Introduction to Defence Experimentation - 2 Day Course

Course Description - A Guide to Understanding, Implementing and Using Defence Experimentation

• Where: In-house or location by arrangement
• When: We will schedule around your needs
• Attendance: Between 8 - 12 students
• Duration: 2 Days
• Price: $1800 Inc.GST per student
• Prerequisites: No prior knowledge assumed

Who Should Attend?

Course Aim:

This course seeks to introduce students to the main themes, definitions and guidelines for the planning, conduct, usage and interpretation of Defence experimentation and its results. Students will be provided with the foundations required to understand the how's, when's, where's and why's of Defence experimentation  including its strengths, weaknesses, practical limitations and its fitness for purpose across a range of areas.  Students will be taught some of the "intelligent questions" to ask those proposing and those providing Defence experimentation, along with what constitutes good answers and bad. No prior knowledge is assumed.  This course is valuable for anyone entering a role that is associated with Defence experimentation, especially those roles involved in planning, coordinating and using the results from Defence experimentation upon which to justify capability selections or other important decisions.Attendees will receive full colour course notes, and a copy of the TTCP Guide for Understanding and Implementing Defence Experimentation (GUIDEx).

Course Content

The Basics:

1. Definitions and fundamentals of simulation, experimentation and war gaming. Why is it done?  
2. The process and planning of experiments and campaigns of experiments
3. Applications of experimentation - When to use it and when not to
4. Ask intelligent questions about experimentation - Things to look for in the answers you get

The Core: 

1. Understanding cause and effect
2. Understanding the logic behind defence experiments
3. Validity requirements for experiments and the concept of fitness for purpose
4. Campaigns of experiments and why they are important
5. The iterative process of experimentation
6. The Campaign Plan
7. The importance of employing multiple methods
8. Experiment design
9. Leveraging collective training and OT&E activities
10. The role of modelling and simulation
11. Experiment control
12. Data collection and analysis
13. Other Considerations (ethical, political and security etc.)
14. Stakeholder management

Practical Exercises

1. Basic practical exercise to formulate a problem and brainstorm a campaign plan
2. Basic practical exercise to design a specific virtual war fighting experiment