Category Archives: Progress

As much as we all love the University of South Carolina, it's important to recognize that the 220-year history of our flagship institution contains difficult chapters and themes we're not proud to remember.

In the 19th century, South Carolina College, the precursor of todays modern university, benefited from the labor of enslaved individuals who constructed many of the buildings on our historic Horseshoe. And with the exception of a brief period during Reconstruction, the university did not admit Black students until 1963.

In recent years, the university has taken steps to better acknowledge this history, knowing that we must be honest about our past to build a better, more inclusive future. While we know that there is much more work to be done, here is a look back at some of the ways our physical campus has changed in recent years as we begin to acknowledge our full history and celebrate Carolinians who have contributed to our progress and who will shape our university's future for generations to come.

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Monuments and markers tell stories of pain and progress - @UofSC

The first 2021 edition of Pig Progress is now available online. Between the covers of this edition is an exploration of wild boar farming in Finland, a considered approach to breeding for robustness as a way forward, and a look towards the USA, where a new administration took office.

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The 2019 ASF outbreaks in China resulted in losses of at least 40% of the countrys sow herd, but it also meant record prices and profits. The country is now on the rebound and new swine facilities are being built. But, theres reason to believe that the epidemic is far from over Read the article on pages 6-8.

Healthy finisher pigs on a farm in Jiangsu province, China. The farm is unrelated to the recent health issues. - Photo: Vincent ter Beek

The EU PiG Innovation featured in this edition is the focus on meat quality and the union of the local Basque pork breed, land and men. Correspondent Natalie Berkhout reports on the innovation on page 9 where can be read about the work done by the ambassador, pig breeder and artisan producer, Pierre Oteiza, in France.

Pierre Oteiza wanted to be a part of the rebirth of the Basque pig breed. - Photo: Pierre Oteiza

A new batch of pigs is typically managed based on historical data from previous batches. Could real-time data replace historic data, and might this approach be more valuable? On pages 10-11, Dr Katarina Nielsen Dominiak in Denmark discusses a trial that set out to answer these questions.

Danish finisher pigs on liquid feed in the trial. - Photo: Dr Katarina Nielsen Dominiak

Pig Progress editor Vincent ter Beek, describes long-standing contributor and columnist, John Gadd, as a remarkable character, whose contributions reflected his many passions. Sadly, John passed away in August 2020, and this article on pages 12-13 reflects on the journey that the magazine enjoyed with this well-known and highly respected pig expert.

British pig expert John Gadd loved to write - not only was he a regular columnist for Pig Progress, he also kept an illustrated diary for decades. - Photo: Adam Gray | SWNS.com

There have been many discussions and inquiries on vitamin deficiencies, says columnist and president of the Sunswine Group, Casey Bradley. On page 15, she talks about whyit is important to rethink what is truly optimal in our diets what mightve been optimal 2 years ago could be deficient tomorrow.

The 2021 edition of EuroTier was not held in November, nor was it held in Germany, nor were there halls to walk through and explore. The show did go on, however, it all took place on a virtual platform. On pages 16-17, Pig Progress editor, Vincent ter Beek, picks several highlights.

A concept developed to keep sows and piglets in groups from day 3 after birth was developed by Big Dutchman, together with customer Renke Specht, and unveiled at Eurotier 2021. Photo: Big Dutchman

Wild boar are farmed in Finland, where their meat is considered a delicacy. Although the country is free from ASF, the virus has been detected in nearby Russia. Correspondent Matti Turtiainen visits Korpikarju Game Farm to discover how wild boar are farmed and protected. Read more on pages 18-20.

The 2ha Korpikarju Game Farm is home to about 150 wild boar and is surrounded by a steel mesh fence, which is just over 2m tall, with an electric fence. Photo: Matti Turtiainen

Breeding for robustness is the method of selecting individual pigs with improved response to a specific pathogen, or to several diseases. Pig Progress editor, Vincent ter Beek, discussed this concept with Dr Jenelle Dunkelberger, geneticist at Topigs Norsvin, to learn more. Read these insights on pages 22-23.

Robust animals, by definition, are less affected by a disease challenge, and therefore, require fewer antibiotics. - Photo: Topigs Norsvin | Maartje van Berkel

Genetic selection in pigs typically focuses on economically important traits. Balanced breeding programmes, however, increasingly include and improve societally important traits and contribute to improved animal welfare and reduced environmental impact. Read more on pages 24-25.

