Charessa Fryc
On September 19th, 2024, The Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security premiered an exclusive screening of the award-winning film: War Game. War Game is a roleplaying scenario where the leading national security, defense, and policy officials simulate a politically motivated insurgency on American soil, set just after the election in January 2025.
The U.S. officials have only six hours to avert civil war and stress test U.S. national security procedures. The War Game cast was split into three teams representing the game masters, the extremists, and the president’s national security advisory board.
The cast was notable and included former senior government officials such as Montana Governor Steve Bullock as the President, Senators Doug Jones (D-AL) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), General Wesley Clark (Ret.), and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman (Ret.). The cast also featured Hayden Center senior fellow and former CIA analyst and briefer David Priess acting as the Director of National Intelligence. Hayden Center founder General Michael Hayden, former Director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, was an observer of the exercise.
David Priess, host of the screening, answered the premier attendees’ questions and spoke on his experience on the film set. One audience member asked if releasing the film makes violent, political extremism more likely to happen, to which David Priess responded, “No, because the people who want to cause harm will cause harm regardless.” Priess ended by stating, “I hope you did not enjoy this film; that is the wrong emotion to have.”
The Hayden Center is located at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University’s Arlington campus.
Author, Charessa Fryc is a Master’s Candidate in the Public Administration Program at George Mason University.