A Letter from our Hosts
Hello!
COVID permitting, we will be hosting the Connections Wargaming Conference at The Army University (ArmyU) in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas from 22-25 June, 2021.
We’ve always thought of Connections as the place where professional wargaming nerds get together, present papers, trade techniques, play games – and make connections. We’ve made a large number of very useful connections with people at Connections over the years!
We invite participation from those interested, both at Fort Leavenworth and in the wider professional wargaming community. You do not have to be a federal employee, and the conference is held at the unclassified/public release level. Attendance is free (though there’s a long history of asking people to contribute to a fund for the ice-breaker and other meals, driven by a DoD policy that forbids DoD funds being used to buy food).
The topic theme of Connections this year is Ethics and Wargaming. As professional wargamers, our sponsors and players rely on our accurate models to guide decisions and aid learning. But accuracy is more than just realistic ranges and Combat Results Tables – for full accuracy, we must take responsibility for lessons learned and dedicate time to explore the intangibles of ethics. We call for papers and presentations on how wargames can develop ethical leaders, how they can illuminate ethical issues warfighters may face in increasingly complex operational environments, and how wargame designers and players weigh ethical decisions.
Not an expert on Ethics? Connections welcomes presentations on other topics as well! Usually presentations, papers, and workshops on the Connections theme only account for around 40% of submissions and content – we strongly encourage submissions on Education and Wargaming and other salient, perennial, or otherwise interesting professional wargaming topics.
We hope to see you in June!
Your Hosts,
Dr. James Sterrett, Mike Dunn, and LTC John Lord
The Army University, US Army Command and General Staff College
Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas
Connections Wargaming Conference 