14 June 2026
After Action Report
"The side that sees first often shoots first."
Battle of 73 Easting is a scenario included in the GWS Scenario Booklet. The US player commanded elements of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment conducting a reconnaissance-in-force through a sandstorm.
The Iraqi player commanded Republican Guard units deployed east of a ridgeline and ordered to delay the American advance.
Map conditions followed the scenario rules:
Severe sandstorm during Turns 1-3
Visibility reduced
Iraqi forces hidden east of the ridgeline
Apache helicopters and artillery available in support
Americans advancing from the west
The US player pushed Eagle Troop and Ghost Troop eastward at maximum speed.
The Iraqi commander chose patience.
The ridgeline concealed the Iraqi positions. American thermal sights and superior sensors struggled against the blowing dust. Detection rolls suffered penalties from the sandstorm.
Neither side achieved a solid contact.
From the Iraqi perspective, this was encouraging.
From the American perspective, it was expected.
No shots fired.
No casualties.
The battlefield remained silent.
The Apache flight entered the battle.
The American commander immediately used the helicopter as a reconnaissance platform rather than a strike asset.
This decision proved decisive.
An Apache crew detected movement behind the ridgeline.
Not enough for a firing solution.
But enough to generate a Spotted contact.
The Americans immediately benefited from Reconnaissance Pull, allowing friendly units to improve their detection against the same target.
The Iraqi commander now faced a difficult choice:
Remain concealed and risk artillery.
Or open fire and reveal the defensive belt.
He chose to wait.
Eagle Troop crested the ridgeline.
Suddenly the battlefield exploded into life.
What had been vague radar returns became confirmed targets.
American crews identified dug-in Iraqi armor almost directly ahead.
The Iraqi player had hoped to achieve an ambush.
Instead the superior American Detect rating, reconnaissance assets and information sharing rapidly converted contacts into targetable formations. Detection is the heart of GWS, where a unit must first be located and identified before effective engagement can occur.
The first American tank volleys struck home.
One Iraqi armored battalion was immediately Suppressed.
The battle had begun.
Visibility improved.
The sandstorm penalty disappeared.
This was catastrophic for the Iraqi player.
American sensors now dominated the battlefield.
Apache helicopters observed Iraqi positions.
Artillery batteries received coordinates.
M1 Abrams formations advanced while maintaining continuous observation.
The US player was now operating inside the Iraqi decision cycle.
Apache reconnaissance spotted an Iraqi artillery battalion.
American artillery responded almost immediately.
The Iraqi guns became Damaged.
The Iraqi commander attempted counterfire but struggled to locate the dispersed American units.
The Iraqi kill chain was broken.
The American kill chain was functioning perfectly.
Recognising the danger, the Iraqi player launched a coordinated counterattack.
Two armored battalions emerged from prepared positions.
The intent was sound.
Mass fire.
Short ranges.
Force the Americans into a slugging match.
For a brief moment it worked.
Ghost Troop received concentrated fire and became Suppressed.
The Americans had taken their first serious setback.
But Mission Command allowed the US formations to continue conducting multiple engagements and maintain momentum.
The Iraqi offensive stalled.
The Americans shifted from reconnaissance to destruction.
Rather than attacking every visible target, the US player concentrated on one Iraqi battalion at a time.
Apache observation.
Artillery fire.
Tank engagement.
Repeat.
This created a series of local numerical advantages.
One Iraqi armored battalion was destroyed.
A second became damaged and failed morale.
The Iraqi front line began to unravel.
The Iraqi commander could still see American tanks.
But seeing a tank and successfully targeting it are not the same thing.
That distinction is central to GWS. Units progress from Undetected to Detected, then Spotted, then finally Targeted before effective direct engagement becomes possible.
The Iraqi commander attempted a fighting withdrawal.
Unfortunately, every movement generated new opportunities for detection.
American reconnaissance assets maintained contact.
Artillery continued to harass retreat routes.
A second Iraqi armored battalion was destroyed.
The mechanized infantry battalion became suppressed and retreated.
The Iraqi line no longer existed as a coherent defensive position.
Instead, isolated formations fought independent battles.
With the ridgeline secured, Eagle Troop accelerated eastward.
The Iraqi player committed his final reserve.
The resulting engagement lasted only a single turn.
American fire control systems, veteran crews, and concentrated attacks overwhelmed the defenders.
