A Two-Cubed Experiment to Examine the Effects of Information Completeness, Work Load, and Fast Patrol Boat Command and Control in the Littorals Utilizing the Wargame Simulation

Fast Patrol Boats were considered a negligible threat when the U.S. Navy focused on blue water operations away from shore. Now that the Navy's focus has shifted to the littorals, where these ships patrol, the Fast Patrol Boat's potential as a credible adversary is gaining acceptance. Moreover, the threat may be greatly enhanced if Fast Patrol Boats employ Commercial Off-The-Shelf Command and Control equipment to coordinate their efforts. This paper presents the design and results of a wargaming experiment conducted with Batman & Robin at the Naval Postgraduate School to examine this issue. The research question is how would U.S. Navy Surface Action Groups perform against Fast Patrol Boats equipped with Commercial Off-The-Shelf Command and Control equipment which enables these comparatively unsophisticated ships to conduct coordinated attacks. The experiment also looked at two other factors: Surface Action Group work load, which might exacerbate the offensive capability of Fast Patrol Boats conducting coordinated attacks with advanced Command and Control; and the quality of information our Surface Action Groups are provided which could likewise play a pivotal role in a confrontation or engagement. A two-cubed factorial experiment was conducted to test seven hypotheses. Data were collected on ten performance measures for 128 trials total. Significant results were obtained for three factors and three interactions. Operational explanations are provided.