Grand Strategy Game Week

Welcome to Grand Strategy Game Week 2024. The scenario exercise may be fictional, but the realism is palpable. The students in the master's programmes in political science and war studies are behind closed doors in the absolute centre of world politics.

The Master’s Programme in Politics, Security, and Crisis, and the Master’s Programme in War and Defence meet halfway through their introductory courses for a joint scenario exercise. The premise is that China, Russia, and the United States are striving to maintain control in a world where new challenges force nations to act. The students are divided into three rooms: the U.S., Russia, and China. Each country has organised its own foreign affairs, defence, and trade departments.

Instructors and game coordinators move in and out of additional roles, acting as ambassadors, NATO representatives, or the highest decision-makers of each country. There are no fixed solutions. A general scenario forms the foundation, while the game is driven by eight event cards introduced during play, compelling nations to respond.

Rare Earth Metals and Nuclear Weapons

One event card reveals that Zimbabwe has discovered deposits of rare earth metals, which the three superpowers scramble to secure. Another scenario sees Russia deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine. A third involves China advancing into Taiwan. Other events include escalating geopolitical tensions in the Arctic region and the outbreak of a new global pandemic.

Johan Carlstedt, one of three game leaders from the Swedish Defence University’s Centre for Total Defence and Society’s Security (CTSS), has helped design the scenario and its narrative to mirror real-world security, military, and geopolitical dynamics. He highlights three key goals behind the exercise’s design:

“We want students to have the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge from their studies in a context infused with realism. They should gain insight into how simulations are conducted, as these hold relevance in professional life. And they should develop an understanding of various perspectives. In the media, many issues often tend to be one-sided. Through this game, students step into the shoes of other actors and see their points of departure. This skill is just as relevant in foreign and security policy as it is at regional and municipal levels or within specific fields of expertise.”

Stress Beyond the Comfort Zone

"Many scenario games are sequential and escalate over time. With the event cards used here, the scene shifts constantly instead, allowing more participants to feel involved. One student might be an expert on the Arctic, another on Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Some may focus on military strategy, while others contribute with insights into geopolitics or national economics,” explains Johan Carlstedt.

When a card is played, students in each country room have a couple of hours to familiarise themselves with the issue, deliberate between their departments, and produce policy recommendations and action plans. They must advance their nation’s overt and covert goals while staying within red lines. This is followed by dialogues, deliberations, and negotiations.

Stefan Borg, the course coordinator for the political science master’s introductory course, explains that students have been introduced to a range of theoretical concepts, which are now being tested in practical scenarios.

“The greatest challenge for them should be operating with incomplete information – quickly forming a situational overview and arriving at a sound decision. They are forced to act, think clearly, and perform under pressure and stress. The scenario exercise pushes students out of their comfort zone in a way that cannot be replicated in a traditional learning environment.”

He also views the intense stress of the exercise as an opportunity for students to better understand themselves. Knowing how they react under pressure can be invaluable, as many are likely to pursue careers where time-critical situations like these are commonplace.

“In some contexts, it’s realistic to have only an hour or two to analyse an issue and provide recommendations for political leadership. During the concluding reflection seminar, we make sure to address ethical considerations, as we know students will have noticed how these tend to be overshadowed when decision-making occurs under intense stress. That’s an important insight to carry forward.”

Preparing for Professional Life

Those who work in crisis and security fields will encounter exercises like this many times, making the game’s theory, boundaries, and technical elements a learning moment in themselves. Stefan Borg notes that these students will soon join a large cohort of individuals who have undergone scenario-based training at the Swedish Defence University’s Centre for Total Defence and Society’s Security (CTSS).

“CTSS has been training senior decision-makers at all levels in Sweden for 50 years: emergency preparedness officials, sectoral authorities, municipalities, regions, government ministries, and ministers themselves. Our students participate in a scenario exercise that closely mirrors the simulations professionals in Sweden’s public sector experience when they come to the Defence University.”

Team-Building Builds Networks

One goal of mixing political science and war studies master’s students is to blend the former’s knowledge of crisis and security policy, with their diplomatic focus, and the latter’s expertise in war, conflict, and military strategy. Soft power is combined with hard power, while large geopolitical problems are worked through down to technical details. This fosters a camaraderie that does not emerge in traditional lectures or seminars.

“The perspectives students bring to the table complement each other. They must find balance and cooperation during the exercise – just as they will in the real-world contexts many of them are headed toward. That’s a valuable insight. And once they are working in crisis preparedness, civilian defence, or military defence, they’ll have a network of peers they’ve gotten to know. The security sector has grown in recent years, but I believe many of them will cross paths repeatedly in the future,” says Stefan Borg.

International Master's Programme in Politics, Security and Crisis

International Master's Programme in War and Defence