Category: War Games

A new article, co-authored with Major Jonas Björkqvist of the Swedish Defence University, has been published in Contemporary Military Challenges.
🔹 Title: Staff Rides in Professional Military Education: Fusing History, the Modern Battlefield, and the Battlefield of the Future
🔹 Journal: Contemporary Military Challenges
🔹 Keywords: Staff rides, war games, professional military education, battlefield study

Abstract
This article examines the critical role of staff rides in professional military education (PME), emphasizing their ability to bridge historical military events with modern and future operational realities. It introduces a structured hybrid staff ride model that ensures relevance for today’s military leaders.
Key Insights from the Study:
✔️ The Hybrid Model – A structured approach balancing historical analysis with contemporary and future operational demands.
✔️ Pedagogical Planning Model – A framework for designing staff rides that ensures learning objectives are aligned with practical field activities.
✔️ Integration of War Games – A fully merged model combining staff rides and war games to enhance decision-making and problem-solving skills.
✔️ Historical Personas for Deeper Engagement – Assigning historical figures to participants, helping them immerse themselves in battlefield decision-making.
✔️ Comparison of Staff Ride Models – A review of international approaches, providing valuable insights for PME institutions worldwide.
These insights reinforce staff rides as essential tools for developing critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills in military education.
📖 Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.2478/cmc-2024-0028

Affiliated with the Swedish Defence University’s Centre for Wargaming

By mikaelweissmann

On 15 December 2024

In Land Warfare, Professional Military Education (PME), Staff Ride, Staff Ride, Teaching and Learning, War Games, Wargames

As of 1 December, I am pleased to share that I have become an Affiliated Researcher with the Swedish Defence University Centre for Wargaming (CWG). The CWG is dedicated to advancing wargaming-based education, research, and methodology, providing valuable support and expertise to both the academic community and the broader security sector. I look forward to contributing to their efforts and engaging with colleagues and partners in this field.

More information on the centre can be found here: https://www.fhs.se/en/swedish-defence-university/collaboration/specialized-centres/center-for-wargaming.html

Presentation on War Games and Staff Rides in PME at the ISMS Annual Conference 2024

By mikaelweissmann

On 9 September 2024

In Conference, Professional Military Education (PME), Staff Ride, Staff Ride, Teaching and Learning, Urban Warfare, War Games

From 10-12 September, the Swedish Defence University is hosting the International Society of Military Sciences (ISMS) Annual Conference 2024, with the theme “Scaling up, Learning Lessons, Ensuring Quality.”

I am excited to present Major Jonas Björkqvist and my own on “From the Battlefield to Classroom: Incorporating War Games and Staff Rides in Professional Military Education (PME) to Enhance Urban Combat Preparedness.“

This presentation focuses on integrating war games and staff rides into military education, both in general and in relation to improving preparedness for urban combat scenarios. I am looking forward to engaging with fellow experts and sharing innovative ideas during the conference.

Docent Dr Mikael Weissmann is a Senior Lecturer in Systems Science for Defence and Security in the Department of Systems Science for Defence and Security at the Swedish Defence University. He is also an Associate Professor in War Studies and an Affiliated Researcher at the Swedish Defence University Centre for Wargaming (CWG). He co-convenes the Hybrid Threats Research Group (HTRG) and serves as the Principal Investigator of the project “Building Resilience and Psychological Defence: Countering Hybrid Threats and Foreign Influence and Interference.”

Weissmann’s research focuses on Security, Strategy and Intelligence. His work is structured around six themes:
1. Hybrid Threats
2. Resilience & Psychological Defence
3. Intelligence analysis
4. Technology & Defence
5. Modern Warfare
6. China and the Indo-Pacific

In addition, Weissmann is interested in Teaching & Learning within Professional Military Education (PME), particularly practical and scenario-based exercises and assessments with special emphasis on staff rides and wargames.

He currently pursues research in a number of areas, including:
- Teaching & Learning in PME, focusing on staff rides, wargames, and scenario-based learning approaches.
- Hybrid threats and whole-of-society defence, focusing on foreign influence and interference.
- Psychological Defence, focusing on the building resilience and psychological defence
- Intelligence Analysis, particularly the role of AI and the private sector and the dissemination of intelligence in the information environment in Strategic Early Warning.
- Technology and Defence, focusing on military innovation and the role of AI and autonomous systems in warfare.
- Russian Warfare and Influence, with a particular interest in Ukraine, the Balkans and Central Asia.
- Military Operations and Tactics, in particularly Urban Warfare and the ole of technology.
- China’s foreign policy and role in the world (including its role in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Global South, and the implication of the second Trump Administration).
- Security and Strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
- Foreign Influence and Local Adaptation in Post-Colonial States under Great-Power Influence (focusing on Central Asia and the Middle Corridor).

ABOUT
Dr Mikael Weissmann is an Associate Professor in War Studies and Academic Head & Deputy Head of the Land Operations Division at the Swedish Defence University. He is co-convenor of the Land Warfare Research Group (LWRG) and the Hybrid Threats Research Group (HTRG). He is also a member of CSCAP-EU.

Weissmann’s research on security, strategy and warfare focuses on four research themes:
1) Hybrid Threats and Foreign Interference, 2) Intelligence Analysis, 3) Land Operations and Tactics, and 4) China and East Asian Security and Strategy.

He is also interested in Teaching & Learning with a special interest in practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations as well as Professional Military Education (PME).

His expertise includes:
- Hybrid threats- and warfare
- Land Warfare
- Urban Warfare
- Intelligence analysis
- Russian warfare and influence (particular interest in the Balkans and Eastern Europe)
- Military operations and tactics
- Military tactical thinking
- China and East Asian security and strategy broadly defined.
- Practical and scenario-based exercises and examinations (including staff rides, war games, case studies, scenario exercises, simulations and roleplaying games)
- Professional Military Education (PME)

His research on China and East Asia focuses on:
- China’s foreign policy and role in the world
- the South China Sea
- the North Korean nuclear conflict
- the Taiwan Issue
- Regional and Global Power Shift
- the Belt and Road initiative

Weissmann has also pursued research on track-two diplomacy, conflict management and peacebuilding as well as Sino-Russian and Europe’s relations with China and East Asia.

Hybrid Threats | Psychological Defence | Intelligence analysis | Technology & Defence | Modern Warfare | Urban Warfare | Staff Rides | Wargames | China and the Indo-Pacific | the Balkans

Category: War Games

New Article Published: Staff Rides in Professional Military Education

Affiliated with the Swedish Defence University’s Centre for Wargaming

Presentation on War Games and Staff Rides in PME at the ISMS Annual Conference 2024