Lt. Gen. Paul Van RiperRed, commanded by retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General
Paul K. Van Riper, adopted an
asymmetric strategy, in particular, simulating using old methods to evade Blue's sophisticated electronic
surveillance network. Van Riper simulated using
motorcycle messengers to transmit orders to front-line troops and World-War-II-style
light signals to launch airplanes without radio communications in the model.
Red received an ultimatum from Blue, essentially a surrender document, demanding a response within 24 hours. Thus warned of Blue's approach, Red used a fleet of small boats to determine the position of Blue's fleet by the second day of the exercise. In a preemptive strike, Red launched a massive salvo of cruise missiles that overwhelmed the Blue forces' electronic sensors and destroyed sixteen warships: one aircraft carrier, ten cruisers and five of Blue's six amphibious ships. An equivalent success in a real conflict would have resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 service personnel. Soon after the cruise missile offensive, another significant portion of Blue's
navy was "sunk" by an armada of small Red boats, which carried out both conventional and
suicide attacks that capitalized on Blue's inability to detect them as well as expected.