjudicated as lost. Tanker allocation determines how long your fighters can stay on station.
In addition, you will define your Weapons Release Authority (WRA), the engagement posture for each system against each threat category (ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, OWA drones). This is the engagement doctrine that governs how your batteries expend interceptors under saturation conditions.
OUTPUT
Upon execution, participants receive a detailed After Action Review (AAR) containing:
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Timeline of significant events.
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Kill-chain efficiency analysis.
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Infrastructure damage assessment against the threat vector.
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Evaluation of command decisions against the actual threat vector.
A note on timelines: Adjudication is not automated — each submission is processed and reviewed individually. Expect the AAR to take days, not hours. This is deliberate: we prioritize analytical depth over speed.
A note on method: We are actively exploring the use of Large Language Models and AI-assisted tools in the adjudication and AAR generation process. This is experimental. Part of what we're learning with this exercise is where AI adds genuine analytical value to wargaming and where it doesn't. Your participation feeds directly into that research.
PARTICIPATE
This exercise is open to registered Fight Club International members. If you're already a member, access the exercise [here]. If you're not a member yet, registration takes two minutes