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On the Subject of War Gaming and Ukraine

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

By Dr. Ken Smith

Manila, The Philippines


12 March 2022

Ref: Smith, K. F. (2022). ‘GAME THEORY’: Another Technique to Supplement Pre-Project Risk Assessment or Post-Project Evaluation, PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue IV, April. https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/pmwj116-Apr2022-Smith-game-theory-advisory-article.pdf

Dear Editor,

In conjunction with my companion Game Theory article in this month’s Journal, I thought readers might appreciate my ‘close encounter of the fourth & fifth kind’ in a military war-gaming exercise: where “I experienced a transformation of my sense of reality during direct bilateral communication with extraterrestrial entities” – although in this instance, the ETs were the higher-level military NCOs and Officers communicating with me in my lowly ‘Other Ranks’ status!

While serving with the RAF as a Senior Aircraftman in the occupied British Zone of Northern Germany in 1952, I was on guard duty during a tactical exercisedecked out in full regalia: battledress, light blue blanco’d belt, webbing and gaiters, blindingly shiny brass and boots, Lee Enfield rifle w/fixed bayonet – and the lone sentinel at the main gate from 6 am to 8 am; the regular work week “rush hour.”  We had been alerted an attempt would be made by “opposing forces” to infiltrate the base sometime during the week and I was ordered by the Sergeant of the Guard (SOG) to let no-one through without checking their “Ausweiss” (ID card &/or base pass) — an awesome responsibility for a 19-year old National Service enlisted man with unimaginable repercussions; not only me, but for the British Army of Occupation of the Rhine (BAOR) and Allied Tactical Air Force (ATAF) if someone slipped in and sabotaged our base.

In addition to regular “in and out” traffic, the base employed hundreds of German civilian ‘GSOs’ [General Service Organization] in grey-green uniforms. Starting at 6 a.m. they all seemed to show up en masse: some by bus, mostly by bicycle and a few on foot. I closed the striped wooden pole barrier across the road and checked each individual – one-by-one – as quickly as I could before letting them pass; but it was slow going and the crowd backlog grew by the minute! I also had to give priority to officers and vehicles, as well as check the drivers and their passengers. Nevertheless, despite pushing, shoving, murmurings and even louder complaints from the GSO multitude that they were being made late for work, I persisted with the visual & ID inspections.

Eventually, the Officer of the Day (OD) came to ask what the hell I was doing, as he was getting phone calls from all over the base that people were not reporting for work…

More…

To read entire Letter to the Editor, click here

How to cite this work: Smith, K.F. (2022). On the Subject of War Gaming and Ukraine, Letter to the Editor, PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue IV, April. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/pmwj116-Apr2022-Smith-war-gaming-and-ukraine-Letter-to-Editor.pdf