Chadd Smart, ’24, likes a challenge—it’s what brought the Westbury, New York, native to The Citadel—and it’s what he likes most about wargaming. Led by intelligence analysis and security studies professor Pat Hendrix, Smart and his fellow cadets learned military strategy through a chess-like game of intellect. Smart and his classmates had free rein to come up with creative scenarios. On a gridded board with two opposing sides, they calculated maneuvers and rolled dice to dole out hit points to their targets. Wargaming cadets chose to play scenarios ranging from contemporary American military engagements to dinosaur attacks. There were some limitations— you could not, for instance, drop a nuclear bomb on the enemy. While some students were frustrated to find the easy victory banned, Smart appreciated the challenge of coming up with complex solutions. “I think, by eliminating the easy ways out, cadets were forced to learn a little bit more and think a little bit harder,” said Smart.
“A challenge is not just important—it’s necessary to develop.”
Smart, a Marine Corps contract cadet, likes the psychological aspect of the game. “You’re almost trying to play mind games with people, draw them in, see how they react, learn what they care about,” he said. “I learned that that’s an easy way to assess people—force them to make decisions—and what decisions they make will give you a lot of information about the type of person they are.
Trying to predict what your opponent will do next is an important part of the game, and Smart appreciates the insight wargaming has taught him when it comes to assessing others. He plans to use what he has learned to help him grow as a leader. The Alpha Company commander’s goal for the semester was to delegate more responsibility to his peers. “I want them to be able to make hard decisions,” said Smart. “There’s no growth in comfort.”