Balanced pig breeding programmes will contribute to more sustainable pig production systems. Photo: Simon Meyer | Danish Genetics

A new administration was installed in Washington, DC, on 20 January 2021. Bidens selection for agriculture secretary is Tom Vilsack. The reaction from the US agriculture community and beyond has been both swift and negative. Read more on pages 26-27.

Tom Vilsack will head the USDA, which he headed during the Obama administration, and so he already has a reputation, which is considered dismal by many. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP/ANP

Performance trace minerals can assist the immune system, thereby helping swine producers reduce losses associated with clinical and subclinical ileitis. Pages28-29.

Finisher pigs may be helped by the use of trace minerals. - Photo: Mark Pasveer

An enzyme can help optimise feed usage, and multiple enzymes can reinforce each other. Phytases and carbohydrases are the most regularly added enzymes to pig diets. Read about using combinations of carbohydrases, the antinutritional impact of dietary fibre and sustainable improvements on pages 30-31.

Grow-finish pigs could benefit from a multi-enzyme complex as a dietary addition. - Photo: Twan Wiermans

Columnist Irene Camerlink, an interdisciplinary researcher focusing on pig behaviour, welfare and production, discusses on page 34 how opportunities for specialisation have greatly expanded and how pig farmers can benefit.

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Boars, breeding and Biden in Pig Progress 1 - Pig Progress

LAPEER After almost two months in office, Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller is starting to get things in order after being left with a huge backlog of work.

Miller came before the Board of Commissioners on Thursday with an update and several requests.

First, Miller introduced his lineup of assistant prosecutors Paul Walton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bart Buxton, Jr. and Kim Morrison noting that he has not yet filled one assistant prosecuting attorney position because he hasnt found the right candidate.

When he first came into office, Miller told the board, every day he was faced with emergencies based on things that had not been done by the previous staff. He also had what he called a concerning amount of warrant requests that had not been attended to, holding his hand several feet above the podium to demonstrate the height of the stack.

I thought it might take us three months to work through that pile, said Miller, adding that those warrant requests some of them for serious offenses have already been reviewed and reassigned. He now has a goal of having every warrant request that comes into the office reviewed within 10 days.

The workload in the office is going fairly well at this point in time, said Miller. Im happy to report that were making really good progress.

Miller said they are also preparing for the return of jury trials, which had been paused due to the pandemic. He said the State Court Administrators Office is estimating that will occur in May and said the KC Grondin case will likely be the first local trial, with a couple homicide cases following.

Weve got a plan to move things forward pretty quickly when we get to that point, Miller said.

Miller brought forth a request to start Walton, his chief assistant prosecutor, at a higher pay grade, citing his extensive experience and expertise as a prosecuting attorney as the reason. Walton served in the Oakland County Prosecutors Office since April 1991, and in the Chief Assistant Prosecutor role since January 2009 before coming to Lapeer County in January of this year.

I got the number one pick in the draft, said Miller, explaining how he felt when Walton applied for the job. Im going into a high-stakes poker game with my bag of change and trying to come out a winner. Im here, hat in hand, to try to get the best I can for him.

Considering Waltons experience and the matching pay grade of the previous Chief Assistant Prosecutor, the board voted to start Walton at the top pay level, with Commissioner Lenny Schneider referring to him as a Tom Brady in the legal field. That decision is expected to be finalized at next weeks full board meeting.

Miller also negotiated with the board to serve as the legal counsel for county departments during his term, for a cost of $17,000, and the majority of the board agreed to that as well, with the stipulation that attorney Howard Shifman will review the contract before it is made official at next weeks full board meeting.

Previous prosecutors before Mike Sharkey served as legal counsel with no contract, and during Sharkeys term, the board hired other attorneys to fill in that role. The $17,000, according to Administrator Quentin Bishop, is a steal of a deal.

After hearing Millers plans to move the Prosecutors Office forward efficiently and voting to approve his requests, Commissioner Bryan Zender had one caution for Miller: Mr. Miller, respectfully, no excuses.

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'We're making really good progress' - Thecountypress

SALT LAKE CITY Utah lawmakers last year voted to make daylight saving time permanent, ensuring Utahns would never have to change their clocks and enjoy an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day.

