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Decisive Action (wargame)

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description Decisive Action (wargame) Overview

Decisive Action is a computerized military wargame used in United States Army professional education, including instruction associated with the Command and General Staff College. It is a staff-centered exercise for major combat operations that lets officers practice operational planning, course-of-action analysis, and the interaction of action, reaction, and counteraction. Its audience is military students and staffs studying operational-level decision-making.

help Decisive Action (wargame) FAQ

Is Decisive Action a first-person combat game or a staff simulation?

The Army education version is a 2D computer-based constructive simulation focused on operational decisions by commanders and staffs, not a first-person shooter. It models major combat operations at brigade, division, or corps scale. [Army University Press](https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2020-OLE/Perkins-Decisive-Action/)

How was Decisive Action used in the Command and General Staff College course?

In the A350 Decisive Action Tactical Application Course, students formed brigade staffs, planned operations, executed decisions, and fought other student cohorts. The course used the Decisive Action Brigade Level, or DABL, force-on-force simulation. [Army University Press](https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2020-OLE/Perkins-Decisive-Action/)

What does a player or staff actually do in Decisive Action?

The focus is on planning, coordination, sustainment, and responding to the results of earlier decisions. Students observe how their orders play out in real time and then adjust their next decisions instead of simply controlling individual soldiers. [Army University Press](https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2020-OLE/Perkins-Decisive-Action/)

Is the HPS Simulations release of Decisive Action connected to the Army training tool?

They come from the same broader Decisive Action wargaming lineage, but they are not the same software package. HPS Simulations released a civilian computer game called Decisive Action in 2001, while Army instruction later used education-focused versions such as DABL. [HPS Simulations archive](https://www.hpssims.com/pages/whatsnew/Whats_New_Archives.htm)

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