Now Online: Tell Me How This Ends Iran War Simulation

Groundbreaking game teaches Americans the cost of conflict with Iran

Try playing, Be the President. Make the decisions, see if you can make the right ones.

www.TellMeHowThisEnds.com

By Stephanie Dreyer | 10.19.12

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Truman National Security Project released a groundbreaking new web-based Iran war simulation called Tell Me How This Ends, designed to teach users about the cost and consequences of military action with Iran. The game will be promoted by a television ad to run during Monday’s national security-focused presidential debate.

Play the simulation and watch the ad: www.TellMeHowThisEnds.com.

Tell Me How This Ends challenges players to deal with the aftermath of a decision to attack Iran, engaging the American people in an honest discussion of the likely costs and consequences of a war with Iran. The simulation was developed in close consultation with former senior Department of Defense officials and national security experts. It represents a realistic, if simplified, scenario for military engagement with Iran. The game is largely based upon the Iran Project Report which details the costs and benefits of military conflict with Iran.

The game is named after General David Petraeus’ famous quote expressing the reality that wars are easy to start, but the end game is often far from clear.

The accompanying television ad, which features US Army veteran Justin Ford, will run in various markets during the national security presidential debate on Monday, October 22. Ford emphasizes the risk of going into war without a plan to get out.

“Truman Project has produced a valuable tool for honestly assessing the costs of war with Iran and communicating it to the American people. It’s a public debate we need to have if we’re going to avoid the mistakes of the past,” said Janine Davidson, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans and current Professor of national security at George Mason University.

“At the start of the Iraq war in 2003, when General David Petraeus said, ‘Tell me how this ends,’ he was expressing the reality that wars are easy to start, but the end game is often far from clear. Iraq turned out to be the second longest war in America’s history; Afghanistan has been the longest. General Petraeus’ simple question is one that every leader should ask before committing U.S. troops to battle,” said Truman Project Executive Director Michael Breen, a former US Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Inside the beltway, a strong community of simulators has been educating policy makers and opinion leaders about Iran for years. This is an opportunity to take that approach to the American people so that our nation can make an informed decision about military action against Iran,” said Leigh O’Neill, Policy Director of the Truman Project.

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The Truman National Security Project is a leadership institute for 21st century national security. More at www.TrumanProject.org.

Chief of Staff

“During the campaign, you promised to establish a red line: If Iran accumulated enough medium-enriched uranium—that’s 20% enrichment—for a single nuclear bomb, the United States would retaliate militarily.
Intelligence now indicates that your red line has been crossed.”

The National Security Advisor Briefing

Iran is led by a religious theocracy that has long agitated against the U.S. The Iranian government sponsors terrorist groups that have killed U.S. troops. Iran also threatens allies such as Israel and our partners in the Gulf. Iran is a powerful regional actor with a population of 75 million – twice that of Iraq.
You have decided that Iran will not be allowed to gain a nuclear weapon because of the government’s extremism and hostility and it could set off an arms race in the region. Of course, Iran claims that its nuclear program is for energy, and Iran’s Supreme Leader has declared nuclear weapons against Islamic law. So while Iran is preparing enriched uranium, U.S. intelligence currently believes that Iran’s Supreme Leader has not yet made a decision to build a nuclear weapon.
The world has enforced the very strong sanctions against Iran, causing their oil exports to fall by more than half. These sanctions forced Iran to the negotiating table last summer, but additional meetings have been
delayed.
If you continue the diplomatic track, precious months could be wasted, during which time Iran may move a greater share of their nuclear material into deep or hidden bunkers.
Iran has five critical locations for its nuclear program. The sites at Natanz and Fordow are for enriching
uranium. Both of these enrichment sites are underground; the Fordow site is deeper and better protected. Esfahan is the main facility for converting uranium. The other key target is the Arak heavy water facility and reactor (currently under construction), which could provide a plutonium pathway to a bomb years from now. A military site at Parchin may be conducting research on how to construct nuclear weapons.

Given Iran’s current capabilities, reasonable estimates suggest that if Iran’s leaders decided to build a nuclear weapon, it would take them at least a year to build, and would take two more years to create a warhead that could deliver the nuclear weapon via a missile to foreign countries.

Iran Nuclear Facilities      This is a google map showing location of Natanz, Fordo, Isfahan, Arak and Parchin.  Hope it helps you in the game..