But as you might have noticed, Utah is not currently observing daylight saving the days are short and that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

The 2020 bill, SB59, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, needs a little outside help before it can go into effect. The law stipulates that four other western states must pass similar legislation before Utah's clocks would actually change.

According to a running tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures, four of those western states have already passed permanent daylight saving laws: Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. But because of the specific language of those bills, Utah would need a little more help before it could make the switch.

Idaho's law only applies to the northern parts of the state that observe Pacific Time; under SB59, only "a portion" of the minimum four states needs to be on year-round daylight saving time for Utah's law to go into effect.

Oregon's bill requires both Washington and California to make the change alongside it. Washington already has a law on the books, but California doesn't yet despite a 2018 voter proposition urging lawmakers to make the switch.

Like Utah, Wyoming requires that four other western states make the change with it. But Wyoming's list of "western" states is different from Utah's it includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah, and so far of those only Idaho and Utah have partially or fully passed a permanent daylight saving bill.

So Utah is close to getting the neighborly help it needs to have year-round daylight saving time, but its last obstacle will come not from the West, but from Washington.

American states are already allowed to opt out of time changes, but they can only do it one way by observing standard time year-round and ditching daylight saving altogether. That's because of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which formalized the start and end dates for daylight saving time across the country, ending a confusing patchwork of local laws.

The act allows states to opt out of daylight saving time but not to use it permanently. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time, and American territories like Guam and Puerto Rico don't, either.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been trying to change this dynamic for years. He's introduced the Sunshine Protection Act several times over the past few years to make daylight saving time permanent across the country. It has yet to gain much traction despite bipartisan support.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says at least three more states Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas are considering permanent daylight saving legislation this year; however, Texas is not a "western" state under the standards of SB59.

So, Utah and 12 other states wait for Washington to finish what they started and finally end the biannual tradition of changing the time.

Utah's clocks will "spring forward" once again in less than a month, on March 14.

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No progress on year-round daylight saving time since Utah passed 2020 law - KSL.com

How is the COVID-19 vaccine rollout going in Michigan? We're tracking the state's progress to reach its goal: Vaccinate70% of Michigan residents age 16 and olderby year's end.

As of Thursday, the state reports 2,315,665 vaccine doses have been shipped, and 1,787,509 77% have been administered.

Michigan has roughly 8.1 million residents ages 16 and older, so getting to70% means about 5.7 million people willbe vaccinated. Both COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S.,Pfizer and Moderna, require two shots for the most protection administered at least three or four weeks apart, depending on the manufacturer.

The state health department has set a goal of 50,000 shots in arms per day. Although some days have exceeded that threshold,the 7-day average remains below the goal.

[ Track Michigan's cases and deaths since the pandemic, and check outbreaks in our schools. ]

Early reporting shows the counties with the highest percentage of residents vaccinated are in the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan. However, those counties' scarce populations are less of a factor in the state's overall progress than the more populous counties in the southern part of the state.

The following table shows the number and rate of initial and completed COVID-19vaccine series by county of residence. Also included is the city of Detroit, which has its own health department and is not part of Wayne County totals. Selecta column header to sort by vaccination rate, number of doses or geography.

Current state guidelines prioritize frontline essential workers in fields such ashealth care, long-term care,school and childcare, public safety and corrections. Long-term care residents and people over the age of 65 are also eligible for immunization.

Women are getting vaccinated at a higher rate than men, at least early on. Part of the reason is that women make up 55% of the population age 65 and older.

Although a majority of states have released information on the race and ethnicity of people receiving vaccines, Michigan has not.Michigan has released data on COVID-19 cases and deaths that show a higher percentage of African Americans have died with COVID-19 relative to the state's population.

At this time we're not giving that information because we do feel it's very incomplete, said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the state health department in mid-February.

The Detroit Free Press, in partnership with Michigan Radio, has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking data about vaccinations by race to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Sarah Lyon-Callo, the states epidemiologist, said about 44% of COVID-19 vaccination records from December to mid-February lacked race data, and health officials are working to ensure that the informationis more complete going forward.

Nationwide, African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians are twice as likely as whites to die with COVID-19, according to the latest data fromthe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Thecorrelation between race and ethnicity and other issues that impact health like socioeconomic status, access to health care, and employment in frontline or other essential fields are cited by the CDC as factors that explain the increased risk.

