Lesson 2 – Exercise Types
The most common types of exercises and the differences between them.
Welcome
Video Script
A search on the Internet reveals that there are at least ten different types/levels of exercises (e.g., Seminars Workshops, Tabletop Exercises, War Games, Drills, Functional Exercises, Full-Scale Exercises, Command Post Exercises, Operations Center Exercises, Case Studies). There are similarities in many of the aforementioned and the majority of organizations involved in the conduct of exercises employ the US Federal Government’s identification of five different levels of exercise. The five levels are as follows:
1. Orientation Seminar
2. Drill
3. Tabletop Exercise
4. Functional Exercise
5. Full-Scale Exercise
Orientation Seminar
Drills
The Tabletop Exercise
Simple Tabletop Exercise
Enhanced Tabletop Exercise
This type of exercise will require much more planning, preparation, and coordination than a simple tabletop exercise. To a large extent, the value and benefit of an enhanced tabletop exercise comes from bringing representatives from all of the stakeholder roles in the exercise together to participate in the exercise. It is still possible to run an enhanced tabletop exercise without representatives present from all the stakeholder’s roles. If possible, you can fill these roles with individuals that are familiar with the mission of the individual stakeholder that is missing. It is recommended that you note during your after action review that actions taken by the missing agency may have been different than those taken by the “stand-ins” during the course of the exercise.

