Wargaming Nuclear Weapon Employment

This course examines the use of wargaming as an analytical tool for studying nuclear strategy, deterrence, and decisionmaking under extreme uncertainty. Students explore frameworks for modeling escalation dynamics, command and control considerations, and policy responses in simulated conflict environments. Emphasis is placed on structuring games that generate insights for strategic stability and crisis management while addressing limits in validity and ethics. By the end of the course, students design and evaluate nuclear employment wargames to inform defense policy and strategic analysis.