Chapter · 10:53-19:43

Setting the rules for a conventional 1986 Atlantic war

The scenario excludes nuclear torpedoes and uses an open, discursive war game to test what NATO and Soviet commanders could plausibly do in 1986.

Notes

The scenario assumes a conventional war because nuclear use would rapidly overwhelm the naval question. The discussion follows a staff-college method in which participants may challenge any move on technological or contextual grounds. Participants can change sides, test each response, and reject proposals only by showing that they are technologically or contextually impossible. The exercise exposes gaps in strategic thinking without pretending to predict a scripted winner.