Certified Defense Wargaming Professional (CDWP) Certification Program by Tonex
Professional defense wargaming provides a structured forum for exploring operational choices, adversary reactions, and the assumptions that shape command decisions. The Certified Defense Wargaming Professional program develops the ability to design, facilitate, adjudicate, and evaluate decision-centered games for defense planning and institutional learning. Participants examine sponsor objectives, the limits of available evidence, participant roles, game mechanics, realistic constraints, and transparent adjudication. The curriculum distinguishes exploratory insights from validated predictions and emphasizes the disciplined documentation of alternative courses of action, critical decisions, operational dependencies, and unresolved disagreements. Professionals also consider how game design can unintentionally favor a preferred conclusion or obscure logistical and political constraints.
Cybersecurity influences game credibility when sensitive operational assumptions, participant records, scenario materials, or assessment findings are exposed or manipulated. Effective cybersecurity safeguards protect access, preserve source integrity, and support controlled distribution of findings without restricting legitimate professional challenge. Participants learn to identify information-protection requirements before conduct and during after-action review.
A practical training approach includes exercises, real-world case studies, and examples of processes and documentation used in defense wargaming design and assessment projects.
Learning Objectives
- Translate defense sponsor questions into observable wargaming objectives and decision points.
- Develop coherent player roles, scenario boundaries, game rules, and adjudication criteria.
- Facilitate structured decisions while separating player judgments from adjudicator findings.
- Evaluate operational tradeoffs, assumptions, and competing explanations without overstating outcomes.
- Produce traceable game records, findings, and actionable after-action recommendations.
- Apply cybersecurity safeguards to sensitive game materials, evidence, and participant information.
Audience
- Defense Wargame Designers and Facilitators
- Military Operational Planners
- Defense Operations Research Analysts
- Cybersecurity Professionals
- Joint and Service Staff Officers
- Defense Education and Doctrine Specialists
- Operational Assessment and Exercise Directors
Program Modules
Module 1: Wargaming Purpose Sponsorship and Analytical Boundaries
- Translate sponsor decisions into explicit study questions.
- Identify relevant operational planning and policy constraints.
- Distinguish exploratory games from formal decision approval.
- Define participating organizations and adjudication responsibilities.
- Identify assumptions requiring review before game conduct.
- Set scope boundaries and evidence sufficiency expectations.
- Document intended outputs and controlled information requirements.
Module 2: Scenario Framing and Operational Context Development
- Develop coherent conflict or competition starting conditions.
- Define opposing objectives and plausible strategic interests.
- Represent political constraints and operational geography appropriately.
- Include sustainment and force availability considerations in context.
- Separate confirmed facts from fictional scenario premises.
- Establish time progression and authorized player knowledge.
- Review scenario balance for embedded design bias.
Module 3: Game Mechanics Roles and Adjudication Procedures
- Assign player teams and independent adjudication functions.
- Specify decision turns, resource limits, and response opportunities.
- Select adjudication criteria supported by defensible assumptions.
- Record uncertainties when evidence cannot support precise outcomes.
- Establish procedures for disputed adjudication findings.
- Prevent facilitators from steering player choices covertly.
- Document rules changes and effects on comparability.
Module 4: Course of Action Comparison and Insight Capture
- Identify important decision points and competing alternatives.
- Trace action, reaction, and counteraction in game records.
- Compare resource tradeoffs under stated mission constraints.
- Examine unexpected dependencies and operational coordination burdens.
- Record divergent participant judgments with supporting rationale.
- Separate observed decisions from facilitator interpretations.
- Identify questions needing subsequent independent analysis.
Module 5: Facilitation Integrity and Information Protection Controls
- Prepare role briefings and participant conduct expectations.
- Manage classified or restricted scenario information appropriately.
- Establish evidence handling and distribution approval procedures.
- Detect inappropriate information sharing across player roles.
- Preserve versioned adjudication records and decision timelines.
- Apply cybersecurity controls to controlled game documents.
- Handle conflicts of interest and participant feedback fairly.
Module 6: After Action Evaluation and Decision Reporting
- Analyze game records against original sponsor objectives.
- Differentiate supported findings from speculative operational forecasts.
- Summarize insights, limitations, and alternative interpretations.
- Prepare actionable recommendations with named decision owners.
- Create traceable after-action and improvement documentation.
- Prioritize questions for follow-on analysis or study.
- Communicate residual risk without claiming predictive certainty.
Exam Domains
- Sponsor Requirement Interpretation
- Scenario Plausibility and Fairness
- Transparent Adjudication Judgment
- Operational Alternatives and Tradeoffs
- Protected Game Evidence Stewardship
- Defensible Learning and Recommendations
Course Delivery
The course is delivered through expert-led lectures, interactive discussions, hands-on workshops, and project-based learning focused on defense wargaming planning and assessment. Participants have access to online resources, including professional readings, case studies, and tools for practical exercises, alongside examples of project processes and documentation.
Assessment and Certification
Participants are assessed through quizzes, assignments, a capstone project, and a certification examination. Upon successfully meeting the program requirements, participants receive a Tonex certificate for the Certified Defense Wargaming Professional (CDWP) certification program.
Question Types
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Scenario-based Questions
Passing Criteria
To pass the Certified Defense Wargaming Professional (CDWP) Certification Training exam, candidates must achieve a score of 70% or higher.
Certified Defense Wargaming Professional (CDWP) Certification Program by Tonex equips professionals for demanding defense responsibilities. Develop rigorous wargaming methods that inform, rather than predetermine, defense choices. Enroll to strengthen professional game design and assessment.