United States Air Force Academy
Senior Wargaming Fellow
Institute for Future Conflict
The Institute for Future Conflict (IFC) at the United States Air Force Academy is seeking qualified candidates for the full time, on-site position of Senior Wargaming Fellow.
The Institute for Future Conflict is dedicated to creating and cultivating flexible warfighters who are prepared to prevail in conflict no matter what form it may take in the future. The IFC does this by working across all three mission elements at the United States Air Force Academy: in the classroom, on the training ground, and through athletic competition.
Position Description
The senior wargaming fellow will work across all three mission elements – Cadet Wing, Dean of Faculty, and the Athletic Department – to integrate all the capabilities of the IFC through a wargaming lens. The fellow will solicit and incorporate the expertise of other fellows at the IFC, such as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Senior Fellow and the Human Performance Fellow, as well as many others to ensure that wargames and exercises are sufficiently rigorous and robust to fully prepare cadets to prevail in the conflicts of the future.
The IFC believes that by working across and through all three mission elements, the fellow can both create connective tissue between the mission elements and prepare cadets for a future in which they will rely on their minds, their training, and their team to fight and win the wars of the future. All three mission elements are essential for future success.
The senior wargaming fellow will have four responsibilities:
· Develop future conflict focused training exercises that incorporate new and emerging technologies
· Design and build classroom-based wargames
· Maintain an active research agenda
· Teach one course per year in the second and third years of this contract
In the Cadet Wing, the fellow will be the primary visionary for designing new, and enhancing existing, training and culminating exercises. In particular, the fellow will maintain an active partnership with the AI, Human Performance, Future Conflict, Logistics, and Pacing Threat fellows to ensure that all exercises adequately portray and anticipate a rapidly changing threat environment. This will include the incorporation of AI tools, adversary doctrine, and elements of human performance into the exercise design.
Within the Dean of Faculty, the fellow will design and build bespoke wargames to enhance and illustrate classroom lessons. These wargames will range from board games and table-top exercises to computer simulations. Ideally, the fellow will take an iterative approach, beginning with three to four departments in the first year and then building upon this in subsequent years.
In the Athletic Department, the fellow will work closely with the Human Performance Lab to incorporate elements of human-machine teaming and human factor research into appropriate wargames and exercises.
The fellow is also expected to maintain an active research agenda, which will be demonstrated through publications, both peer-reviewed and policy-focused. Finally, the fellow may be asked to teach one course per year, in the second and third year, focused on either wargaming or on another area of the fellow’s expertise.
The Senior Wargaming Fellow will report directly to the Associate Director of the Institute for Future Conflict. The initial contract would be for three years, with a one-year probationary period. Compensation for this position is commensurate with experience but is estimated to be between $160,000–$180,000 per year. This is a 1099 independent contractor position and does not include benefits. The fellow will also be required to submit semi-annual activity updates to the IFC Director, Associate Director, and Air Force AcademyFoundation Liaison to demonstrate progress towards achieving the requirements of the position.
Desired Qualifications
1. Either practical experience with DOD wargaming, exercises, and training OR academic expertise in developing and building wargames
2. Must be a U.S. citizen and either possess or be able to obtain a security clearance at the secret level and preferably TS/SCI.
3. Substantive education or experience in a field of study related to U.S. national security and future conflict
Applications Instructions
To apply please send a résumé, cover letter, and three references to Dr. Layne Hancock at <Cary.Hancock@afacademy.af.edu>. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, but for full consideration please apply by August 15, 2024.