1. Recruit cadets with the appropriate skills, background, and interests for the CSRP each summer at the GRILL in Dayton, OH; 

2. Develop potential CSRP challenge problem ideas in coordination with the GRILL team and USAFA faculty; 

3. Mentor cadets from the CSRP group (and/or new additions) on a follow-on challenge problem for their capstone project senior year; 

4. Coach cadets on presentation and writing skills best practices, enabling them to submit their work to a relevant DoD conference (e.g., I/ITSEC, DAF M&S Summit, DoD HFE TAG); and 

5. Identify opportunities at USAFA where AFRL and/or Aptima technologies, methods, and tools would elevate the education and training experiences of cadets. 

The Coalition Space Operation Console (CSOC) was developed by USAFA cadets to provide U.S. Space Force wargaming capabilities to execute offensive and defensive operations inside the Academy’s Multi Domain Lab (MDL). The CSOC was developed to supplement the Modular Effects-Based Transmitter for Integrated Sims (METIS) software which offers land, sea, and air capabilities, to now include space capabilities. The cadets developed the initial prototype as part of their CSRP in 2023 with the intent to integrate it into ASCOT 7 (USAFA’s wargaming software) to assist in MSS 251 (USAFA Core Course) and other courses to visualize and conduct wargaming in the space domain. 

USAFA developed a prototype jammer for First Person View (FPV) datalinks of small UAS platforms, consisting of a Raspberry Pi 4b and a number of COTS FPV transmitters/receivers controlled by the Raspberry Pi. The user controlled the prototype by way of keyboard/mouse/monitor input. 

The team was challenged to transition the prototype into an augmented reality (AR) application, enabling the user to operate the jammer/detector naturally and allowing for portability. The 2022 CSRP cadets augmented the prototype jammer to be able to be controlled and operated inside a virtual environment using Unreal Engine 4. This allows for a wider variety of operational platforms, including virtual and augmented reality. Widget settings on the Raspberry Pi can be updated in Unreal Engine to control the FPV transmitters and receivers. These settings include SPI Mode, Jamming Mode, and changing the channel and band that the transmitters and receivers are on.

The Land Engagement Adjudication Platform (LEAP), developed for the USAFA MDL, marks a significant leap forward in wargame simulation training at USAFA. LEAP is a web-based standalone land adjudication program that ingests intelligence, positioning, and other information to more accurately simulate the interaction between two land units. It goes beyond traditional education methods by allowing cadets to implement real tactics in land-based scenarios, integrating their strategies directly into engagement calculations. 

The 2024 development team undertook a focused five-week agile software journey, addressing specific customer needs and applying their skills in website development, project management, and human factors. Using React as their primary tool, they rapidly produced a functional web application that showcases their proficiency in these disciplines. 

In 2025, cadets expanded LEAP capstone and rebuilt modular sections, tested LEAP for validation on the MDL network with USAFA instructors, deployed the program in the MSS 251 core course (Air and Space Power and Joint Operations Strategy) wargame, and participated in local events including Space Symposium (hosted by the Space Foundation). 

The 2025 CSRP focused on implementing Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) protocol into LEAP and further developing the core functionalities of the program to create LEAP Online. LEAP Online seamlessly integrates with the MDL's current architecture to enhance strategic training in a complex, joint warfighting environment, accessible to students in the MDL. This allows the assets and entities to be pulled from the DIS scenario into the MDL, making the process much more efficient and giving students access to LEAP via a single instructor station. A goal is to grow LEAP into a large-scale hub for engagement adjudication across the land domain of warfare simulation.

Notable Accomplishments: 

• LEAP was iterated as the CSRP capstone project and deployed in the USAFA MDL course in academic year 2024-2025. 

• The cadets presented LEAP at I/ITSEC 2024, where it was a finalist in the I/ITSEC Serious Games Showcase & Challenge and won the People’s Choice award for the best serious game. 

• USAFA Public Affairs and the Alumni Magazine Checkpoints published a story on the presentation of Serious Games People’s Choice trophy to GRILL West USAFA cadets in a March 2025 article, “Cadets Earn a ‘Serious’ People’s Choice Award.” 

• The Denver Film Company recorded an interview of the cadets and featured LEAP.

• Cadets presented LEAP during the 2025 DAF M&S Summit Briefs on May 8, 2025.