Challenge scenario, a rogue military commander had broken
away from his government somewhere in the Persian Gulf and
was threatening to engulf the entire region in war. He had a
considerable power base from strong religious and ethnic
loyalties, and he was harboring and sponsoring four different
terrorist organizations. He was virulently anti-American. In
Millennium Challenge — in what would turn out to be an
inspired (or, depending on your perspective, disastrous) piece
of casting — Paul Van Riper was asked to play the rogue
commander.
1. One Morning in the Gulf
The group that runs war games for the U.S. military is called
the Joint Forces Command, or, as it is better known, JFCOM.
JFCOM occupies two rather nondescript low-slung concrete
buildings at the end of a curving driveway in Suffolk, Virginia, a
few hours’ drive south and east of Washington, D.C. Just before
the entrance to the parking lot, hidden from the street, is a
small guard hut. A chain-link fence rings the perimeter. There is
a Wal-Mart across the street. Inside, JFCOM looks like a very
ordinary office building, with conference rooms and rows of