NATO MSCOE Pilot Course on M&S Support to Experimentation and Wargaming Concludes with Strong Results
The “NATO Modelling & Simulation Support to Experimentation and Wargaming” Pilot Course was carried out from 24 to 28 November 2025 at the NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence.
The course concluded on Friday with a positive assessment: the pilot project achieved its objectives and delivered the expected outcomes. Over five intense days, the training expanded beyond the traditional classroom setting, becoming a collaborative space where modelling, simulation, and wargaming were employed as tools to explore options, test concepts, and enhance decision-making in complex environments.
This first edition brought together 23 international students from a wide range of nations and professional cultures. They came from different services and organizations but shared the same goal: learning how M&S supports the full experimentation and wargaming cycle.
The week’s structure reflected that ambition. Conceptual sessions provided the foundation, practical exercises offered opportunities to apply it, and structured analysis helped transform experience into usable insights. The pace remained steady and demanding, drawing on NATO processes to keep the training closely connected to practical application.
The class composition reflected today’s NATO reality. Alongside military personnel, there were civilian participants from governmental bodies or closely linked organizations. This clearly showed that experimentation and wargaming now support a wider security community where policy, planning, and operations must work with a shared approach.
The pilot course was carried out thanks to the strong cooperation between NATO M&S COE and the University of Genoa. Our combined expertise ensured a solid methodological foundation, an operationally relevant training design, and a modern technological backbone aligned with NATO experimentation needs.
During the week, participants used realistic scenarios to learn how to plan and run wargaming and experimentation, analyze results, and turn findings into decision support, with strong focus on method and evidence.
As NATO MSCOE closes this first pilot, the outcome is clear: it has laid a strong foundation for a recurring course. A new edition is already planned for November 2026. The next edition will fully incorporate the lessons identified during this pilot to make the training even more effective, relevant, and aligned with Alliance needs.
Written by Cdr Dino D. Tropea NATO M&S COE
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M&S Courses and Training Activities
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The NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence is dedicated to the promotion of Modelling & Simulation in support of operational requirements, training and interoperability. The Centre act as a catalyst for transformation through the involvement of NATO, governments, academia, industry, operational and training entities, by improving the networking of NATO and nationally owned Modelling & Simulation systems, the cooperation between Nations and organizations through the sharing of Modelling & Simulation information and developments and serving as an international source of expertise for transformation in the related domain. https://www.mscoe.org
NATO Centres of Excellence are nationally or multi-nationally funded institutions accredited by NATO. They train and educate leaders and specialists from NATO member and partner countries, assist in doctrine development, identify lessons learned, improve interoperability and capabilities, and test and validate concepts through experimentation. They offer recognized expertise and experience that is of benefit to the Alliance and support the transformation of NATO, while avoiding the duplication of assets, resources and capabilities already present within the NATO command structure. Although not part of the NATO command structure, they are part of a wider framework supporting NATO Command Arrangements. [source https://www.act.nato.int/centres-of-excellence]
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