Dallas Strategic Simulation AAR
Published
July 24, 2026
Disruptions today don’t look like they used to.
They are harder to recognize, anticipate, contain, and manage in real time, often spreading across systems before leaders fully understand what is happening.
A community’s ability to respond and protect its economic viability depends on whether public- and private-sector leaders can coordinate under uncertainty. When Main Street businesses are disrupted, the effects reach jobs, supply chains, public confidence, and the broader economic strength of the community. The premise is simple: economic security is national security, and resilient communities are essential to both.
That’s the challenge the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Global Threats Initiative is focused on. In partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, we’ve been investing in a new approach: strategic simulations.
Strategic simulations are not tabletop exercises or technical drills. They are interactive, scenario-based experiences that bring business, government, and community leaders together to test how decisions get made when the situation is unclear, the pressure is high, and no single actor has the full picture. The goal is simple: build the relationships, habits, and coordination communities need before a real disruption hits.
Piloting a Community Focused Simulation
We began this work in Springfield, Illinois, working with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to pilot a community-based simulation. The purpose was not simply to test a crisis scenario, but to understand how a disruption would affect the businesses, services, and relationships that keep a local economy functioning.
The scenario centered on a cyber-related disruption to the city’s water system. As it evolved, participants had to navigate the technical problem as well as broader effects on public health, local businesses, and public confidence.
One insight stood out: capacity exists, but coordination lags. Businesses, government agencies, and community leaders all had a role to play, but without clear pathways for communication and decision-making, that capacity was hard to activate.
Testing It Under Pressure
We recently built upon that work in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, in partnership with the Dallas Regional Chamber.
This simulation took place in the context of the FIFA World Cup and introduced a disruption to GPS and timing systems. The complication was that systems did not fail outright. They continued to operate, but with unreliable data, creating confusion across transportation, logistics, and communications.
The challenge wasn’t responding to a single incident. But rather, deciding how to move forward when the signal itself was unclear.
A few early takeaways:
- Ambiguity is the real stress test: There is often no clear moment when a problem becomes a crisis.
- Continuity matters more than certainty: Leaders must keep systems moving even without full information.
- Coordination breaks down fastest when it’s needed most: Alignment doesn’t happen automatically, it must be built in advance.
(Full findings are captured in the Dallas After Action Review)
What We’re Learning
Across these simulations, a consistent pattern is emerging.
Resilience depends as much on relationships and decision-making structures as it does on physical systems. When coordination is strong, communities are better positioned to respond. When it is not, even well-resourced systems can struggle.
A few themes stand out:
- Coordination is a capability: It needs to be practiced, not assumed.
- Early communication matters: It helps leaders separate signals from noise before delays and fragmentation compound.
- Business plays a critical role: But that role is most effective when it is clearly defined and integrated ahead of time.
- Uncertainty is the norm: The ability to operate without perfect information is increasingly essential.
Why This Matters
Strategic simulations create a rare space for leaders to test coordination before a real crisis. They surface gaps, challenge assumptions, and build relationships that carry forward beyond the exercise itself.
Our approach is both top-down and bottom-up: working with national business leaders to stress-test complex risks while also equipping local chambers and communities to strengthen resilience from the ground up.
For communities, resilience is not only about emergency response. It is about protecting economic activity, maintaining public trust, and ensuring that businesses can continue serving the people and places that depend on them.
What’s Next
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is continuing to expand this work by developing tools and frameworks that chambers and communities can use to run strategic simulations across the country.
By working through chambers and local business networks, the Foundation can help communities build resilience in a way that is practical, locally grounded, and connected to the businesses that anchor economic life.
For organizations and leaders interested in engaging, partnering, or learning more, please reach out to Pamela Wilson, vice president of strategy and innovation, at ppwilson@uschamber.com.
Dallas Strategic Simulation AAR
About the authors
Melissa Mendizabal
Melissa is the senior manager of innovation on the Foundation's Incubator team. She spearheads a portfolio of projects focused on democracy and capitalism, geopolitical threats, and other wicked problems.
Nick D'Intino
Nick D'Intino serves as the Expert Project Leader, Uncertainty Advantage for Boston Consulting Group.