The answerdepends upon supply and where you fall in the state's prioritization plan.

Here are some places to start:

Find additional resourceshere.

Vaccination data used to create this pageare downloaded from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard. Vaccine data are analyzed and aggregated by day, geography, demographics and other available dose metrics.

Population data by age and gender are from the U.S. Census Bureau. Specifically, population division 2019 estimates are used to calculate statewide statistics. And the latestAmerican Community Survey 5-year data are used for city and countyanalyses.

Published12:53 pm UTC Feb. 19, 2021Updated8:50 pm UTC Feb. 19, 2021

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Vaccinating Michigan: Tracking the progress of the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout - Detroit Free Press

MIAMI -- If you had to describe the Marlins' 2021 mantra in one word, it would be progress. It was a word often brought up during principal owner Bruce Sherman and CEO Derek Jeter's Zoom call on Monday afternoon, as the pair fielded questions from local media for more than 45 minutes.

The Marlins, who reached the postseason for the first time in 17 years in 2020, will look to build off that momentum in the highly competitive National League East. Off the diamond, they expect fans back in the stands and a new TV deal. Through it all, one thing remains consistent: ownership's plan entering Year 4.

"I think what you like to see is progress every single year," Jeter said. "And that's progress on the baseball operations side, it's progress on the business operations side. I think one thing that was a little bit disappointing last year obviously going through the pandemic is, you hear about the excitement from our fan base, but they weren't able to come to games. I would love to see what that would look like."

This offseason has been a juggling act of improving the 40-man roster while also keeping in mind the continued development of a top five farm system. The COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down the Minor League season, meant young players lost out on game at-bats and innings. So the organization focused on bolstering the beleaguered bullpen, signing Anthony Bass and Ross Detwiler while acquiring Dylan Floro and Adam Cimber via trades. Aside from Detwiler, all of these additions are under team control for multiple years. And though the move has not been officially announced by the team, slugging outfielder Adam Duvall will join veterans Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte in the outfield.

Despite complementing a young pitching staff with veteran position players, no jobs will be a given come spring. Just because a top prospect might start the season in the Minors doesn't mean there won't be available reps over the course of 162 games.

"We have to make sure that we give our young guys an opportunity, and we don't want to block them, and we need them to continue to develop," Jeter said. "I know we got a taste of the postseason last year, and our goal every year is to get back to the postseason, but at the same time, we have to look at the big picture and make sure that the young guys get an opportunity to play and they get an opportunity to compete for jobs. We have a lot of guys that are close, so they're knocking on the door, but they get to continue to develop."

Below are some other topics discussed:

Will fans be allowed to attend games at Marlins Park?The Marlins intend to welcome fans to the ballpark beginning on Opening Day, which is scheduled for April 1 at 4:10 p.m. ET against the Rays. As of now, the number would be "a little north" of 20% capacity (Marlins Park can hold 37,000).

"We hope that those numbers increase throughout the course of the season, but I will say the most important thing for us is to make sure that everyone is healthy and everyone is safe, and that includes the players, the coaches, the front office, but the fans as well," Jeter said.

In order to give attendees peace of mind, the organization expects to introduce enhanced safety measures next week. Marlins Park also has the luxury of a retractable roof and sliding glass panels in left field.

What's the latest on the TV deal?Expect a conclusion soon. According to Sherman, "tremendous progress" has been made, and the gains put the franchise in a "good spot." He even alluded to the renaming of the network (FOX Sports Florida to Bally Sports Florida). When asked whether the new deal would double the rights fee ($20 million in 2020), Sherman implied it would exceed that.

"Well clearly we wouldn't be satisfied at your level [double the rights fee], and we will no longer have the worst deal in Major League Baseball, as you correctly assumed," he said. "We're excited to be competitive with the other teams, and we're in a very good market in terms of population, so I think that says a lot."

Will there be some variation of FanFest?In a normal year, FanFest would be held about a week before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. That didn't happen in 2021, but the Marlins continue to brainstorm the most effective and safest way to build excitement leading up to the season.

"We are thinking about different ways that we can get some fans into the ballpark spread out, obviously so that when we get to Opening Day, it's not the first time that we're introducing and welcoming fans into the park," Jeter said. "So more to come on that."

