“The SDME is a political-military decisionmaking collective simulation exercise designed to provide USAWC [US Army War College] students an opportunity to role-play strategic leaders and staffs as they integrate and apply knowledge acquired previously in the USAWC core curriculum… The SDME is a joint and multinational exercise that includes political and military play at the high operational and strategic levels… It is intended to place students in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous virtual environment, aided by appropriate information technology tools and models, in which they apply service and joint doctrine within the framework of the interagency, military contingency planning and execution, military resourcing, and multinational coordination processes. Students will develop strategic policy recommendations for employing the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic elements of power, while considering multiple scenarios. Those scenarios include major combat operations, lesser contingencies, stability operations, global terrorism, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance, and model crises in every Geographic Combatant Command, to include the new US Africa Command. “The exercise involves the entire USAWC student body, USAWC staff and faculty members, subject matter experts, and invited guests. Students role-play leaders of selected elements of the interagency community at the strategic level which include the Deputy National Security Advisor, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security. In addition, students…assume military leadership and staff roles across the Geographic Combatant Commands and the Joint and Service staffs. Students engage in policy coordination and deputies committee meetings to formulate and implement national security policy that involves the use of all elements of national power. During the SDME, they also execute Congressional testimony, conduct press briefings and short notice interviews with media representatives, and brief senior officials from the government, business, military and academic communities… The SDME is the capstone exercise event for the USAWC students. It serves not only as a critical learning vehicle but also as an instrument to review and refine future decisions regarding the overall USAWC curriculum”. (USAWC, Information Paper: The Strategic Decision Making Exercise, Nov. 8, 2007)