Force-on-force training is essential — nothing compares to the visceral learning that comes from physically maneuvering against a thinking enemy. Yet FoF exercises are inherently constrained by time, logistics, safety considerations, and geographic limitations. They are expensive, high-friction, and difficult to scale across echelons or integrate into broader campaign-level decision-making.
The Training Challenge: Moving Beyond the Physical
Force-on-force training is essential — nothing compares to the visceral learning that comes from physically maneuvering against a thinking enemy. Yet FoF exercises are inherently constrained by time, logistics, safety considerations, and geographic limitations. They are expensive, high-friction, and difficult to scale across echelons or integrate into broader campaign-level decision-making.
What’s needed is a complementary capability that preserves the unpredictability and human cognition central to FoF while unlocking flexible rehearsal, scenario iteration, and after-action insight. That’s where AtomEngine steps in.
AtomEngine, Battle Road Digital’s next-generation digital wargaming platform, isn’t a replacement for physical training — it’s a strategic augmentation. It is designed from the ground up for professional military education, mission rehearsal, and contested logistics, and can now be configured to extend the impact of TECOM’s FoF events in three core areas as a thought experiment we've been brainstorming;
Scenario Planning and Red Team Development AtomEngine provides a secure, intuitive interface to build out multiple branches and sequels of FoF engagements ahead of execution. Training leaders can simulate anticipated Red TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), stress-test friendly COAs (Courses of Action), and iterate through cognitive walkthroughs in a matter of hours — not days.
Parallel Digital Engagement While one unit trains in the field, another can be running parallel digital wargames against the same Red Cell on AtomEngine. The result is a multi-domain, multi-layered training environment, where digital players can inject dilemmas, simulate long-range fires, or model logistics disruption into the physical battlespace in near real-time.
Analytical Feedback and After Action Integration AtomEngine’s built-in data capture and visualization tools allow users to overlay digital and physical outcomes, providing a richer and more analytical after-action process. Instead of relying solely on observer notes or GoPros, AtomEngine records decision cycles, action timing, and system-level interactions to help reveal why a unit won or lost — not just what happened.
A New Model for Training Continuity
By syncing TECOM’s force-on-force training rotations with AtomEngine’s digital backbone, we unlock a continuum of professional development:
Before the field: Simulate and refine COAs digitally using real-world terrain and opposing force logic.
During the field: Inject digital fog and friction, including cyber or space effects, into the live scenario via a red cell liaison.
After the field: Conduct holistic AARs using synchronized physical and digital performance data.
This is more than blended training. It’s a new ecosystem of wargaming-enabled force preparation, where Marines build decision dominance not just through action, but through continuous mental rehearsal and strategic reflection.
In a future of peer conflict, Marines must out-think as well as out-fight. TECOM’s modernization of force-on-force training is a bold step — AtomEngine ensures it’s not just tactical, but strategic.
By integrating cognitive wargaming into the training cycle, we empower Marines to visualize complexity, anticipate threats, and rehearse under pressure. That’s not science fiction. It’s the future of readiness, and it’s already here.
