UK Military Launches Innovative Tabletop Wargaming Center

Unveiling the Defense Experimentation and Wargaming Centre

The UK Ministry of Defence has recently opened its brand new Defence Experimentation and Wargaming Centre (DEWC) at Southwick Park, the home of its Defence School of Policing and Guarding. THE DEWC is an innovative new venture which will allow military leaders and personnel to plan and strategise real world military tactics, using different tabletop board games. It sounds to me like a load of army guys playing Warhammer, but there’s a lot more to it than that!

The facility will offer the opportunity for the UK military to evolve and react to real life threats by using the knowledge and skills of people across all areas of expertise. By planning and playing out simulations, leaders can be prepared for all outcomes and try to plan ahead to minimise risks and threats.

Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes said, “The hub will be the epicentre for strategic brilliance and tactical innovation, and will enable evidence-based decisions to be made at an increased pace.” I think that gives a pretty good overview of what they are going for here.

The Strategic Value of Tabletop Wargaming in Military Planning

As anyone who plays any sort of tabletop wargame will know, there is a lot of information you need to take in and a lot of ways you can react to that information. You need to plan two steps ahead of your opponent, anticipating every move and being in a position to change course at any moment. This is something that the MoD is looking to emphasise with their DEWC. There is quite a lot of crossover between Warhammer and the military and a lot of military employees play competitive Warhammer, dare I say generally very well as well!

There are many ways that tabletop wargaming can be used and employed, from simple paper based exercises and theorising strategy, to full simulated battles. Of course, any of these need to be designed and implemented correctly, as any badly designed exercises could be more damaging than helpful. The centre is designed to be the “start of a new era in Defence strategy and innovation. With its focus on experimentation, collaboration, and foresight, the facility embodies the culture of innovation essential for safeguarding national security in an uncertain world.”

DEWC's Cutting-Edge Facilities and Resources

The Hub recently opened in March 2024 at Southwick Park in Hampshire. The state of the art facility was developed in partnership with the Defence Science Technology Laboratory. It already boasts some impressive facilities and in time hopes to also offer a 500 square metre reconfigurable wargaming facility. On top of this, there will be an at-readiness wargaming centre, a huge repository of wargaming data, tools and scenarios and wargaming advice and design from a team of experienced professionals. They hope that all of this will allow the hub to deliver evidence based decisions faster.

The reports state that some of the games being used on site include “Hope and Glory”, which “focuses on infrastructure threats” and “contested” which deals with “high level military strategy”.

The Historical Roots of Military Wargaming

Military wargaming was initially developed in the 19th century by the Prussian army to help its officers learn battlefield tactics and planning. The first of these was called “Kriegsspiel” and it was the first of its kind to be adopted by a military organisation. Kriegsspiel had a massive focus on realism and placed an emphasis on decision making and concealing information rather than competition.

The first prototype of Kriegsspiel was developed and presented to the Prussian king. The initial offering was played on a board of around 6 feet by 6 feet and used porcelain tiles to represent terrain, which could be placed in any custom positions. The military units were represented by porcelain blocks, which were moved across the terrain, using dividers and rulers to regulate movement. Does this sound familiar?

Kriegsspiel has undergone many different developments and variations since its original design, however the overall premise remains the same. We have also seen plenty of new types of game being developed, with Kriegsspiel’s philosophy being a key part of those.

The Future of Defense Strategy with DEWC

The DEWC is designed to offer the UK military all of the strategic resources that it needs to ensure that it develops military personnel, allowing quick decision making and reactive strategies. Staff from all disciplines will work at the hub, including the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and Civil Service. This kind of collaboration will ensure that all options are explored from different angles using each team's expertise.  

The hub's chief of staff, Lt Col Tom Ellen, said it would "engender a culture of experimentation, wargaming and development". All of this seeks to drive the hub to being the leading centre for excellence in tabletop wargaming strategy in the world.