ENHANCING STRATEGIC THINKING THROUGH COMPETITION

One of the interesting things is there's no agreement domestically among civilians and military or internationally about what strategy is. Each year, while the military senior service schools compete upon the fields of friendly strife in the event known as Jim Thorpe Sports Days, the U.S. Army War College hosts a different kind of contest: The Annual Army War College Strategy Competition. This contest pits teams from various U.S. military education institutions, international war colleges, and civilian universities against each other to see who can develop the best strategies to solve complex real-world national security problems.   Celestino Perez, the creator of the competition, joins host JP Clark to discuss this year's event, which included teams from 7 U.S. professional military education schools, the Australian War College, the French Ecole de Guerre, West Point, and five civilian universities.   Perez highlights that the competition is less about winning and more about the learning process. It’s a chance for students to learn from each other, from faculty, and from a diverse group of judges, including top military and academic minds.   Celestino Perez is an Associate Professor at the U.S. Army War College.  He serves as the Chair of Executive and Strategic Leadership and as the Director of the Carlisle Scholars Program.  Tino teaches policy, strategy, civil and interstate wars, and military ethics.  Trained as a political theorist, he has published in Armed Forces and Society, Peace Review, Journal of Military Ethics, and Perspectives on Politics, as well as professional pieces in Joint Force Quarterly, Military Review, Strategy Bridge, and War on the Rocks.  The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Credit: Generated by Gemini