Jump to content

DATE World

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aerrapc (talk | contribs) at 19:34, 24 August 2025. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Logo for DATE World used by the U.S. Army[a]

The Decisive Action Training Environment, or DATE World, is a fictional universe created by the United States Army to serve as a medium for training the U.S. Military and its alies.[1] It is an alternate history of Earth with a similar, but distinctly different political geography. Certain areas of the world are nearly identical to real life, while others contain entirely made-up countries, each with its own detailed political, social, economic, and military structures. The reason for maintaining a complex fictional universe is said to be that "real-world countries cannot be an adversarial country".

Purpose and usage

DATE World is developed and maintained by the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) for use by the United States Armed Forces and allied countries. Individual training centers are permitted to create their own modifications to the setting, though these changes are not necessarily adopted into the official DATE World. Details on the official version of the setting are publicly accessible online through the Operational Environment Data Integration Network (ODIN) website.

The U.S. Army Simulation and Training Technology Center has also developed MOSES, an open-source piece of software based on OpenSimulator.[2] Among other things, the program is used to run virtual simulations inside DATE World.[3]

Robin Sage

The U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course includes a standardised exercise nicknamed Robin Sage. The exercise, held annually, sees students airdropping into the fictitious country of Pineland, located in real-world North Carolina. The aim of the exercise is to role-play with "local guerrilla fighters" to simulate the destabilisation and over-through of the government. Held eight times per year, thousands of locals and U.S. military personnel play various roles in the simulation.[4][5][6] They are also trained on how to interact with the media, being approached by the fictitious International News Network (or INN).[7]

In-universe geography

While most of DATE World is portrayed the same as real life, certain regions are modified to include entirely fictitious countries (called operational environments, or OEs). While some OEs may appear analogous to real-world nations, they are deliberately designed to present challenges in training scenarios that differ from what may be expected in their real life counterparts.

Official TRADOC version

The official setting of DATE World, as maintained by TRADOC, primarily centers around four distinct global regions: Eurasia[b], the Indo-Pacific, Europe[c], and Africa[d]. These regions collectively contain twenty-nine OEs:

  • Eurasia: Ariana, Atropia, Donovia, Gorgas, Limaria, Pirtuni
  • Indo-Pacific: Bagansait, Belesia, Gabal, Himaldesh, Khorathidin, North Torbia, Olvana, Republic of Patani Baru, the Puller Islands, South Torbia, Sunda Baru, Sungzon, Volcani Tura
  • Europe: Arnland, Bothnia, Framland, Otso, Torrike, Donovia
  • Africa: Amari, Nyumba, Kujenga, Ziwa

The Republic of Atropia is described as a corrupt pro-western dictatorship offering few civil liberties to its citizens. Because of its natural resources, such as oil and gas, it is a U.S. interest.[8] It's fictional borders roughly overlap with the real-world Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] It is frequently portrayed in conflict with the neighbouring Donovia.[9] The Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana contains twelve villages inside an area known as The Box, that represent Atropia. The buildings inside are designed in traditional Azerbaijani architecture to add realism to the simulation.[10][11] Atropia has also been simulated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Irwin, California; the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels, Bavaria;[1][12] and in the virtual MOSES project.[8][3][13]

The Republic of Arnland is a democratic republic described as prioritizing its own independence. It is among the three OEs that altogether roughly share the borders of the real-world Kingdom of Sweden.[e] Most notably is its depiction by the French Armed Forces, which also introduced the OE of Mercure.[f]

The United Republics of Donovia[g] is described as a republic under an oligarchical dictatorship. Its borders roughly overlap with the real-world Russian Federation. Donovia has also been simulated at Fort Irwin, California; and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Bavaria.

The Democratic People's Republic of Torbia, known as North Torbia, is a single-party socialist state described as despotic, totalitarian, and reliant on a cult of personality. South Torbia is a republic described as one of the world's most wealthy and powerful countries. Its democratic structure is weak however, and corruption is a persistent issue. Both OEs collectively overlap roughly with the real-world Republic of the Philippines. Scenarios within these OEs ranging from minor insurgencies to full-scale invasions have been simulated at Fort Polk, Louisiana; the Yakima Training Center in Washington State; and the North Vernon Municipal Airport's Contingency Operating Base Panther, an annex of Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck.[14][15][16] These simulations often involve North Torbia invading the South.[17] The New Zealand Defence Force also ran their own Torbian simulations in June 2025.[18][19]

The People's Republic of Olvana is described as a communist nation. Its borders very roughly correspond to the East and South Central statistical regions of the real-world People's Republic of China. Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, held in the real-world Commonwealth of Australia,[h] involved twenty-two real-world countries training by "invading" Olvana.[20][21][22]

Robin Sage

the Robin Sage training grounds (and metaphorical location of Pineland) in North Carolina, highlighted in red

The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School maintains an OE called the People’s Republic of Pineland as the setting for the standardized training exercise Robin Sage. The OE is canonically located in the mid-Atlantic continent of Atlantica, though the real-world training ground is made up of ten to fifteen counties in North Carolina.[23][24]

