The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has established the GenWar Lab program, a new incubator aimed at advancing artificial intelligence-driven wargaming and decision support for military and national security leaders.
GenWar Lab will integrate and build on two existing initiatives, GenWar TTX and GenWar Sim, combining them into a broader environment designed to fuse human insight with machine intelligence, APL said Thursday. The lab added that the new incubator will also serve as the foundation for a new exploratory effort, GenWar X, focused on developing future concepts and experimental tools.
AI as an integral part of U.S. military support activities will be one of the focus areas at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit come March 19. Secure your seat now for this sixth edition of the conference where representatives from Department of Defense components, federal agencies and the GovCon industry will discuss strategies and future plans for AI, machine learning and automation.
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What Do the GenWar Digital Environments Offer?
GenWar TTX provides a digital environment where commanders and civilian leaders can engage in tabletop exercises with AI-enabled advisers and adversary models. The system is designed to enable participants to test strategies, explore dynamic mission scenarios and assess how AI agents behave in complex decision-making environments.
GenWar Sim, built on the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration and Modeling, bridges traditional wargaming with data-driven modeling. It is geared to allow players to describe moves in natural language, which are then translated into executable simulations, combining human judgment with AI speed and analytical strength.
GenWar Lab Facility Opening in 2026
APL said the GenWar X program will advance its capabilities further by developing cross-cutting tools and experimenting with scenarios that anticipate emerging threats and adversary behaviors. A dedicated GenWar Lab facility at APL’s Laurel, Maryland campus is expected to open in 2026.
Kelly Diaz, GenWar Lab program manager, said the lab is designed to give APL a structured, analytical environment for tackling complex national security challenges. “Rather than replacing expert judgment, it will amplify it, allowing teams to explore a much broader landscape of possibilities, stress-test assumptions and expose decision inflection points that human teams can then interrogate in depth,” Diaz pointed out.
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