Asymmetric Military

As engineers, we train laying obstacles when were on the defense and breaching through them when were on offense. This type of training is irrelevant in the kind of warfare in which we're currently engaged, but, God forbid, may become relevant in the future against enemies that employ fixed defenses like Iran or China. It's also applicable to potential engagements in Korea and Taiwan, two countries under constant threat of invasion.

Anyways, some of you might find it interesting that Army officers are trained in breach and defense planning with a huge, networked computer simulation (game) called Janus. Janus tries its best to be a true representation of warfare, although, as you might expect, a game can't cover the whole experience. Soldiers first plan how we're going to defend or attack, allocating resources and positioning themselves in areas with good cover or line of sight, and then sit down in front of Janus to execute.

The whole things is kind of fun, actually. A commander relays instructions to the team leaders who themselves are in command of artillery, counter artillery, companies, scouts, UAVs, and air assets. The team leaders then move their units accordingly and everybody watches as they fight.

Janus is similar to such video games as Command and Conquer, and Warcraft in that it's in real time, but you don't have to mine for Tiberium or worry about Shamans. Leaders can tell their soldiers to enter and exit their vehicles, place obstacles like concertina wire and mines, and breach the enemy's obstacles. They can also maneuver those soldiers and vehicles and tell them when and where to focus their fires, but they don't actually have to aim or "be" the soldier or pilot as people do in first-person shooters like Battlefield II or Halo.