European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 11. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 this video combat in t just a game computers let officers fest dec son Malang skills for tin i  a. The result is an experience / Lavinia making in  Likit pm i in  no Olier a Short of  a pro minion brochure for the Warrior  Center he w Kili Arrington Doke  Bureau f.1nsied1 Uri iof West Germany quiet wars raged behind the Warrior preparation Center s beige stucco Walls 14 times last year. Four to six Day engagements on Europe s battlefields Are the House specially at the air Force and army run Center where the blasting and the bleeding Are played out on computer screens by an elite Bunch of players senior Nat commanders eager to test their decision making skills before the real thing comes along. This is simulated warfare on a grand scale involving armies and air forces in Europe. Instead  what to do when a missile Battery runs out of missiles for example the commander playing a War game at the Warrior preparation Center must weigh his options Lor handling an enemy blockade of. Say the Harbor of Antwerp. Hal Fum although most of the programs used in the games Are classified the computers Are Able to simulate such things As troop movements and casualties. Intelligence strategies programmed into the computer game allow each Side to Monitor some enem actions and react defensively or offensively. The player s give orders to lower echelons through reports and message traffic or i Telephone and computer albeit usually to an adjacent room. There s no one Here who s grading the participants said army col Douglas b. Campbell the Center s commander. If you have a three Star general Makir. Decisions this colonel in t filing in Tell him what he s doing wrong.  he added Vou Don t have 50.000 troops in the Fields Cooling their heels while inc commanders wonder if this was a Lud or a Good  despite the emphasis on sophisticated computer hardware and software a human Factor definitely comes into play in the video wars. Plotting the offensive moves is a . Commander trained in enemy organi action. Tactics equipment and tactical doctrine. The most complicated thing Man must do is to outwit another human being Campbell said. A live thinking enemy commander can make it much More  humans also help carry out. Via computers the gaming commanders orders so it \ Tan Oxly experience through Olio magic a few roles Thuv probably won t Ever play for real. Like air Force sgt hns Danner who spec Ali is in offensive air operations at his computer screen. Someone of my rank probably would never gel 10 learn the upper parts of Battle management Danner said. We re not m the Loop to make decisions hut. Sure you look at things and think about How you might have done them differently. In s always easier to sit in this chair and make decisions than it would be in their commanders chairs. Hut i have a blast. There Aren t too you. Are leaving the nato sector bbl Haleji Laete i Hato Cek Topa Vous sor1hx Dos Ecter Otan Sie   nato Sektor photo tin ass Manny Garcia stuff ski. Morris Dexter takes Cliare Tif the War Rizir prep Alalimi Culler s de Wensiu Ulm operations during it War am. Many places in the air Force where your Job is to play computer  the Center has a $10 million annual budget and is staffed by about 115 army and air Force personnel. I he Campus like Center on Kaiserslautern s outskirts shares tiny  air station with the Usak band and a military resource Library among Oiler be nails. The Center often credited As the brainchild of former usage commander Gen. William l. Kirk held its first exercise in 1983. Since then us reputation As a training ground has grown exemplified by the increasing number of requests for exercises thu cd Lei has received Over the years. N i q commander Gen. John r. Gal1, in once character de his experience there As perhaps the Best Day i spent As a con s  the Center in t without its critics however. In a department of defense inspector general s audit report. Inspectors noted neither we nor the Center s management could determine w Hether the objectives of the War games were  the report also criticized the Center s operators for not maintaining Complete records of computer use. Particular in tight of plans for what the in report said was $40 million Worth of renovations and new computer equipment Over several years. Additionally the in raised the Sui of financial Burden sharing among the nato allies using the Center and questioned the Lack of . Na\., training at the facility. The air Force and army responses to the report noted that $34 million had been Cut out of the Center s ivs i a budget a cutback that exceeded the auditors recommendations. The services also proc used ignorance about How auditors had arrived at the $40 million figure they identified As expansion Money in the i jss-y."1 financial plan. This sign Hli a outside the Entrance in he Center s threat area. I limes i r Hes Musj greed Wilh the inspector general that costs at the censer could be to Nuccil in the Allied countries assumed some share of the funding. Campbell declined to comment on the report specifically. Hut he acknowledged thai measuring the results of such exercises Idil Ficula. At other in Anim Cen leis. Success often is  to in Unpi to  and the ability to . The commander said "1 he Only True measure of Success is when the Wai starts and who  Campbell  so n s a question of what is measurable beyond  he also said the Navy will step up its involvement in in Bruard or March once Solt were so Mijlin a Al warfare has been installed. Faced with shrinking defense budgets and growing opposition by Iii ens to i Lilart Maneu vers in i Europe. The need for professional computer savvy War gamers May be on the Rise it s More than a Mailer of Cost effectiveness. It becomes a question of Impact on the German Economy Campbell said. ". Commanders Are looking for ways to accomplish required training Wilh the Leasi irn Pacl on the germans. The Kev is to establish the Correct mix of  i he Luxure As Campbell sies in  bring a computer War game system capable of linking All Headquarters for corps my  with instant satellite  it s All new and no one s Ever done in before he said. We re Only limited by imagination and technology