Did the pandemic affect payroll? What about moving forward?"I would say from a payroll standpoint that wasn't a part of our conversations this year," Jeter said. "We didn't say, 'Hey, look, we're going through a pandemic, let's cut back on payroll.' That was never a conversation. The conversations that we had even prior to going through a pandemic -- because you look two, three, four or five years down the road. And the point of building a great Minor League system is to give those guys a chance. That's why you build it.

"And I said it to you guys I think in Spring Training before we started last year, we have to give these guys an opportunity. That's why you go through the exercise of building an organization. So payroll has nothing to do with anything that we're doing this year. Moving forward, hopefully we can get a full Minor League season in and we can get a full Major League season in, and then you sit down and you say, 'OK, look, this is the group that we're rolling with, and these are the positions that we have filled internally.' And then we'll figure out where we can add externally if needed."

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Marlins' focus? 'Progress every single year' - MLB.com

Spokane completed its full-city plow on Thursday morning, meeting the city's goal of finishing it in less than three days.

SPOKANE, Wash. The City of Spokane said on Thursday morning that it has completed a full-city plow after a winter storm that arrived on Valentine's Day brought heavy snowfall to the Inland Northwest.

Spokane's South Hill picked up four inches of snow on Monday and other areas in the Inland Northwest received more. More snowfall is expected to arrive in the region from Thursday night into Friday morning. Crews are prepared to respond to new snow expected on Thursday and in the coming days, City of Spokane spokesperson Marlene Feist said.

Spokane launched its full-city plow on Monday, Feb. 15, an effort that happens when there is at least four inches of snow on the ground. It was completed in the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 18, meeting the city's goal of finishing the full-city plow in less than three days.

Snow crews will be out on Thursday to clean up areas that need additional work, Feist said. Residents who note that their block was missed by plows can call 311 to report it.

The city has a snowplow progress map available to view on its website. The green lines on the map mean snow removal status is complete, blue lines mean "working," red lines mean "next" and magenta lines mean "working/monitoring."

A map showing the plowing routes for residential areas in the City of Spokane is also available online.

The following is a list of maps to check plow progress in areas outside of the City of Spokane:

Driveway berms and sidewalk snow in Spokane

The City of Spokane's Street Department has outfitted 17 pieces of equipment with gates that allow plow drivers to avoid placing snow across driveways or alley access points.

These gates reduce driveway berms in residential areas, but they are still possible, especially on main roads that are frequently plowed.

Crews will plow away from the curb to help keep snow away from driveways and sidewalks. Snow may also be pushed to the center medians in some cases.

Spokane residents are asked to park on the odd side of the street in residential areas for the snow season, which runs through March 15.

Recreational vehicles, boats and trailers must be moved off the street to winter storage locations.

Announcements will be made to prohibit on-street parking in downtown Spokane from midnight to 6 a.m. when it snows, so parking bays can be plowed out.

Signs are installed in the downtown area, indicating this rule within the boundaries of Maple to Division and I-90 to the Spokane River. Vehicles parked during prohibited times are subject to towing.

Here is a list of snow removal hotlines in the Inland Northwest:

Property owners remain responsible for clearing the sidewalk adjacent to their properties. The city is asking citizens to clear a 36-inch path to allow people with disabilities, bus riders and other pedestrians to move safety through the community. The goal is to complete that work by 9 a.m. after a snowfall.

The City of Spokane will remove sidewalk snow adjacent to its properties, too.

Seniors or disabled individuals can call 311 to help get connected with volunteer services that may be able to help them with snow shoveling.

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Here's how to track progress of Spokane's full-city plow - KREM.com

One of the more uncomfortable stats that has contributed to the Wizards' 8-17 start this season is the fact they have a markedly better record without Russell Westbrook (4-3) than they do when he is in the lineup (4-14).

The takeawayis not that Westbrook should play less, it's that the Wizards need to learn how to win with him when he does play. They have a lot of money invested in him through the next two seasons and he still brings important skills to the table, like rebounding and driving to the rim. Their ceiling as a team remainshigher with him.

So, the Wizardshave to find a way to make this work, and they appear to have made some progress in that goal in recent days. The Wizards beat the Celtics on Sunday and the Rockets on Monday, both with Westbrook in the lineup. It's the first time they have won two consecutive games with Westbrook so far this season.

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Westbrook believes the key difference lately has been how the Wizards played early in those games.