In its fictional lore, Pineland is a long-time ally of the United States. Amid the recent spread of communist throughout the region, the government has recently fallen under the control of a strongman, Jose Cuervo.[i] Through the use of democratic backsliding, Cuervo recently carried out a coup d'état by declaring martial law, and imprisoning his political rival, Pineland Secretary of Defence Robin Hayes.[4]

The other OEs in mainland Atlantica are the United Provinces of Atlantica[j] and Appalachia.[25] In past exercises during the Cold War, they were said to be allied with the Soviet Union. Six hundred miles east is the island of Aragon, consisting of three OEs: the People’s Democratic Republic of Acadia, the Republic of Cortina, and the Republic of Victoria.[26]

Additional OEs

Fort Irwin, California operated a number of its own OEs from 1981 through 1997 that are not officially part of DATE World. Set on the fictional island of Tierra Del Diablo: the People’s Democratic Republic of Krasnovia, described as an eastern bloc or Warsaw Pact country;[12] the Kingdom of Parumphia, an ally of Krasnovia; and the Republic of the Mojave,[k] a U.S. Ally.[27][25] The exercise typically sees the U.S. defending Mojavia from a Krasnovian invasion.[28] Majavia is also simulated at 29 Palms, California, but as an adversary instead of an ally.[29] Krasnovian civil war is topic of discussion in the book Nonstate Warfare: The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias by Stephen Biddle.[30]

The The Joint Readiness Training Center also has some of its own OEs, simulated in The Box. On the fictional island of Aragon, 2123 nautical miles east of the U.S., are the Republic of Cortina, a U.S. ally; the Republic of Victoria; and the People's Democratic Republic of Atlantica, seemingly unrelated to the Robin Sage Atlantica.[29][25][31]

MCB Quantico runs exercises in an OE called Centralia.[32][33] In some iterations, the trainees are tasked with observing geopolitical activities without intervening.[34] In an other, the country is three years into a civil war, and the U.S. is fighting against the insurgent Centralian Revolutionary Force and "neighboring country" of Montanya.[25]

Real-world history and effects

Having started in 1974, Robin Sage actually predates DATE World as a whole.[35]

DATE World as a whole was first created in 2012.[1]

In 2002, three people participating in a Robin Sage exercise, two students on the "invading" side and a local payed to role-play as a supporter, were pulled over by local law enforcement. Believing the Deputy Sheriff to be in on the simulation, the students attempted to bribe him with Pineland Don, the fictional nation's currency. The details of what followed are contested, but it ended with both students being shot, one dying, and the two others getting arrested.[36][37][38] Following this incident, law officers participating in the simulation are instructed to wear insignia identifying them as such.[39][6]

In 2018, as part of a UN military mission to "liberate Atropia", the Canadian military's headquarters staff at CFB Edmonton trained directing troops on a computer simulation.[40]

In 2023, the French Armed Forces held Exercise Orion, a NATO-wide training operation. This exercise involved "defending Arnland" from invasion by an OE called Mercure,[f] a supposed stand-in for the real-world Russian Federation.[41] Shown through an extremely low-poly map of Europe, Arnland was depicted roughly in the same location as the real-world French Republic the exercise was hosted in, and Mercure was east of it.[42]

The 2025 satire war film Atropia portrays an actor working in a village meant to simulate DATE World war games.[43][44]

Nations involved

The following list is of real-world nations involved with DATE World, many through Talisman Sabre 2025 and Exercise Orion.

Notes

  1. ^ The Australian Defence Force uses a different logo on its website.
  2. ^ DATE Eurasia, also called DATE Caucasia, focuses on eastern Europe, northern Asia, and the Caucasus.
  3. ^ DATE Europe focuses on eastern Europe and Scandinavia
  4. ^ DATE Africa focuses on eastern Africa
  5. ^ The others are Framland and Torrike.
  6. ^ a b Mercure is the French word for mercury.
  7. ^ previously called Donovia-West
  8. ^ Talisman Sabre was held, specifically, in the State of Queensland.
  9. ^ The name Jose Cuervo is a joke, in reference to the tequilla brand of the same name.
  10. ^ previously North Atlantica
  11. ^ or Mojavia