The final reserve battalion was damaged and forced to retreat.
The eastern approaches were now open.
The Americans pushed hard toward the eastern map edge.
The Iraqi commander no longer possessed enough combat power to stop them.
Remaining artillery attempted harassment fire.
It achieved no meaningful effect.
The battle's outcome had already been decided several turns earlier.
Not when the tanks were destroyed.
When the Iraqis lost the information battle.
Eagle Troop reached the eastern edge of the map.
The Americans had:
Destroyed two Iraqi armored battalions
Forced the withdrawal of a mechanized battalion
Neutralized Iraqi artillery
Achieved breakthrough
Result:
Meeting all scenario objectives.
08June 2026
That was the question I asked myself back in May, 2025. After a lot of reading, guess-work and putting together possible simulaed scenarios, I came up with a better question, "How did one side complete its Kill Chain before the other side even realised it was under attack?"
That question sent me down a rabbit hole that eventually resulted in two projects: a book called Fighting Smart and a wargame called the Generic Wargaming System (GWS). Let me show you what I mean. You may download and use my Generic Wargaming System to try it yurself.
Imagine ...
The Indian player launches a carefully planned operation. A formation of Rafales approaches the border carrying long-range stand-off weapons. Behind them are Sukhoi fighters conducting air-superiority missions. Further back, Indian AWACS aircraft monitor the airspace and provide command and control.
The plan is straightforward. Fly close to the border, launch long-range strike weapons. Turn away before crossing into Pakistani airspace.
From a traditional perspective, this sounds like a low-risk operation. The Rafale is one of the world's most advanced fighters.
However, modern warfare is not about platforms. It is about information.
In GWS terms, this is the Detection Phase. For several turns, the Indian strike package remains effectively hidden. Then something changes. The moment the Rafales launch their weapons, emissions, flight profiles, radar signatures, and supporting sensor networks begin revealing their presence.
The Indian aircraft move from Undetected to Spotted.
That single change alters the entire battle. In GWS, combat begins with detection. A target must first be found, identified, tracked, and targeted before it can be attacked. The Kill Chain has begun.
Now the Pakistani player reveals the real move. J-10 fighters have already been positioned in the battlespace. Their radars remain silent. There is no dramatic radar sweeps, no obvious electronic signatures.
In GWS terms, they are operating with Passive Sensors while relying on external targeting information. Passive sensors gain no detection bonus, but they also do not reveal their position through emissions. Meanwhile, Pakistani ground radars and AEW&C aircraft are building the air picture.
This is not a fighter-versus-fighter duel. It is a network-versus-network battle. The Pakistani Kill Chain is linking radars, fighters, command systems, and missiles into a single system. In GWS terms, this is Networked Warfare and Integrated ISR working together.
The J-10s launch beyond-visual-range missiles. The fighters still remain largely passive. The missiles fly toward targets they cannot yet see. Guidance updates come from the wider network. The Pakistani AEW&C keeps feeding targeting information. The missiles continue closing. The Indian pilots know they are in a contested battlespace. What they may not yet realise is that the engagement has already begun.
Then comes the critical moment. The missiles activate their own seekers. Suddenly, the Rafales receive warning. But by now, the geometry of the fight has changed. Distance has collapsed. Reaction time has evaporated. Countermeasures are launched immediately, but for some it is too late.
Was it the J-10, the PL-15 BVR missile, was it the AEW&C or the radar network?
The answer is yes, and no. The lesson of modern warfare is that platforms rarely fight alone. The side that sees first often shoots first. The side that shoots first often wins. This principle is so important that it appears repeatedly in GWS design philosophy and scenarios.
A Rafale is an extraordinary aircraft. A J-10 is a capable aircraft. But neither exists in isolation. Modern combat is increasingly a contest between competing Kill Chains Find > Identify > Track > Target > Engage > Kill.In my GWS, this is simplified to Detected > Spotted > Targeted
Break any link and the chain fails. Protect your chain while disrupting your opponent's and suddenly even the most advanced aircraft becomes vulnerable.
If you'd like to explore these ideas yourself, you can download and play the Generic Wargaming System (GWS) for free on my website. It is designed to model the same battlefield problems faced by commanders from World War II to the conflicts of tomorrow.
Because the goal is not to predict the future. The goal is to ask better questions.
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© 2026 Allen Pattiselanno.
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