Strategic deterrence interns from the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska recently briefed the final research deliverables from their internship experience to Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
Hosted at the command’s headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, the one-hour briefing provided an opportunity for the NU students and ROTC cadets from several institutions to share their growing knowledge of strategic deterrence and final products from three research projects:
- Road-to-war for a new NSRI wargame
- Game theory for the tripolar deterrence environment
- Best practices for mitigating cyber vulnerabilities induced via electromagnetic spectrum pathways
Through the experience, the interns leveled up their expertise in national security, their skills in their disciplines and their confidence as professionals, all of which were demonstrated through their individual briefing contributions to Bussiere.
In just four weeks, the five ROTC cadets developed a comprehensive road to war for a forthcoming NSRI wargame that will investigate very low and ultra-low yield nuclear employment in a conflict between China and Taiwan. Developing the road to war required research into the current escalating tensions in the region and then artfully and realistically devolving these tensions into a conflict scenario where potential nuclear employment can be examined.
“I have learned that without the effectiveness of nuclear deterrence, in particular, other national security efforts could not be successful,” said Gavin Morse, U.S. Army cadet and international relations major at Washington University. “The continuous exposure to strategic level deterrence has inspired me to continue work in this sector.”
A cohort of four NU students applied game theory to understand and model deterrence strategies among multiple competitors, specifically the U.S., Russia and China. Game theory provides a rational framework based on the construction of rigorous models that describe situations of conflict and cooperation between rational decision makers.
“I’m taking away quite a bit of knowledge on game theory, a topic that I knew little about before starting this internship,” said Grant VanRobays, a political science major at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “Game theory is fundamentally about breaking down decision making into a series of moves by each player in the ‘game.’ I can take this mindset to help improve my own decision-making skills.”
Original source can be found here.
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