Wargames, preemption and a lot of other curious behavior

Wargames have been used by the American military for over a century. This is for good reason as wargames work. A wargame is an attempt to get a jump on the future by obtaining a better understanding of the present and the past. Wargames have no problem with what is now called the "doctrine of preemption." Preemption is just another form of surprise and surprise has always been a major weapon in warfare. This paper discusses wargames, who uses them, and why the wargames work. In addition, trends and the future impact of wargames are discussed.