"Were not putting ourselves in a hole and then having to work our way back. That allows us to play the game the right way. It allows us to move the basketball and create shots for everyone on the floor. It allows us to play the way we want to," Westbrook said.

Indeed, the Wizards have had significant trouble early in gamesthis season. They are allowing the most first-quarter and first-halfpoints (31.7 and 62.6) and their -5.2 first-half point differential is third-worst in the league.

Washington then has the eighth-best point differential in the third quarter (+1.2). But by digging holes early, theyhave often not been able to recover. Westbrook suggests going down in the first half changes their gameplan, perhaps leading to more of a rushed pace and, in turn, sloppy play that opponents take advantage of.

Westbrook's own role in the Wizards' losing shows through in on/off numbers. Per Basketball Reference, their point differential is 9.1 points worse per 100 possessions when heplays.Only Robin Lopez (-11.4) shows up worse among their regular rotation players.

Per NBA.com, Westbrook is a -5.3 in the first half compared to -1.4 in the second. He also commits a majority (2.9) of his league-leading 4.8 turnovers per game in the first half.

Monday happened to be the first time this season Westbrook played in the second game of a back-to-back. He had previously sat out the first six games in those scenarios.

As for why Westbrook and the Wizards chose Monday's game against the Rockets, he said it was just a matter of "listen to your body." Head coach Scott Brooks said it had nothing to with him playing his former team. He also didn't know if this would be the new norm moving forward.

Regardless, Westbrook will play in the majority of the Wizards' games when healthy, and now potentially all of them if the back-to-back rule is no more. The Wizards have to continue to find ways to compete with Westbrook playing. The wins against the Celtics and Rockets were encouraging signs.

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Are the Wizards starting to make progress playing with Westbrook? - NBC Sports

Much of what the Department of Defense calls wargaming is not actually wargaming. This is a problem for reasons you can imagine done right, gaming is one of the few ways to test out battle plans and designs for a military that can match Chinas and some you might not.The Nintendo generation is coming and, still, most games happen on physical tables, around which conventional wisdom is reaffirmed. Too many games are one-off exercises when the situations for which they purport to prepare will be anything but. The flood of interest in wargaming that started when Pentagon leaders leaned in to the idea five years ago shows no signs of abating, but we still dont know if the departments wargames are working.

In 2015, then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Paul Selva pushed to revitalize wargaming in order to better prepare the nation for future wars. They drew parallels to the interwar years, when the pace of technological change and disruption caused some militaries to fall behind, and others to innovate. A few months before that, in December 2014, several of us within the wargaming community met to discuss wargaming education. One person brought warning of Works impending interest in wargaming, adding additional urgency to the situation. There were only so many experienced wargamers who were prepared to instruct at the time, and presumably a flood of interest was coming. We then spent a few frantic years organizing conference after conference to feed the newbies, as we called it, trying to give hands-on wargaming experience to the large number of action officers suddenly being sent out to wargame (or wargame) to the best of their abilities. Surely, at some point, interest would die down.

Five years into its reinvigoration, the militarys interest in wargaming remains strong. Strategy writing teams in the Pentagon extensively wargamed candidates for the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Demand has only increased for approaches that can help senior leaders think through everything from technologies such as artificial intelligence and cyber to fully fledged concepts such as the joint warfighting concept and joint all-domain command and control. Wargaming plays a key role in these activities and, despite its limitations, few practical alternatives exist.

Yet, if wargaming continues to be one of the few tools available to better prepare the U.S. military for the future, is wargaming, as conducted by the Department of Defense, up to the task? There are four questions the department needs to answer before it will know.

First: Is the quality of existing defense wargaming sufficient? Is the overall defense wargaming enterprise able to support the present challenges in concept development, analysis, capabilities development, and professional military education? Best practices in wargaming include adjudicated wargames instead of unadjudicated tabletop exercises and series of games rather than individual one-off events. Assessing the quality of wargaming at the department level involves assessing whether these best practices are followed rather than simply identified. Senior leaders have also identified quality problems in wargaming such as insufficient initial research, flawed game designs, and unsound basis for adjudication. A frank and objective look at such issues is necessary to spot problems that should be corrected. The quality of other important wargame inputs such as scenarios, dynamic adversary players, and courses of action can also vary widely but are rarely evaluated.