References

Unreferenced material regarding the official backstories of DATE World OEs can be assumed to come from the DATE Knowledge Base, accessible below.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Marson, James; Barnes, Julian E. (2017-09-11). "After Multiple Invasions, the U.S. Army Is Getting Tired of Liberating Atropia". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  2. ^ "Military releases Atropia simulation – Hypergrid Business". 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  3. ^ a b Winfrey, David (2013-07-07). "5 lessons in virtual training from the latest MOSES test". Hypergrid Business. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  4. ^ a b Maurer, Kevin (2013-11-03). "Patriots of Pineland". Our State. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  5. ^ Staff, Roberta Baker Union Leader (2023-06-27). "Green Beret With a Mission builds bridges and raises spirits". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  6. ^ a b May 10, Mike Vago |; 2020 | 3:00pm. "Every year, the Army invades our greatest enemy, North Carolina". AV Club. Retrieved 2025-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Victorville Daily Press Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts". subscribe.vvdailypress.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  8. ^ a b "Task Force Falcon Comes to Atropian Aid, Prepares For JRTC". DVIDS. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  9. ^ "At the request of the Atropian government". www.army.mil. 2015-10-14. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  10. ^ Huerta, Jose. "Atropia: A war-torn 'nation' in California's Mojave Desert shapes U.S. soldiers". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  11. ^ "SPECIAL REPORT: Soldiers prepare for deployment in 'Atropia'". KPLC TV. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  12. ^ a b Kahn, Eve (2017-08-23). "These Simulated War-Zone Villages Train U.S. Soldiers for Deployment". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  13. ^ "U.S. Forces Fight in the Atropian City of Razish". www.army.mil. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  14. ^ Rempfer, Kyle (2020-11-23). "SFAB fends off an invasion in exercise ahead of Indo-Pacific missions". Army Times. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  15. ^ "341st Military Intelligence Battalion Trains At Yakima Training Center". DVIDS. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  16. ^ "621st CRW, joint partners team up for exercise". Air Force. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  17. ^ Fetters, Richard (2024-08-09). "Winning the First Fight: Experimenting with Army Special Operations Forces' Contributions in Large-Scale Combat Operations - Modern War Institute". mwi.westpoint.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  18. ^ "Major Waiouru exercise primes NZ Army for international war-fighting exercise". www.nzdf.mil.nz. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  19. ^ Pennington, Phil (2025-06-07). "New Zealand Defence Force using US Army wargame simulation software DATE". RNZ. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  20. ^ "USA and allies rehearse down under for a war with China". The Economic Times. 2025-07-22. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  21. ^ Arthur, Gordon (2025-07-15). "Special Report: Largest 'Talisman Sabre' kicks off in Australia". Janes. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  22. ^ O'Brien, Jodie Munro (2023-07-23). "War foe in military exercise similar to China, documents suggest". Courier Mail.
  23. ^ "5 Fictional Countries Where the U.S. Army is Trained to Fight". Mental Floss. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  24. ^ "Future Green Berets tackle real-world scenarios at Robin Sage". www.army.mil. 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  25. ^ a b c d Mighty, Team (2018-04-02). "5 Fake Enemies US Troops Have Been Battling For Decades". We Are The Mighty. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  26. ^ Brown, David (2017-10-29). "How Role Players Prepare Soldiers, Spies, and Generals for War". ClearanceJobs. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  27. ^ "National Training Center". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  28. ^ Justice, | Michael. "Pfc. Jason Irizarry: Tank Driver". Liberty Champion. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  29. ^ a b "5 Fictional Countries Where the U.S. Army is Trained to Fight". Mental Floss. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  30. ^ Biddle, Stephen. "Teaching Notes | Nonstate Warfare". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  31. ^ "Joint Readiness Training Center". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  32. ^ Tripodi, Paolo G.; Frushour, Kelly (2016). Marines at War: Stories from Afghanistan and Iraq (PDF). Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps University Press. ISBN 978-0-9973174-1-1.
  33. ^ Scribner, Maj Roberto; Terhune, Patrick (2019-07-18) [2013-12-01]. "EMLCOA 2.0 - Marine Corps Association". Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  34. ^ "Students learn ethics of war firsthand". www.dvidshub.net. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  35. ^ "Robin Sage exercise set". www.army.mil. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  36. ^ "ROBIN SAGE". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  37. ^ TOMENY, PHELPS v. BUTLER, MOORE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT., No. 06-1929 (United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 15 November 2007), archived from the original on 13 January 2022.
  38. ^ "Conflicting version of ROBIN SAGE Incident". Associated Press. 1 November 2002. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  39. ^ "070619-01 Special Forces exercise 'Robin Sage' to begin". USASOC. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  40. ^ Ma, Kevin (2018-11-23). "Troops liberate Atropia". St. Albert Gazette. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  41. ^ "France holds largest-ever military drills amid bloody backdrop of Ukraine war". RFI. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  42. ^ "Exercice Orion 23 : ce qu'il faut savoir | Ministère des Armées". www.defense.gouv.fr (in French). 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  43. ^ Ellwood, Gregory (January 17, 2025). "25 Most Anticipated Sundance Film Festival 2025 Premieres". The Playlist.net. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  44. ^ "'Atropia': Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner 2025 Review | Telly Visions".

Literature

  • The Pretend Villages: Inside the U.S. Military Training Grounds by Christopher Sims
  • Marines at War: Stories from Afghanistan and Iraq by Paolo G. Tripodi and Kelly Frushour
  • Nonstate Warfare: The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias by Stephen Biddle

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=DATE_World&oldid=1307627648"