How are the U.S. Marines getting ready for a chaotic, brutal battlefield? In this episode, we sit down with Captain Nicholas Royer, a simulation officer from the Second Marine Expeditionary Unit, to talk about “Downrange”—a tabletop war game that’s changing how Marines train. Using 3D-printed figures and tough, realistic rules, it throws junior Marines into the deep end of modern combat. They face tough calls, like risking a radio call for artillery support that could tip off enemy drones circling above.

Captain Royer walks us through the shift from fighting insurgents to preparing for heavyweights like Russia or China. We dig into the human side of these simulations—Marines grappling with rising casualties when rescue helicopters can’t swoop in, or the civilian toll of their decisions. From stretching limited anti-tank rounds to working with both dedicated and unreliable partner forces, this episode looks at how the USMC approaches modern warfighting with a view to maintaining deterrence – or winning on the battlefield if deterrence fails.

Key moments

1:23 - Captain Nicholas Royer's Journey
4:41 - Designing Tactical Training Games
10:16 - Preparing for High-End Conflict
22:11 - Strategies for Future Conflicts
31:03 - Deterrence and Preparing for War

Facing Coming Storms is brought to you by the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, in partnership with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, and produced by Urban Podcasts.

Simulating Modern Combat with the United States Marine Corps