The quality of information available on wargames that the department has already run can also be an issue. Analysis of the Pentagons existing wargame repository shows that three-fourths of repository users viewed wargame entries that their organizations did not sponsor, which certainly indicates significant progress in sharing insights across the department. However, basic information on wargame design, scenario, insights, and lessons is often missing.

The department needs to better understand the quality of its entire wargaming portfolio. A pessimistic view would predict games that cluster around a few usual, expected scenarios rather than exploring unexpected cases. Repetitive courses of action across games would also be an indication that the department is content to rerun accepted approaches rather than explore new ones. If a large percentage of exercises are unadjudicated, with participants merely taking a static scenario and providing their plan, what the department is actually engaged in is planning, rather than wargaming against a thinking adversary. Do service wargames invariably validate the service concept or provide additional justification for programs of record? It would seem best to trust, but verify. Wargames should additionally be assessed for how well they include domains such as space, cyber, and information assurance, as well as how often allied and partner perspectives are adequately represented.

A second key question for the department to answer is whether wargaming does in fact improve learning and innovation. The truth is that we have little to no empirical research that shows wargaming promotes learning, creative thinking, or problem solving at either the individual or organizational levels. While wargamers believe wargaming works, the department still lacks empirical research confirming wargamings ability to positively impact cognitive processes, knowledge formation, individual and group problem solving, organization learning, individual creativity, and organizational innovation. For example, even though wargamers often repeat the stories of Naval War College wargaming in the interwar years, the department lacks basic case study research on the organizational learning models that permitted some countries to learn from wargames but not others. Although military planners, operations research analysts, political scientists, and hobby wargamers dominate defense wargaming, these are not the best research backgrounds to assess whether wargaming works. Instead, the fields with the methodological tools to answer this extremely important question include educational psychology, experimental psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, social cognition, social intelligence, communications, and the study of creativity. All these fields are notably absent from wargaming.

Squarely within this topic of learning from wargames is assessing the possibility of negative learning. Negative learning is learning erroneous concepts from unwarranted information and developing faulty mental models and reasoning. Wargamers often discuss the benefits of experiential learning from wargames, but those same games are also opportunities to reinforce conventional wisdom from the last war, pre-existing biases, and consensus (but perhaps incorrect) assumptions about the adversary, as well as to once again discount crucial factors such as logistics or allies. In order to correct and prevent negative learning from wargames, this topic must also be studied.

A third question for the department to answer is whether there is sufficient wargaming capability and capacity across the defense enterprise to support current and future wargaming needs. A partial review of wargaming centers shows a fair amount of facility capability and capacity, and more is being added through facilities under development such as the Marine Corps Wargaming and Analysis Center. For example, this new center in Quantico will host more than a dozen games a year. The Joint Staffs Studies, Analysis, and Gaming Division can run approximately three dozen tabletop exercises a year in conjunction with its other mission areas. The Naval War College Wargaming Department, the flagship wargaming center in the defense community, runs at least 50 a year.

But is there enough staff capacity and capability? The 2016 Military Operations Research Societys wargaming special meeting report noted the consensus that capacity was insufficient within the existing wargaming community to meet demand. A 2018 query of combatant command wargame staff also indicated challenges to capacity and capability, yet only one of ten responding organizations had plans to build a wargaming cell. Rather than devoting specialized staff to wargaming, they reported rebuilding their wargaming capacity out of hide, adding wargaming as collateral duty and bringing in contractors for expertise. Defense wargaming capacity also resides within contracting companies, federally funded research and development centers, and academic departments (both civilian and military), making it difficult to fully account for total capacity and capability.

One approach may be to assess whether specific organizations access enough wargames with enough capabilities to support their needs. For example, does U.S. Indo-Pacific Command believe it has adequate wargaming capacity of sufficient quality to address its requirements including its virtual and distributed requirements? Does the Joint Staff have access to sufficient capacity to support developing the Joint Warfighting Concept and all of its supporting concepts? Are the service wargaming centers consistently oversubscribed, and, if certain wargames are not prioritized, can sponsors find wargamers elsewhere? Are there enough specialized performers in wargaming to ensure quality? Significant costs, skill sets, and other requirements need to support quality wargaming, and distributing the same amount of resources among organizations that do not specialize in wargaming will naturally lead to lower quality and sophistication overall.

