Q: Are wargames and exercises the same thing?

A:  Yes and No.  Wargames an exercises are two distinct types of activities that sometimes overlap and are sometimes distinct.  Specifically a wargame is a simulation game depicting an armed conflict while an exercise is a military maneuver or simulated wartime operation involving the actions by some forces.  A wargame is not a exercise when no forces participate but is an exercise when forces do participate. An exercise is not a wargame when there are no opposing forces simulated but is an exercise when such simulated forces are involved.

Examples:

A wargame conducted by a strategy cell to gain insight into a course of action under consideration is not also an exercise. (No troops move.)

A wargame conducted between two bodies of troops in the field as also an exercise.

An exercise held to improve a forces response to natural disasters is not also a wargame. (There are no Red forces.)

An exercise that includes Red forces, such as Red Flag’s Aggressor Squadron or the National Training Center’s OPFOR, is also a wargame.