Airfield Logistics, Agile Employment, and C2 in IADS: The Game 🎲

Seeing this most recent Air and Space Forces Magazine article, I was inspired to write about Airfield Logistics, Agile Employment, and Command and Control (C2) in IADS: The Game.

Exercises and the “Rest of the Spear”

Whenever large-scale exercises are conducted (thinking about traditional field training exercises, command post exercises, and others like Red Flag), there’s always a balance between the needs of the tip of the spear and the rest of the spear.

In order for units to get the operational, tactical, and inter-organizational repetitions they need, things like intelligence, communications, and logistics are artificially good-to-go -- because without them, the whole exercise breaks! That’s why it’s awesome to see exercises like REFORPAC, where PACAF’s objective was to test the Agile Combat Employment model against the larger logistical challenges posed by the Pacific.

IADS: The Game is broadly guilty of this focus on kinetics too -- BUT! there are some force multiplier cards and special capabilities (Cyber, Tankers, Intelligence, Deception Tactics, and Airfield Logistics on the HQ card) that can completely devastate an opponent who only wants to focus on “pointy airplanes.”

Agile Employment

One of those special capabilities that’s near and dear to my heart is the HQ card’s Agile Employment. When teaching the Base Game, we usually deal out one HQ card to each player or team, then remove the rest of the HQ cards. If you leave the HQ cards in… you can employ with such Agility!

From the IADS: The Game Rules of Engagement:

Agile Employment: If an additional HQ is drafted, place it in the battle space in addition to the first HQ in the Deploy Phase. When any HQ is detected, distribute a total of 10 Attrition Points amongst each friendly HQ in the battle space with a minimum of 1x Attrition Point at any given HQ.

So fun to be able to push a logistics node way, way forward, assign it 1 Attrition Point when it’s detected, and force your opponent to account for another HQ if you’re playing an Air War (the three-VUL version of the game).

Keep in mind: whichever of your HQs is employed with Agile Employment loses its “Hardened Facility” ability and can be destroyed in 1 strike instead of 3. Imagine an entire island chain of Agile HQs -- almost all of them worth just 1 Attrition Point, haha!

Command and Control (C2)

There are two units in IADS: The Game that have a C2 capability:

• AWACS

• Battle Control Center

There’s a difference in Attrition Points, but the fundamental mechanic is the same across both cards: units within range can conduct their Action 1s and 2s along with the C2 node.

In the game, these two units reveal when they use this ability and can only use it to coordinate Aircraft.

It’s a blast to be able to control all your Aircraft as though they were just one huge formation. Scary for your C2 nodes though -- they quickly draw aggro and become big, juicy targets. Yikes! Still, the ability to see, shoot, and react with your whole force at once is tremendous, especially in team games with 10+ friendly unit cards.

Closing

Strong recommend on the article and video if you haven’t checked them out yet. I’m stoked that the force is getting some serious reps in logistics, Agile Combat Employment, and C2 at distance and scale.

Now to go buy a super long, super wide wargaming table so we can get after extra-large Air Wars in IADS: The Game!

-- Ric

The capabilities described in this board game are generic and notional; they do not accurately reflect any real world capabilities. The views expressed on this page and in the game are those of the author and do not represent the official policy or positions of the United States Air Force, the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government