Students participate in USSTRATCOM exercise

Earlier this fall, 23 political science students from Iowa State University participated in a unique real-world learning experience during a mock military mission sponsored by the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. USSTRATCOM’s mission is “to deter strategic attack through a safe, secure, effective, and credible global combat capability and, when directed, be ready to prevail in conflict.”

The students, most of whom were enrolled in POLS 3570, International Security Policy, were invited to take part in a tabletop exercise that involved the Indo-Pacific Region. The exercise was based on a notional scenario which allowed participants to realistically explore the complexity of deterrence challenges. Prior to this event, only one other USSTRATCOM Academic Alliance institution has been invited to participate in this exercise.

Getting down to business

Political science faculty Ellen Pirro, assistant teaching professor, and Scott Feinstein, assistant professor, accompanied the students to Omaha. The day-long experience kicked off with security checks, a brief orientation about the exercise, and details of their mission.

The students were divided into two teams, given final instructions, and proceeded through the exercise’s seven phases. Approximately 10 USSTRATCOM personnel supervised the event. After each step, they questioned the students about their actions and responses to the developing scenario. Among other things, the USSTRATCOM advisors asked the students what outcome they hoped for, why they rejected other avenues, and what impacts their choices had on the developing situation.

“STRATCOM personnel thought our students were so good. So sharp and knowledgeable,” Feinstein said.

Feinstein added that the Strategic Command personnel were impressed with the knowledge and performance of Iowa State’s students. They valued the new approaches and the new ideas they brought to the scenarios.

The students said they were excited to see real-world applications of the topics and issues they had been studying in class.

“It was a real-life experience of what we’ve been studying,” said Seth Wiederin (‘25 political science). “It was so rewarding.”

“Everything we did touched on what we learned in our classes,” said Andrew Corns (‘25 political science) “The experience lived up to our expectations.”

The USSTRATCOM exercise is only the latest example of LAS students participating in real-world experiences outside the classroom. In 2020, students participated in the Deterrence and Assurance Academic Alliance Conference and Workshop, a national conference hosted by Iowa State for the STRATCOM Academic Alliance. In 2019, ISU Naval ROTC conducted a war game to provide its midshipmen with advanced training.