Announcements

We are pleased to launch the Red Team Journal occasional paper series with an article by John P. Sullivan and Adam Elkus titled “Adaptive Red Teaming: Protecting Across the Spectrum.” In the article, John and Adam propose three methods of improving analytical red teaming and discuss each in turn. Additional papers in the series will follow in the coming months.

Cross-domain red teaming, also called multidimensional or full spectrum red teaming portrays real adversaries better than single-domain red teaming. Cross domain doesn’t refer to Microsoft domains or multilevel security domains. We’re talking about how attacks by real adversaries take advantage of three major security domains–cyber, physical, and human–to attack systems. Small digression–here at Sandia, we define systems as a combination of people, processes, and technologies–not as a computer system alone. Thus, cross-domain red teaming attacks systems through the people, their processes, and the technology (cyber or physical) to achieve the effect that the portrayed adversary would want. [click to continue ...]

One of the biggest hot-button issues in strategy today is limited war. The degree of restraint and the amount of force that can be employed without jeopardizing the mission is both an ethical and operational controversy in counterinsurgency theory and practice. There’s also a growing frustration over the way that the West has been constrained in utilizing force against irregulars and rogue states that do not play by the rules. Shelby Steele’s June 21 op-ed, “The Surrender of the West” typifies a certain kind of reaction to this feeling of futility. The problem, however, is that we have been living in an era of what might broadly can be called “limited warfare” for over sixty years. And this limit may be structural. [click to continue ...]

Regular RTJ readers will remember the article by Michael Skroch from last December titled “Modeling and Simulation of Red Teaming, Part 1.” For those who are interested in this topic, it’s worth visiting the updated Umbra site. The site offers information on the Umbra simulation engine as well as Dante, Operations Viewshed, and other related tools. As the site notes, “Umbra and derivative applications are generally export controlled, and are available for U.S. government use. Umbra may be available for universities and industries through various licensing arrangement[s].”

Charles Martel writes in to challenge what he views as the hegemonic interpretation of the Millennium Challenge 2002 wargame:

The key to Red Teaming is to ascertain and draw conclusions based on the facts and not just conventional wisdom. …[Van Riper's] actions during the experiment pointed out flaws in the implementation of some of the concepts under study. Those failures were documented then the experiment continued. van Riper was upset that the experiment wasn’t halted in the middle since ‘he had won.’ The leadership at the time felt it was better to reset the conditions and see how the concepts could be applied after the bluefor had learned a hard lesson. As a result of the experiment, some of the experimental concepts were canned, others modified. Seemed like exactly what an experiment is supposed to do.”

      As perhaps the most controversial wargame of recent times, MC2002 undoubtedly provokes strong discussion. So I’ll open this up to RTJ readers: is the current interpretation of MC2002 wrongheaded? Has the process of mythmaking clouded accurate analysis? Does MC2002 have relevance to greater US defense policy and strategy, or is it a relic of the Rumsfeld age? Lastly, did MC2002 pose a fatal blow to some Transformation concepts or simply indicate correctable flaws? We would especially like to hear from those involved in the exercise.

Red Team Journal readers may be interested in the latest call for papers (PDF) at the Journal of Strategic Security. The topic is insurgency and terrorism, and the deadline for submissions is 31 August 2009. The journal is seeking insights and ideas of the sort red teamers generate. As they note in the call, “your creativity and unique perspective are welcome.”

In the past few months, I have built and refined an approach to analysis I have dubbed reciprocal net assessment (RNA). It is based on principles inherent in hypergame analysis and is designed to encourage analysts and decision makers to avoid decision breakdowns and create and exploit decision opportunities. Although I am still refining the approach, I now believe it is ready for testing. I am currently offering pro bono analysis of two cases: one military- or security-related and the other business-related. If you might be interested in submitting a case for consideration, read on. [click to continue ...]

Sandia National Labs’ Information Design Assurance Red Team (IDART) recently redesigned its Web site. The new site features some useful resources, including information on the IDART methodology, the Red Teaming for Program Manager’s (RT4PM) course, red teaming metrics, and red teaming threat matrices. Whether you want to hire Sandia to red team for you or not, the site is worth bookmarking as a valuable source of information.

The one-day Alidade Institute seminar “New Methods in Analytical Red Teaming” is rescheduled for June 10 in Washington, DC. At the seminar, I will discuss specific ways of improving the process of red teaming using a simplified form of hypergame analysis. More information is available at the Alidade site. If you have questions regarding the seminar content, you can contact me directly at editor at redteamjournal dot com.