Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
This Issues in National Security Lecture took place on February 25, 2025. The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
Synopsis:
This lecture examines the enduring role war gaming has played since the founding of the Naval War College through to the 21st century. This presentation will explain how and why war gaming has been effective for the Navy and the Naval War College over the last 138 years. By highlighting key individuals such as William McCarty Little, Hollaway Frost, Wilbur Van Auken, Henry Eccles and Frank McHugh, the lecture will provide a narrative of the evolution of war gaming at the College and its impact on the U.S. Navy. It will also address questions of what a war game is, why the Navy has pursued war gaming for so many decades, and why it still does war gaming today. From the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, to the post war advent of computers, to the Global War Games of the 1980s, to the prospects for war gaming in the 21st century, this lecture will provide a history of professional education and research through the lens of College’s war games and leaders.
Speaker bio:
Dr. Jon Scott Logel is a professor in War Gaming Department of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the United States Naval War College. Since joining the War Gaming Department faculty in 2011, he has focused his research on the use of historical methods in war game analysis for gaining insights into maritime operational issues. Specifically, he has collaborated in qualitative research and analytical projects that have informed the Navy’s development of future naval warfighting concepts, and the drafting of operational plans to address current and emerging threats. His additional research explores American history and the influence of military education and professionalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is the author of Designing Gotham: West Point Engineers and the Rise of New York, 1817-1898 with LSU press, co-author of several white papers and chapters on war gaming and analysis, and multiple war game reports. He holds degrees from Wake Forest and Syracuse universities.
INS Certificate:
Certificates of Participation can be provided to viewers who have seen 70 percent (%) of the lectures offered this season. For eligibility, lectures could have been attended in person, watched via Zoom, or watched when the lectures are posted to YouTube. You can certify that you have viewed at least 70% (7 of the 10) INS lectures by filling out the following form: forms.office.com/r/GPBBg0cN9L
This Issues in National Security Lecture took place on February 25, 2025. The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
Synopsis:
This lecture examines the enduring role war gaming has played since the founding of the Naval War College through to the 21st century. This presentation will explain how and why war gaming has been effective for the Navy and the Naval War College over the last 138 years. By highlighting key individuals such as William McCarty Little, Hollaway Frost, Wilbur Van Auken, Henry Eccles and Frank McHugh, the lecture will provide a narrative of the evolution of war gaming at the College and its impact on the U.S. Navy. It will also address questions of what a war game is, why the Navy has pursued war gaming for so many decades, and why it still does war gaming today. From the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, to the post war advent of computers, to the Global War Games of the 1980s, to the prospects for war gaming in the 21st century, this lecture will provide a history of professional education and research through the lens of College’s war games and leaders.
Speaker bio:
Dr. Jon Scott Logel is a professor in War Gaming Department of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the United States Naval War College. Since joining the War Gaming Department faculty in 2011, he has focused his research on the use of historical methods in war game analysis for gaining insights into maritime operational issues. Specifically, he has collaborated in qualitative research and analytical projects that have informed the Navy’s development of future naval warfighting concepts, and the drafting of operational plans to address current and emerging threats. His additional research explores American history and the influence of military education and professionalization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is the author of Designing Gotham: West Point Engineers and the Rise of New York, 1817-1898 with LSU press, co-author of several white papers and chapters on war gaming and analysis, and multiple war game reports. He holds degrees from Wake Forest and Syracuse universities.
INS Certificate:
Certificates of Participation can be provided to viewers who have seen 70 percent (%) of the lectures offered this season. For eligibility, lectures could have been attended in person, watched via Zoom, or watched when the lectures are posted to YouTube. You can certify that you have viewed at least 70% (7 of the 10) INS lectures by filling out the following form: forms.office.com/r/GPBBg0cN9L
