Connections UK 2017: Day 1

The programme for the day was as follows:

• 9.00am – 09.30am: Arrivals and coffee.
• 9.30am – 09.40am: Welcome and introduction.
• 9.40am – 10.20am: Wargaming 101 for new-comers or Megagame 202: designing the Megagame.
• 10.20am – 5.10pm: Megagame – ‘Dire Straits'. (Breaks for drinks during the sessions, and for lunch from 1.00pm to 2.00pm.)
• 5.10pm – 6.00pm: Megagame After Action Review.
• 6.00pm – 6.30pm: Buffet supper.
• 6.30pm onwards: Informal games session.

After registering in the main entrance hall of the Strand entrance to King's College, London ...

... we assembled in one of the large lecture theatres for a briefing.

The attendees then dispersed, some going to the Wargaming 101 session for new-comers and some (including me) to the Megagame 202 session to prepare for the Megagame. The room was set up as follows:

© Jim Wallman (2017).

The maps used looked like this:

Himalayas Sector Map

© Jim Wallman (2017).

South Sector Map

© Jim Wallman (2017).

Central Sector Map

© Jim Wallman (2017).

North Sector Map

© Jim Wallman (2017).

Once all the participants were assembled, there was a short briefing that included a video that covered the events and background to the political and military situation the game was going to cover. There was also a Twitter feed that was constantly updated by the Media Team and various participants throughout the Megagame.

During the game I acted as Central Sector Map Control ... which meant that I had to translate the actions passed to me by the various teams and to adjudicate on any political and/or military events that occurred. The following records what happened in the area covered by my map and is not a complete description of all the events that took place during the Megagame.

Pre-game Positions
Before the game commenced a number of military units were already positioned on the map.

• There was a large US presence around Okinawa
• The Taiwanese had their armed forces at either 'Ready' or on 'Alert' status
• The Philippines had a Surface Action Group at 'Alert' status and other units on exercise

Turn 1
During the turn the North Koreans launched a Multiple Re-Entry Vehicle test missile over Japan. At the same time the Philippines units in the south of the country went to 'Alert' status to undertake counter-insurgency operations against local guerrilla fighters.

Turn 2
In response to increasing levels of tension in the region:

• The US moved their Carrier and Surface Action Groups near Okinawa up to 'Alert' status
• US forces (including ABM systems) on Okinawa moved up to 'High Alert' status
• The Chinese deployed two Surface Action Groups and a Carrier Group in the sea between the mainland and Taiwan, with the former at 'Alert' status

Turn 3
Things really started to look as if they were hotting up:

• A US deployment took place in the sea area eat of Okinawa
• Joint Chinese/Russian naval exercises began to the north-east of the Philippines ... observed at some distance by a British nuclear submarine
• US naval forces began to shadow the Chinese Carrier Group as it sailed off the west coast of Taiwan

Turn 4
The situation began to change:

• The massive US naval force near Okinawa moved northwards towards Japan
• The joint Chinese/Russian naval exercises moved eastwards and away from Taiwan and the Philippines ... still observed at some distance by a British nuclear submarine!
• The US naval forces that had been shadowing the Chinese Carrier Group moved to the east of Taiwan and to 'High Alert' status.

Turn 5
The situation remained as it was.

Turn 6
The French sent a Carrier Group to take point in joint exercises with units of the Philippines Navy, and these were joined by a British Surface Action Group.

Turn 7
Units of the Malaysian Navy joined the exercise off the western Philippines.

Turn 8
The Philippines Surface Action Group moved up to 'High Alert' in response to a potential threat to some of the country's southernmost islands. At the same time the joint Chinese/Russian naval exercises came to an end.

Turn 9
The Megagame came to an end ... and no military conflict had occurred!

We then all returned to the lecture theatre for a game debrief ...

... led by Jim Wallman (left) and Professor Rex Brynen (right).

I left to go home after the debrief, and did not take part in the informal after-supper game sessions.

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Please note that the maps shown above are © Jim Wallman (2017), and I have reproduced them to a size that enables readers to identify the main features of the playing areas but which renders them impractical to reproduce.