War Game

      In case you're not jittery enough about the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, I have a movie for you that will leave you shaken and stirred.
       "War Game" is an edge-of-your-seat documentary,​

...made two years ago but just recently released by the non-profit veterans' support organization Vet Voice, that poses the questions: What might  happen if after the 2024 election there's another January 6, but this time the insurrectionists are better prepared, better organized, better armed, more AI and social media savvy? 
      What if the D.C. National Guard has been infiltrated by members of a right-wing militant organization who, instead of defending the Capitol against the invaders, come to their aid? What if National Guard units across the country that have become infested with militant extremists  join in attacks on State capitols in tandem with the attack on the U.S. Capitol?
       What if a rogue Army general calls on members of the American military to overthrow the outcome of the legitimate election and put into office the candidate who lost but claims to have won?
       And most important, what would the President of the United States do about it? Would they succeed in stopping the overthrow of our democracy and restoring the peaceful transition of power? Or might there be a coup, with our country thrown into civil war?
        A war game being a military exercise that simulates a combat situation in preparation for an actual war, this movie documents a  war game put together by Vet Voice CEO and Marine Corps veteran Janessa Goldbeck,

...as a practice exercise for the next potential, and potentially more formidable, January 6 attack.
     Taking the challenge of playing the rolls of the President and his advisors was a group of non-partisan  law makers, members of law enforcement and the military.
      Montana Governor Steve Bullock took on the part of the incumbent and narrowly re-elected President of the United States;       ​

...former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp acted as his chief advisor;

...former Alabama Senator Doug Jones played the role of Attorney General;

...Retired General Wesley Clark was commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;

...and retired Major General Linda Singh acted as the head of the National Guard Bureau.

      On the other side were the team of insurgents, a group of right-wing extremists who called themselves the Order of Columbus and were loyal to the presidential candidate who lost the election. Their attack was plotted out by two head operatives (who looked every scary bit their parts) played by Army Iraq combat veteran Kris Goldsmith,

...and Marine Corps Afghanistan veteran Chris Jones,

...both of whom study white supremacism in the military and extremist disinformation movements.
       Among the game consultants were conservative commentator Bill Kristol and Alexander Vindeman, the Army lieutenant colonel who testified in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial and whose military career was subsequently savaged  by Trump and his allies.
       The rules of of the game were that the "President" and his team, who would be working unscripted, would have six hours to put down the insurgency, which was being led - and fed - by the two head operatives. If  the President's team succeeded democracy would be saved. If they failed democracy would be lost to the insurgents. 
        The action took place in a space made up to look like a situation room,        

...where the "President" and his staff cogitated, debated, deliberated over and ultimately decided what actions should - and shouldn't - be taken to get control of the worsening crisis, as they struggled to sift through the all the information coming in and distinguish the legitimate news from the disinformation and fake images being disseminated on social media by the insurrectionists.
     Though the exercise actually went on for six hours with a digital wall clock ticking away the time down to the second, the action was edited into a tense, fast-paced hour and a half film.
      There's no arguing that "War Game" is frightening to watch. And yet it's also likely to leave you - as it left me - feeling hopeful for the survival and preservation of our democracy. I only hope our country's leaders watch it. 
          You can watch it on Amazon Prime.