"Wargames: The Power of Scenario Planning Exercises" - LA

"Wargames: The Power of Scenario Planning Exercises”

Presenter:

Scott Tait

Executive Director

National Security Innovation Catalyst at UC San Diego

In a world facing substantial changes - some known and some unpredictable - it is more important than ever to create and test corporate strategies that are allegiant to reality and accommodate a greater level of uncertainty than companies have previously been forced to manage.

Since its inception in the 1860’s, wargaming has proven to be an incredibly powerful tool in helping organizations anticipate, adapt to, and thrive in environments characterized by rapid, multi-faceted, high consequence change.

While wargaming has been a part of military planning for centuries, it is increasingly appropriate for companies. This presentation will examine the history of wargaming, its benefits, and provide fundamental insights on how to use the technique to prepare your business to succeed in uncertain times.

Presenter

Scott Tait is Executive Director of the National Security Innovation Catalyst located at UC San Diego. The Catalyst pursues two related lines of effort: improving the transition of innovative commercial technology to national security users, and providing practical, effective policy recommendations to improve U.S. national security competitiveness.

In addition to his leadership of Catalyst, Scott is COO of Startup Science (www.startupscience.io), a San Diego-based startup working to improve the success rate of early stage entrepreneurs, and the ecosystems that support them, around the globe.

Tait served in the U.S. Navy for 27 years. His assignments included positions leading strategy, policy and innovation efforts, working directly for 3 and 4-star commanders in the Indo-Pacific region and Washington, D.C. He also held senior policy positions, with a focus in Indo-Asia, on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-5), Pacific Fleet staff and U.S. Seventh Fleet staff. At sea he served in Cruiser and Destroyer ships, commanding USS Mustin (DDG 89) and USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000).

After transitioning from the Navy in 2019, he served as CEO of Pacific Science & Engineering (PSE) from 2020-2024. PSE is a San Diego-based technology company that designs science-based human-machine interfaces for complex and high consequence systems including space, aerospace, autonomy, decision support and electrical grid management.

Tait holds Masters degrees from Stanford University in International Policy and Economics, the U.S. Naval War College in National Security and Strategic Studies, and an Executive Degree in Venture Capital and Private Equity from the Columbia University Business School. At the U.S. Naval War College, he was a member of the Halsey Alfa Advanced Research and Wargaming Project.

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