This leads us to the fourth question the department needs to answer: What is the state of the wargaming workforce, and does it need to modernize this workforce, in terms of backgrounds, skillsets, and professional practices? Professional wargaming can be a fiercely competitive business, with some wargamers reluctant to share information about opportunities with other wargamers inside their own organization. Yet, the department has an institutional interest in raising the quality of wargaming throughout its enterprise. Does the level of expertise throughout the wargaming community meet the complex demands on wargaming? Professional development opportunities such as the Military Operations Research Society certificates in wargaming are often oversubscribed and are only meant to train in the basics.

Given the lack of civilian educational degree programs to produce wargamers, and the retirement of hobby gamers who have historically formed the backbone of defense wargaming, where are new wargaming experts coming from? There are significant generational differences between retiring wargamers and those coming up the commercial gaming experience for Generation X (the Nintendo Generation), millennials, and Generation Z are largely digital and not manual. This coincides with urgent pressures from the department for wargaming to incorporate more digital capabilities, represent advanced capabilities such as artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, and address everything from peer competition to cyber to misinformation. There is also concern that the wargaming community lacks diversity and is therefore missing out on many other perspectives. What should the expertise of the next generation of wargamers look like? This is a vital topic. So, too, is whether the department has any role to play in shaping the next generation of wargamers.

Only after answering these questions

1) Is the quality of defense wargaming sufficient?

2) Does wargaming actually work?

3) Is there enough wargaming capability and capacity to meet the departments needs?

4) What is the state of the defense wargaming work force?

can the department understand whether it is making the progress it needs to re-invigorate wargaming.

These are the questions that keep us longtime wargamers up at night. So much rides on wargaming, and whether wargaming is done well or done poorly at this moment will impact departmental decisions for years.

Dr. Yuna Huh Wong is a research analyst in the Joint Advanced Warfighting Division with the Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia. She co-led the Hedgemony wargame that supported the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy and was a co-director of the Center for Gaming while at RAND Corporation. She is also founder of the Womens Wargaming Network.

Garrett Heath is a research analyst in the Joint Advanced Warfighting Division with the Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia. He is a retired Army colonel who previously led the Joint Staffs Studies, Analysis, and Gaming Division, and the Capabilities Development Directorate in the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan.

The views, opinions, and findings expressed in this paper should not be construed as representing the official position of either the Institute for Defense Analyses or the Department of Defense.

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Is the Department of Defense Making Enough Progress in Wargaming? - War on the Rocks

Countries around the world are racing to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19.

In order to reach herd immunity, its estimated that at least 60% of a population (and as much as 90%) must become immune thanks either to prior infection or vaccination. But as of 10 February nearly 130 countries, with a collective population of 2.5 billion, had yet to administer a single vaccine dose.

While some 10 different COVID-19 vaccines have been approved or authorized for emergency or limited use, the practical business of administering jabs has been hindered by staffing and supply shortages, procurement hiccups, and geopolitics. Concerns have also been raised about equitable access for poorer countries and historically-marginalized communities.

But there have also been positive signs, including Israels relatively swift rollout, an upwardly revised daily vaccination target in the US, and Indias distribution of free doses to countries including Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The Forum has created a visualization tracking the progress made to date on vaccination against COVID-19, on a country-by-country basis. The first measure visualized is the number of doses administered per 100 people, with countries turning a darker shade of blue as the population getting at least one dose increases over time:

COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people. US date format.

Image: World Economic Forum

While that presents a good illustration of initial progress, its a somewhat limited view of the number of people fully vaccinated given that many vaccines require more than one dose, and the interval between them can be nearly a month.

The Convidecia vaccine developed in China may just require just one dose, for example, but the Pfizer-BioNTech version already approved for use in several countries and the Sputnik V vaccine developed in Russia are among those that call for two.

The second waypoint in the visualization provides a fuller picture of progress made so far, as each country with available data turns a darker shade of green as the percentage of people receiving all doses prescribed by a vaccination protocol increases over time:

Full COVID-19 vaccinations administered. US date format.

Image: World Economic Forum

The discovery of new, potentially more deadly coronavirus mutations has added a sense of urgency to efforts to contain the pandemic while prompting the exploration of ways to redesign existing vaccines.

On the Strategic Intelligence platform, you can find feeds of expert analysis related to Vaccination, COVID-19 and hundreds of additional topics. Youll need to register to view.

Image: World Economic Forum

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Visualizing the global progress of COVID-19 vaccination - World Economic Forum