International Conference on Policy Simulation "Connections Japan 2023/24"
Toward the Development of Policy Simulation/Wargaming Methods
for Analyzing the Security Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region
Under the current security environment, uncertainty over the existing order is increasing and inter-state competition is becoming more prominent due to the expansion and deepening of interdependence among countries and changes to the global power balance that are accelerating and becoming more complex.
Preparation for unforeseen events has never been more important than now in dealing with security issues like a challenge to the existing international order, which is exemplified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that many people did not anticipate, as well as the continuation of gray-zone competition and hybrid warfare.
The "Policy Simulation", also known as the Political/Military Wargame, has been gaining global attention as an instrument that can contribute to the formulation of flexible and appropriate responses to these situations.
Against this backdrop, a series of international conferences called "Connections," which originated in the United States and the United Kingdom, has been held in many developed countries as a platform to share and develop knowledge on policy simulation methods.
The National Institute for Defense Studies, or NIDS, which had been utilizing policy simulation in supporting policy planning and education since 2015, held the International Conference on Policy Simulation “Connections Japan 2022” for the first time on November 15, 2022 as an opportunity to learn the strategic level wargaming methods from the United States and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Japan’s three strategic documents issued in December 2022 require planning for any conceivable scenarios, which in turn makes further qualitative improvement of policy simulation/wargaming techniques all the more important.
With these contexts in mind, the NIDS will hold the second International Conference “Connections Japan 2023/24” titled “Toward the Development of Policy Simulation/Wargaming Methods for Analyzing the Security Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region”, which seeks to develop policy simulation/wargaming methods and techniques further through discussions and exercises.
| Date/Time: | January 24, 2024 (Wed) 9:30-18:00 (JST) |
|---|---|
| Event Format: | Online webinar (Zoom) |
| Language: | Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation will be provided |
| Registration: | Free of charge, Please crick
here. Registration will be open on and after January 9, 2024, with first come-first-served basis. |
| Inquiry: | Please email to: seisaku2023@creativefactory-co.jp |
Program (tentative):
9:30-9:40 Opening Remarks
Mr. ISHIKAWA Takeshi (President, NIDS)
9:40-12:00 Session 1: Policy Simulations Methods Adapting to Indo-Pacific Security Environment
9:40-10:10 Presentation 1: Overview of Indo-Pacific Security Environment
Mr. MASUDA Masayuki (Head, Asia and Africa Division, Regional Studies Department, NIDS)
10:15-10:45 Presentation 2: Australia’s Perspective on Indo-Pacific Security Environment and Prospect for Wargaming
Ms. Rebecca Shrimpton (Director, Defence Strategy and National Security, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI))
10:50-11:20 Presentation 3: Development of Indo-Pacific Scenario
LTC Adam Christenson (Wargaming Division Director, Center for Applied Strategic Learning (CASL), US National Defense University (NDU)) *Participated online
11:30-12:00 Questions & Answers
13:30-17:55 Session 2: Exhibition and Exercise of Policy Simulation
Exhibition and Exercise of Boxed Game (versatile and basic game)
hosted by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), United Kingdom Ministry of Defence
Mr. Michael Bagwell (Principal Analyst, Defence Wargaming Centre, Dstl)
Mr. Rikki Parsons (Principal Wargaming Analyst, Dstl)
Mr. Oliver Barton (Senior Principal Analyst, System, Analysis and Social Science Group, Dstl)
Mr. Matthew Ader (Principal Wargaming Analyst, Dstl)
17:55-18:00 Closing Remarks
MG ADACHI Yoshiki (Vice President, NIDS)
Moderator: Mr. MATSUURA Yoshihide (Director, Policy Simulation, NIDS)
* The titles of the presentations and themes of sessions are tentative. The program may be changed without notice.
