Sixth iteration of Power Wargame provides strategic insights for leaders

U.S. Strategic Command recently brought together experts in the U.S. Government and from Allied nations to use rigor and data to consider and examine ways to deescalate an international crisis.

The U.S. Air Force Wargaming Institute hosted the USSTRATCOM-sponsored Power Wargame 2026, an annual five-day, joint, interagency, strategic-level wargame at Maxwell Air Force Base, March 9-13.  

The Wargaming Institute hosted more than 200 participants, contributing expertise from several combatant commands, the Air and Naval War Colleges, the Department of State, and other subject matter experts.  

The notional scenario places these future leaders in a high-stakes environment where their decisions have tangible consequences within the game's framework. This immersive approach is central to the annual wargame's educational value. As the head of the command responsible for the nation's strategic deterrent, the USSTRATCOM commander, Adm. Rich Correll, emphasized the need for such rigorous preparation.

"Our competitors are moving at a speed and scale we've never seen before," Correll said. "We must stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. That requires not only the right capabilities but leaders at every level who can think critically, adapt, and integrate all instruments of national power.

“Exercises like Power Wargame are where we cultivate that intellectual edge to ensure we drive an asymmetric warfighting advantage while delivering strategic options, underpinned by decision-quality data, to the President,” Correll said. “We continue to drive strategic integration, ensuring that every element of the joint force is prepared to employ forces, as directed, to guarantee the security of the nation."

The Power wargame is named after retired Gen. Thomas Power, commander of Strategic Air Command during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is the sixth iteration of the Power game, where players address specific theater-focused scenarios using given in-game roles to play.

“The particular leaders brought together for this event activated important reality that directly influenced the game play,” said Retired Adm. Scott Swift, founder of The Swift Group, former U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, and senior leader in Power 2026. “The strategic framework that is used for this wargame enables a validation process of U.S. military perceptions. These leaders from other areas of the government and from our Allied nations provide necessary considerations and valuable insights into other levers of national power.”

After four days of game play, all players came together and the leaders presented the results to Correll. In addition to providing those results to the game sponsor, Air Force Lessons Learned and AFWI compiled data from the event.

“This year’s game was particularly insightful due to the players we had in our National Security Council Cell,” said Rear Adm. Thomas R. Buchanan, USSTRATCOM director of plans and policy.

“The great value provided by this effort is the improved communication it drives between military and political leaders,” said Cliff Sims, founder of C.D. Sims & Company, and former deputy director of National Intelligence for Strategy & Communications. “Working through the provided scenarios help widen the aperture and considerations of what goes into national strategic decision-making. It was also a great reminder for the players of a foundational part of our government’s system: helping civilian leaders understand the options on the table to make the critical decision they must make.”

By moving beyond theory and into a dynamic, responsive environment, students gain a deeper, more intuitive grasp of strategic cause and effect, learning directly from the successes and failures of their actions within the simulation. Through exercises like Power Wargame, it ensures that the next generation of commanders is not just educated but forged.

The wargame incorporated global force management considerations, the challenges of sustainment and logistics over time, and what conflict in the cyber and space domains will mean for accomplishing operational and strategic objectives long term. A unique element of the Power Wargame is the integration of students for the Air Command and Staff College’s Joint All Domain Strategist program.

“Last year, I was intrigued by the student element,” said Swift. “This year, I have determined it is a best practice. The coupling of the student coursework to the game brings a rigor of process and “showing of work” that can’t be done just in the week the main players are assembled for the game.

“It also makes a huge difference having Allies playing in the game, bringing their national perspectives and allowing them to get a better understanding of U.S. priorities under a new National Defense Strategy,” continued Swift.

“This event involved a larger number of players than I had envisioned,” said Sims. “Its scale helped me feel the weight of the responsibility on national leaders, as our actions had direct impact on the world. It will help me frame things better when presenting options to senior leaders.’

“This year’s Power wargame helped demonstrate how our fundamental asymmetric advantage is the human element, and improving the strategic I.Q. of our military is critically important, but we must also bridge that learning to more of our interagency partners,” said Correll. “As we modernize our capabilities for future requirements, events like Power 2026 develop concepts of operations for our workforce and for collaboration with our strategic partners to maintain a safe, secure, effective, and credible global strategic combat capability.”