Country Alpha in Crisis

Network Mapping, Threat Assessment, and Disruption Analysis

SIMULATION OVERVIEW

Country Alpha has emerged from a destabilizing civil war. The nation's dominant political leader (designated CRUISE) has consolidated significant personal power, generating both loyalty and resentment among the political establishment. Factional tensions are unresolved. This simulation places students inside the Country Alpha Domestic Intelligence Service (CADIS). Students will map the political network from surveillance reporting and assess emerging threats to political stability. The simulation is designed to surface Social Network Analysis concepts through intelligence practice. Students will encounter hubs, gatekeepers, and boundary spanners and learn to identify them from observed behavior documented in CADIS reports.

Network AnalysisStructured BrainstormingDeception Detection

SIM PARAMETERS

TRACK

National Security

ROUNDS

DURATION

1h 30m

TEAM MODEL

All teams, same materials

POSTURE

PROSPECTIVE

AUDIENCE

Undergraduate and graduate students in intelligence analysis, political science, international affairs, or critical thinking courses

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Map actor connections from intelligence reporting and identify network roles

Assess a threat by identifying which network positions enable it

Recognize denial and deception techniques from observed behavior

Analyze which network interventions would have disrupted the outcome

Identify structural warning failure causes beyond source quality

HOW IT RUNS

Briefing

Participants receive a scenario overview and their team assignment. Facilitator sets context and opens the document room.

Document Review

Teams examine scenario documents in the shared document room. Each round releases new intelligence as the situation develops.

Analysis & Submission

Teams complete a structured analytic worksheet applying Network Analysis, Structured Brainstorming, and Deception Detection, then submit their assessment.

Stakeholder Response

An AI-driven decision-maker responds to each team's assessment, reflecting how a real principal would react to the analysis provided.

Debrief

Teams compare their analysis against an expert benchmark. AI coaching surfaces analytical gaps, cognitive biases, and key insights.

WHO IT IS FOR

Intelligence Studies Programs

Ideal for upper-division or graduate courses in intelligence analysis, national security, or foreign policy. Builds practitioner skills through live simulation.

Professional Development

Used by agencies, think tanks, and defense contractors to train analysts in structured analytic techniques and collaborative assessment.

War Colleges & PME

Integrates with professional military education curricula focused on strategic intelligence and decision support.

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