Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jordan Gilbert | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlos A. Ruiz, the sergeant major of the Marine Corps,...... read more read more
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CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan – This year’s Commandant’s Cup Wargaming Tournament came to an exciting conclusion at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., May 1, 2025. Major Matthew Evers, a logistics officer in III Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion, III MEF Information Group, placed 3rd in the individual wargaming category and led his team to 1st place in the team wargaming category. The tournament took place at the Modern Day Marine 2025 Expo and was hosted by the Marine Corps University.
Maj. Evers shared that wargaming is “all about finding a deeper understanding of why the model is presented in the way you’re seeing it. You know what the scenario will be going in, but you won’t know everything; you use similar principles, like destroying enemy air defenses or intelligence nodes, but you have to be ready for an intelligent opponent.”
Maj. Evers began his foray into the professional wargaming community in 2020, making steady progress through the growing field and networking with many talented individuals in and out of uniform that pour their passion and brainpower into wargaming. Wargaming is divided into three categories: Education/Training, Co-Analysis, and Analytical Wargaming. They all rely on foundations of intelligence preparation, understanding orders of battle, quickly assessing changes in the flow of battle, and adapting to scenarios faster than one’s opponent.
While Evers did compete as an individual and place 3rd in that category, it was the shared brainpower of U.S. Marine Corps Major Christopher Lowe and himself that brought them to the 1st place position in the team category. The two wargamers had known each other online for over a year, and interacted occasionally via the wargaming community, but it wasn’t until the tournament approached that they decided to form a team.
“We were both in MIGs,” stated Maj. Evers, referring to U.S. Marine Corps MEF Information Groups. “It just made sense for us to team up. The Commandant’s Cup was our first time meeting in person. I hope things like the Commandant’s Cup continue to draw more attention to wargaming and bring more people together to share their ideas.”
Before tournaments, wargamers act as free agents while steadily practicing and competing in qualifier rounds. The qualifiers were composed of 55 two-man teams. The high caliber of competitors, including last year’s winners and the incumbent teams, made it very difficult to secure one of the 12 slots for the tournament finals. Maj. Evers recounted the urgency of communication and sharing intelligence before and during the tournament. The teammates cheered each other on and shared tactics, respectfully noting each other’s approach as they played independently in each round. The finals were composed of six matches in three high-fidelity scenarios.
The wargaming combined several game formats, including electronic programs and tabletop play elements. Tabletop format is not unlike the sand table exercises that many Marines may be familiar with from tactical decision-making games and other training; this wargaming stresses the impact of working against a thinking opponent.
As a logistician and a member of an information group, Maj. Evers felt that he was especially prepared to evaluate areas such as sustainment and information functions. The ability to evaluate command and control capabilities, stage active and passive countermeasures, and quickly adapt to new information proved crucial to victory.
“Winning was… surreal,” Evers recalled. “The attention it garnered, the support that everyone offered, even the closing remarks by Brigadier General Matthew Tracy… it all gave me the feeling that it truly meant something. It was validation that the effort and time really meant something.”
For those interested in dipping their toes into the world of wargaming, Maj Evers offered a few resources for getting started. The Marine Corps Association provides a number of commercial wargaming guides and other resources for prospective wargamers. Another good source of information is “Forging Wargamers: A Framework for Wargaming Education,” edited by Sebastian Bae for the Marine Corps University Press. The Marine Corps University offers several other freely available resources on wargaming, as well as a digital wargaming cloud library.
III MSB provides and coordinates direct combat service support, security, and administrative services to III MEF and its subordinate commands.
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2025 02:46 |
| Story ID: | 499226 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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