{"id":542399,"date":"2026-03-24T13:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/542399\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:38:14","slug":"presidio-endeavor-sharpens-wisconsin-national-guard-readiness-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/542399\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidio Endeavor sharpens Wisconsin National Guard readiness | Article"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n \"Presidio
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

1 \/ 4<\/p>\n

Show Caption +
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/p>\n

John Griese, senior wargame designer and facilitator supporting the National Guard Bureau\u2019s Wargaming and Analysis Branch, addresses Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs personnel taking part in the National Guard\u2019s Presidio Endeavor wargame at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Madison, Wisconsin, March 12, 2026. The inaugural event included participants from the Wisconsin National Guard\u2019s Joint, Army and Air Staffs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, U.S. Northern Command, and the National Guard Bureau.
\n (Photo Credit: Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman)<\/p>\n

VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Presidio
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

2 \/ 4<\/p>\n

Show Caption +
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Lt. Cols. Orrin Viner, left, the Wisconsin Army National Guard\u2019s deputy chief of staff for operations, and Craig Jensen, the organization’s deputy director of logistics, participate in the National Guard\u2019s Presidio Endeavor wargame at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Madison, Wisconsin, March 12, 2026. The inaugural event included participants from the Wisconsin National Guard\u2019s Joint, Army and Air Staffs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, U.S. Northern Command, and the National Guard Bureau.
\n (Photo Credit: Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman)<\/p>\n

VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Presidio
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

3 \/ 4<\/p>\n

Show Caption +
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/p>\n

Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs personnel take part in the National Guard\u2019s Presidio Endeavor wargame at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Madison, Wisconsin, March 12, 2026. The inaugural event included participants from the Wisconsin National Guard\u2019s Joint, Army and Air Staffs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, U.S. Northern Command, and the National Guard Bureau.
\n (Photo Credit: Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman)<\/p>\n

VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Presidio
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

4 \/ 4<\/p>\n

Show Caption +
\n Hide Caption \u2013<\/p>\n

Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs personnel take part in the National Guard\u2019s Presidio Endeavor wargame at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Madison, Wisconsin, March 12, 2026. The inaugural event included participants from the Wisconsin National Guard\u2019s Joint, Army and Air Staffs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, U.S. Northern Command, and the National Guard Bureau.
\n (Photo Credit: Olivia Sherman)<\/p>\n

VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a><\/p>\n

MADISON, Wis. \u2014 The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs hosted the National Guard\u2019s Presidio Endeavor wargame at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, March 11-12.<\/p>\n

The inaugural event brought together participants from the Wisconsin National Guard\u2019s joint Army and Air staffs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau.<\/p>\n

Ryan Kennedy and John Griese, wargame designers and facilitators supporting the National Guard Bureau\u2019s Wargaming and Analysis Branch, led the turn-based, scenario-driven event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWargames like Presidio Endeavor are great idea generators,\u201d said Griese. \u201cThey provide planners and commanders a low-risk forum in which they can try out new ideas and concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Griese noted that National Guard members are well-practiced in supporting civil authorities during natural disasters while also maintaining combat readiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Presidio Endeavor scenarios challenge their ability to handle these dual missions simultaneously, and over extended periods of time,\u201d Griese said. \u201cIt forces a state’s joint force headquarters to sort out ways to mitigate risk, generate and sustain combat power, and potentially uncover opportunities in what I call the \u2018state-strategic\u2019 space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Primary participants representing 12 military and interagency functional areas occupied a main table, surrounded by a gallery of observers. Among them was Lt. Col. Orrin Viner, the Wisconsin Army National Guard\u2019s deputy chief of staff for operations.<\/p>\n

Viner described the wargame as an opportunity to test the organization\u2019s decision-making processes and plans in a complex, high-stress scenario.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin this demanding fictional environment, our resources were stressed to the breaking point,\u201d he said. \u201cIt allowed us to identify key points of friction requiring immense effort and senior leader decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viner said conducting the event annually will help refine best practices and expand participation across the force.<\/p>\n

The integration of Wisconsin Emergency Management\u2019s Response Planning and Support Section supervisor, Drew Werner, added a multiagency coordination element to the scenarios.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe single greatest benefit of WEM’s participation is gaining a comprehensive understanding of interagency expectations,\u201d said Werner. \u201cSpecifically, how federal and state government, our military partners, and civil authorities expect to coordinate during mobilization, which directly informs and strengthens our planning efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Werner added that WEM also benefited from the opportunity to rehearse domestic operations procedures alongside the National Guard \u2014 procedures that were applied just three days later, when local Soldiers were mobilized during a severe blizzard to assist the Wisconsin State Patrol in reaching stranded motorists.<\/p>\n

The Presidio Endeavor wargame concluded with a hot wash, allowing for in-depth discussion among facilitators, players and observers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point with wargaming is presenting a scenario that gets people to think, act, react, then talk about the outcome and what they’d do next time to generate a different outcome,\u201d said Griese. \u201cIt’s a really effective and useful visualization exercise and an activity that is as old as war itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/p>\n

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com\/us.nationalguard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on X | X.com\/USNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on YouTube | <\/a>YouTube.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n