WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force is moving to overhaul its wargaming enterprise with an ambitious AI-enabled simulation platform designed to run scenarios at speeds previously considered unattainable. The effort aims to replace decades-old, labor-intensive methods with a unified digital ecosystem capable of supporting rapid, repeatable, and highly detailed operational analysis.
A Push for Super-Real-Time Simulations
The service recently issued a request for information outlining its plan for a cloud-based wargaming engine capable of operating “up to 10,000 times faster than real time.” This super-real-time performance would allow analysts to generate and evaluate hundreds or even thousands of scenario variations during force design studies, logistics planning, and battle plan development. Traditional tabletop wargames often yield only a single iteration, limiting the scope and reliability of their findings.
The Air Force argues that accelerating simulation cycles is essential as modern threats evolve more rapidly and operational environments become increasingly complex. The initiative also reflects a broader Department of Defense shift toward scientific, fully digitized workflows that can scale across missions and classification levels.
Introducing WarMatrix: A Unified Digital Sandbox
At the center of the modernization push is WarMatrix, described as a toolkit and orchestration environment for building and managing complex wargaming scenarios. The system is engineered to support a common analytical workflow and overcome years of fragmentation caused by outdated, vendor-locked simulation tools.
Reported by Defense News, WarMatrix introduces rapid scenario generation and human-on-the-loop adjudication “to accelerate high-speed decision support.” It is designed to scale to hundreds of users and tens of thousands of simulation entities, all functioning in a unified environment from Unclassified through Special Access Program levels.
Each simulated unit is represented as an autonomous agent capable of responding to dynamic battlefield conditions, including jamming, cyber disruptions, and contested communications. WarMatrix must also integrate seamlessly with established Air Force tools such as AFSIM, as well as simulations used by other military services, reducing barriers to entry for personnel across the department.
Solving Long-Standing Wargaming Challenges
The Air Force’s drive for modernization stems in part from persistent shortcomings in legacy systems. Earlier models suffered from slow processing speeds and weak automated opponents. Some “could not manage basic tasks such as directing a tank column down a road,” forcing wargame organizers to rely on human operators—called “pucksters”—to manually control adversary forces.
Even large, resource-intensive systems often struggled to keep pace. Models were sometimes too slow to adjudicate multiple moves within a week and frequently “continued processing long after a wargame ended,” delaying critical results.
Matthew Caffrey, former chief of wargaming at the Air Force Research Laboratory, explained that expert panels frequently had to step in to adjudicate moves because simulation tools lagged behind. He noted that models typically required additional post-game processing for later analysis.
WarMatrix is structured to eliminate these issues by combining computational precision with human judgment. All assumptions and outcomes are meant to be transparent and auditable, addressing the “black box” shortcomings of past mega-simulations. Unlike prior systems often developed by external contractors, WarMatrix is being built under government leadership to ensure consistency across the Air Force and the broader joint force.
AI for Administrative Relief and Decision Support
Beyond accelerating simulations, WarMatrix incorporates artificial intelligence to reduce administrative workloads and enhance decision-making. Large language models will provide real-time transcription and diarization of commander discussions, streamlining post-exercise review.
The system will also apply neuro-symbolic AI to support course-of-action development, ranking operational options according to risk, resource demands, and strategic tradeoffs. For analysts, planners, and commanders, this means faster access to structured qualitative and quantitative data—without the burdens traditionally associated with manual data collection.
Toward a Scalable, Transparent Wargaming Ecosystem
Service leaders envision WarMatrix as the foundation for a joint wargaming ecosystem that improves speed, clarity, and analytical rigor across the Department of Defense. A standardized environment will make advanced simulations accessible to more airmen, removing barriers that once limited participation.
The platform supports scientific repeatability, allowing officials to examine multiple versions of identical scenarios with consistent logic. This repeatability, combined with transparent adjudication and high-speed processing, is expected to strengthen decision support and long-term strategic planning.
Looking Ahead
As adoption grows, WarMatrix is poised to reshape how the Air Force evaluates capabilities, designs future forces, and prepares for emerging threats. The system’s blend of speed, scalability, and transparent logic promises to modernize operational analysis across the service.
Developed “by wargamers for wargamers,” WarMatrix marks a decisive shift toward data-driven military experimentation—one that could significantly influence how the U.S. Air Force and its partners approach future battles.
