The Tactical Odyssey: CNA’s Hunt™ Wargame Chronicles

The Hunt™ compilation of games pits Blue and Red participants against each other in the hider-finder conflict. They were crafted as tactical war simulations, part of CNA’s initiative to assist the military in educating and preparing US forces to endure and prevail by counteracting their opponents’ intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISRT) strategies. These high-stakes games of concealment and detection are anchored in an innovative depiction of the information landscape, where Blue units are encircled by three concentric layers—Detectable, Locatable, and Targetable—denoting escalating levels of danger. Red participants strive to steer information sources towards units, whereas Blue players employ counter-ISRT strategies to hinder Red from locating them.

The dynamic gameplay and scenarios within the Hunt™ series promote an engaging learning atmosphere, enabling participants to swiftly become accustomed to intricate and varied information environment subjects. The games stem from comprehensive CNA analytical examinations on the information setting and transform the insights of those examinations into an experiential framework. Each game is specifically tailored for a unique military audience: EAB Hunt™ for Marines involved in expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO), ARG Hunt™ for amphibious ready groups, and CLF Hunt™ for mariners of the Combat Logistics Force. CNA has both facilitated the Hunt™ series for sponsoring commands and instructed command staff to manage the games independently.