Inspired by its namesake, the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare enables an interdisciplinary approach to complex problem solving, fosters an environment that enhances our collective warfighting capability, and facilitates and encourages novel solutions to current and future warfighting challenges in order to expand the Corps’ competitive edge and improve our warfighting effectiveness.
In step with General Gray's vision and MCU's strategic plan, the Krulak Center is viewed as an indispensable asset to MCU and the wider Marine Corps, is utilized to its capacity as a research support center, and serves as an incubator of academic innovation and mentation. We are widely recognized throughout the Corps and beyond as a critical and creative thinking Center and integrator.
Read the official Krulak Center Charter HERE.
Director: Mr. Tim Barrick
Mr. Barrick served in the Marine Corps for 29 years, retiring as a colonel in spring 2021. He served in a wide range of billets including command of 1st Tank Battalion and the Marine Corps Tactics & Operations Group. He also served in key planning positions on the staffs of Marine Forces Japan, Marine Forces Europe & Africa, and deployed on three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He served as a brigade advisor team lead working with Afghan security forces in 2011-12. In his last tour on active duty, he was the Wargaming Director for the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, focused on analyzing future warfighting and the Marine Corps’ force design. He is also the lead designer for the Operational Wargame System and its Assassin’s Mace and Zapad game modules, which examine great power conflict at the tactical and operational levels of war. He is also a leading innovator for commercial wargaming tools in professional military education. He is a distinguished graduate of the Marine Corps War College and the Naval War College, and an honor graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School. He also served as the Director of Leaders & Ethics at the Marine Corps War College. In addition to his masters degrees from these PME schools, he also earned a master’s degree in Military Studies in Land Warfare from American Military University and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Political Science.
Deputy Director: Mrs. Calleen Bottenberg
Operations Officer, Major Nate "Kiwi" Jaenichen, USMC
Maj Jaenichen came to the Krulak Center from the MAGTF Staff Training Program, where he was the Aviation and Wargaming SME. He started his career as a CH-46E pilot stationed in Okinawa with HMM-265 doing multiple 31st MEU deployments and graduated from the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. He then transitioned to the UH-1Y and served with HMLA-469, HMLA-169 (where he deployed with VMM-161(REIN) on the 15th MEU), and was a part of the reestablishment of HMLA-775. Within the squadron, Maj Jaenichen shared his time between Operations and Maintenance. Prior to MSTP he was a student at the Army’s Command and General Staff College. He has a BS in History from the Naval Academy and a MS in Data Analytics from the University of Maryland.
Modeling and Simulations Officer, Wargaming Directorate, Captain Timothy "Nate" Tidwell, USMC
Capt Tidwell began his Marine Corps career serving as a platoon commander at 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. After his second deployment to the Pacific, Capt Tidwell received orders to Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) to pursue an MS in Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulations. Capt Tidwell's research at NPS focused on artifical intelligence for wargaming, specifically leveraging reinforcement learning and multi-model approaches to develop combat simulation agents. In addition to his MS, Capt Tidwell holds a BS in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
The Krulak Center is currently in the process of a structural and mission change. As a result, we are not planning to solicit for applications at this time.
The Krulak Center is currently in the process of a structural and mission change. At this time, we are not taking additional requests to join our Community of Interest.