The Marine Corps is building a new wargaming facility for high-tech situations in Quantico, Virginia that is scheduled to open in 2024, a recent press release announced.
Located in Quantico, Virginia, the new, 100,000-square-foot Marine Corps Wargaming and Analysis Center will be built on the Marine Corps University Campus and host more than a dozen wargames per year. This will also include large, 250-person exercises that will offer a realistic simulation of future operating environments. Simulations will include all existing weapons systems for maximum accuracy.
The center is expected to break ground in 2021. Currently, leaders travel to the Naval War College in Rhode Island to run wargames, but this center will give them a dedicated facility.
“In order to stay ahead of peer competitors, it is vital that the Marine Corps conduct constant wargames…The data that comes from such wargames enables us to more rapidly determine which capabilities we will need for future fights,” said Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, deputy commandant, Combat Development and Integration. “A wargaming center at Quantico ensures that these wargames take place at the home of Combat Development, the Warfighting Laboratory, Marine Corps University, and our Acquisitions Command.”
The new Quantico facility is part of a number of changes as the Marine Corps transforms itself so it can effectively fight against more advanced enemies. Commandant Gen. David Berger has implemented a plan called Force Design 2030 that has strongly emphasized wargaming.
The two-story wargaming center will have an auditorium, gaming classrooms, and conference rooms. The architecture and materials will be explicitly designed to show advanced wargames. The plan is to reach initial operation in 2024 and full operations in 2025.