Note: This is part one of a two-part interview with Col Barrick. The conclusion will be released shortly.
In this episode, we discuss
-Barrick’s early military training and educational experiences at the US Naval Academy, The Basic School, and the Army’s Armor Officer Basic Course
-Barrick’s thoughts on the reaction course at Officer Candidate School
-The sandtable tests that Barrick underwent at the Armor Officer Basic Course
-Barrick’s experiences with FMFM 1 Warfighting and the Marine Corps Warfighting Skills Program as a company-grade officer
-The degree to which Marines actually practice maneuver warfare
-The role of trust and adaptation in maneuver warfare
-Barrick’s experiences as a staff officer with Combined Joint Task Force 76 in Afghanistan in 2004
-One instance of how Barrick’s formal PME schooling failed him during his interactions and collaboration with NATO planners in Kabul
-Another hard learned lesson, this one involving NATO planners and an Afghan military parade
-Barrick’s experiences attending the Advisor Training Group in 29 Palms and the limits of training
-Barrick’s time as a senior advisor to an Afghan National Civil Order Police Brigade in 2011-12
-Barrick’s hair-raising experience planning a Afghan National Army-led operation to counter Afghan warlords in Herat in 2004—all in 24 hours
-What lifelong lessons Barrick took away from hi advisor deployment
-How Barrick got into wargaming
-Barrick’s experiences wargaming at the Naval Academy
-The lack of wargaming opportunities throughout Barrick’s Marine Corps career
-The benefits and disadvantages of analog and digital wargames
-How tools like Zoom have facilitated virtual wargaming
-The many benefits of wargames for warfighters
-Creating a culture of wargaming in the Marine Corps
-Thoughts on creating wargame facilitators for the Marine Corps
-Leveraging the gaming habits of Marines to generate interest in wargaming
-Commercial wargames that could be used to generate such interest
-How Barrick used wargames at the Marine Corps Tactics Operations Group
-The limitations of wargames
-The value of wargaming for planning
-The Warfighting Lab’s use of games like Command: Professional Edition
Links
-The Marine Corps' Warfighting Skills Program: https://www.themaneuverist.org/resources-main-page/thedustybookshelf/ (See the column of links second from the left,)
-Wargame: Red Dragon: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/wargame-red-dragon
-Flashpoint Campaigns: https://store.steampowered.com/app/330720/Flashpoint_Campaigns_Red_Storm_Players_Edition/
-Command: Professional Edition: https://www.warfaresims.com/?page_id=3822
-Combat Mission: Shock Force 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1369370/Combat_Mission_Shock_Force_2/
-Battle Academy 2: Eastern Front: https://store.steampowered.com/app/306640/Battle_Academy_2_Eastern_Front/
-The Operational Art of War IV: https://store.steampowered.com/app/792660/The_Operational_Art_of_War_IV/