Note: This is part one of a two-part interview with Col Barrick. The conclusion will be released shortly.

In this episode, we discuss

-Barrick’s early military training and educational experiences at the US Naval Academy, The Basic School, and the Army’s Armor Officer Basic Course

-Barrick’s thoughts on the reaction course at Officer Candidate School

-The sandtable tests that Barrick underwent at the Armor Officer Basic Course

-Barrick’s experiences with FMFM 1 Warfighting and the Marine Corps Warfighting Skills Program as a company-grade officer

-The degree to which Marines actually practice maneuver warfare

-The role of trust and adaptation in maneuver warfare

-Barrick’s experiences as a staff officer with Combined Joint Task Force 76 in Afghanistan in 2004

-One instance of how Barrick’s formal PME schooling failed him during his interactions and collaboration with NATO planners in Kabul

-Another hard learned lesson, this one involving NATO planners and an Afghan military parade

-Barrick’s experiences attending the Advisor Training Group in 29 Palms and the limits of training

-Barrick’s time as a senior advisor to an Afghan National Civil Order Police Brigade in 2011-12

-Barrick’s hair-raising experience planning a Afghan National Army-led operation to counter Afghan warlords in Herat in 2004—all in 24 hours

-What lifelong lessons Barrick took away from hi advisor deployment

-How Barrick got into wargaming

-Barrick’s experiences wargaming at the Naval Academy

-The lack of wargaming opportunities throughout Barrick’s Marine Corps career

-The benefits and disadvantages of analog and digital wargames

-How tools like Zoom have facilitated virtual wargaming

-The many benefits of wargames for warfighters

-Creating a culture of wargaming in the Marine Corps

-Thoughts on creating wargame facilitators for the Marine Corps

-Leveraging the gaming habits of Marines to generate interest in wargaming

-Commercial wargames that could be used to generate such interest

-How Barrick used wargames at the Marine Corps Tactics Operations Group

-The limitations of wargames

-The value of wargaming for planning

-The Warfighting Lab’s use of games like Command: Professional Edition

Links

-The Marine Corps' Warfighting Skills Program: https://www.themaneuverist.org/resources-main-page/thedustybookshelf/ (See the column of links second from the left,)

-Flashpoint Campaigns: https://store.steampowered.com/app/330720/Flashpoint_Campaigns_Red_Storm_Players_Edition/

-Combat Mission: Shock Force 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1369370/Combat_Mission_Shock_Force_2/

Intro

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