Welcome to CASL

The Center for Applied Strategic Learning (CASL) reaches out to all corners of government and nation to bring leaders together to think collaboratively and strategically about critical national security issues. CASL conducts strategic policy exercises and research to colleges within the National Defense University, the Combatant Commands, the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense, Congress, and other government entities. CASL develops strategic-level simulations and sponsors symposia, conferences, and workshops.

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

"By taking risks, asking questions and experimenting with new methods, participants gain a better understanding of decision-making processes, policy options and institutional behaviors."

-Prof. Erik Kjonnerod, Director

CASL NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

NATO Orientation Program - Feb 15, 2012 CASL/S&O staff will facilitate The Belarus Factor, an exercise for the NATO Orientation Program to lead NATO-bound students through a crisis-decision exercise using a post-Lukashenka Belarus scenario. Students consider options NATO can employ to address the crisis, while acheiving the consensus necessary for a response.	SOFIACC - Feb 13, 2012 CASL Senior Military Fellows CDR David Di Tallo, USN, and Lt Col Nick Kozdras, USAF, will present “The Interagency Process for National Security Decision Making and Implementation” to USSOCOM/Joint Special Operations University’s SOF-Interagency Collaboration Course at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL.
Reserve Component National Security Course - Jan 28, Fen 2-3, 2012 Ms Deirdre Hollingshed, Mr. Sanjeet Deka and NDU’s JRAC will co-sponsor a three-day, multi-move strategic policy exercise as the capstone event for the quarterly RCNSC course. Set in the winter of 2012, the exercise will challenge participants to assess a devolving security situation in post-election Nigeria. Participants will identify and prioritize US interests, consider opportunities and limitations imposed by interests and capabilities of other states, international organizations, and US domestic concerns, and develop policy recommendations.	J34 Antiterrorism Level IV Seminar - Jan 26, 2012 CASL staff will facilitate two exercises for ~140 senior military or civilian leaders in the Joint Staff J34 Level IV Seminar. The exercise provides commanders and senior officers an opportunity to discuss AT/FP/CM issues and solutions when confronting a terrorist WMD threat in either a CONUS or OCONUS environment. A new feature of this iteration will be the introduction of the Articulate e-learning platform as an exercise delivery system for the CONUS scenario. The platform will allow for scenario branching so that each CONUS group will have an opportunity to experience a different exercise.
Strategic Gaming Roundtable - Jan 18, 2012 CASL Research Analysts Mr. Timothy Wilkie and Ms. Ellie Bartels hosted CASL’s first Roundtable of the year, which provides a forum for practitioners and scholars to exchange ideas about gaming. The event featured Mike Ottenberg, contractor for OSD/CAPE, who presented on the development of an irregular warfare wargame, and Bill Simpson, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, who presented on Multi-Sided Gaming.	NATO Orientation Program - Dec 14, 2011 CASL/S&O staff will facilitate The Belarus Factor, an exercise for the NATO Orientation Program to lead NATO-bound students through a crisis-decision exercise using a post-Lukashenka Belarus scenario. Students will consider the range of options NATO can employ to address the crisis, while attempting to achieve the consensus necessary for a NATO response.

NATO Orientation Program - Feb 15, 2012

CASL/S&O staff will facilitate The Belarus Factor, an exercise for the NATO Orientation Program to lead NATO-bound students through a crisis-decision exercise using a post-Lukashenka Belarus scenario. Students consider options NATO can employ to address the crisis, while acheiving the consensus necessary for a response.

SOFIACC - Feb 13, 2012

CASL Senior Military Fellows CDR David Di Tallo, USN, and Lt Col Nick Kozdras, USAF, will present “The Interagency Process for National Security Decision Making and Implementation” to USSOCOM/Joint Special Operations University’s SOF-Interagency Collaboration Course at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL.

Reserve Component National Security Course - Jan 28, Fen 2-3, 2012

Ms Deirdre Hollingshed, Mr. Sanjeet Deka and NDU’s JRAC will co-sponsor a three-day, multi-move strategic policy exercise as the capstone event for the quarterly RCNSC course. Set in the winter of 2012, the exercise will challenge participants to assess a devolving security situation in post-election Nigeria. Participants will identify and prioritize US interests, consider opportunities and limitations imposed by interests and capabilities of other states, international organizations, and US domestic concerns, and develop policy recommendations.

J34 Antiterrorism Level IV Seminar - Jan 26, 2012

CASL staff will facilitate two exercises for ~140 senior military or civilian leaders in the Joint Staff J34 Level IV Seminar. The exercise provides commanders and senior officers an opportunity to discuss AT/FP/CM issues and solutions when confronting a terrorist WMD threat in either a CONUS or OCONUS environment. A new feature of this iteration will be the introduction of the Articulate e-learning platform as an exercise delivery system for the CONUS scenario. The platform will allow for scenario branching so that each CONUS group will have an opportunity to experience a different exercise.

Strategic Gaming Roundtable - Jan 18, 2012

CASL Research Analysts Mr. Timothy Wilkie and Ms. Ellie Bartels hosted CASL’s first Roundtable of the year, which provides a forum for practitioners and scholars to exchange ideas about gaming. The event featured Mike Ottenberg, contractor for OSD/CAPE, who presented on the development of an irregular warfare wargame, and Bill Simpson, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, who presented on Multi-Sided Gaming.

NATO Orientation Program - Dec 14, 2011

CASL/S&O staff will facilitate The Belarus Factor, an exercise for the NATO Orientation Program to lead NATO-bound students through a crisis-decision exercise using a post-Lukashenka Belarus scenario. Students will consider the range of options NATO can employ to address the crisis, while attempting to achieve the consensus necessary for a NATO response.