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NEW YORK (DEC. 20) -The typical view of Marines in a warfighting lab is not one of them screaming and yelling at each other from across the room.

However, for three days in mid December, nearly 20 senior Marine officers, with the help of New York Mercantile Exchange traders, acted just that way as they learned how traders of NYMEX communicate on a daily basis.

"Traders", which started three years ago, is a collaborative effort between the Marine Corps, GAMA Corporation, and the Commandant's Warfighting Laboratory.

In an age where information is literally flying through the air at an unbelievable rate, the Marine Corps recognizes the need to process that information more quickly and effectively. The commodities traders were chosen because of their ability to process an overwhelming amount of information and make high-risk, split second decisions -- the same skills needed in a military command center during wartime.

"We have a lot to learn from each other. Their ability to decipher information fragments quickly could benefit Marines," said Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper, commanding general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Va.

The traders take in information from computer screens strewn about the room and large, full-wall tally boards. Communication is done through yelling and screaming and using wild hand gestures. The traders call it a controlled environment, but to the outsider it appears to be total chaos. Nevertheless, important, high-yielding transactions are completed daily for major corporations all over the world.

On the battlefield of the future, Marines will need to be able to fight the information war daily. The leader who can make immediate decisions based on data, intuition, and experience will increase his influence over the high-tech battlefield of tomorrow. During Traders III, the Marines learned first-hand how to deal with the information war.

The first night of the exercise found the Marines joining the traders on their battlefield, the commodities exchange, for "go-rounds" in the ring. During the first go-round, the traders shadowed Marines by telling and showing them what to do. In some instances, the Marines made the trades. In the second round, the Marines watched as the traders simulated trades for their benefit. In the final session, the Marines handled all the trading as the NYMEX traders watched.

"Most of them caught on quickly, but it was obvious that they are not used to being told what to do," said Howard Hopkins, NYMEX floor trader. "They eventually learned, that in order to survive here, they would have to listen, and they did."

The Marines didn't fare well in the beginning, but began to improve as the two-hour exercise continued. At first, they were hesitant, unsure of what was happening. They later joined in the "fun," said Gary Lapayover, vice president, NYMEX.

"Brigadier Gen. Richard Vercauteren took part in the exercise last year and it showed when the simulation began. He jumped right in and began trading," said Lapayover. "It took others longer to get involved."

"I might as well have fun, there is no real money on the line, enjoy it," said Vercauteren, assistant deputy chief of staff for Plans, Policies and Operations (Plans), Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.

Following the final trading session, the Marines and traders gathered, debriefed, and figured how much money each had made or, in some cases, lost.

"There are so many correlations between the NYMEX pit and the Marine battlefield that it's funny," said Jim Sims, a NYMEX trader.

"If they wait to ensure accuracy, the deal will go by. And if we wait, opportunity in a particular battle would go by," said Van Riper.

Sims continued to say that the traders make their living in the pit, fighting for the best deal that will make them or their client the most money. The Marines' pit during combat is the command center, where commanders make life and death decisions for their "clients," the Marines on the front lines.

The next day, Dec. 12, Marines indoctrinated the traders to warfighting, utilizing the GAMA Corporation's computer-simulated wargame. They spent the evening on New York's Intrepid Sea, Air, Space Museum, playing out two scenarios produced by GAMA Corporation for the Commandant's Warfighting Lab.

The main objective was to stop an aggressor force (Red Force) from invading Oceanside, Calif. The Red Force was superior in number and the Blue Force had limited ammunition. Observation posts, located on the aggressor's estimated two primary avenues of attack, relayed the information to the players. Traders and Marines took the intelligence provided by the operations, battle damage assessments, and enemy

LtGen. Paul K. Van Riper, MCCDC commanding general, MGen. Thomas Wilkerson, commanding general, Marine Forces Reserve, and BGen. Richard Vercauteren, assistant deputy chief of staff for Plans, Policies and Operations HOMC, attack In the "bidding war" while participating In Traders Ill.

trends, to make decisions regarding the priorities of fire. The computer gave the players 25 seconds to make a decision.

"During this exercise, we (Marines) have less time (25 seconds) to decide than in a real situation, where you (traders) have more time to make a decision," said Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter, deputy chief of staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, while addressing the traders before the computer simulation began.

In the beginning of the wargame simulations, like in the beginning of the NYMEX portion of the exercise, the traders seemed reluctant to offer any input as to what they should do to stop or deter the advancing enemy.

By the end of the sessions, many traders were more comfortable making military-related decisions. However, they also said it is easier to make certain decisions when no lives are in the balance. During one portion of the first scenario, one group fired upon a moving target and killed approximately half the civilians in the area.

"I was surprised at how well they learned and transposed their reasoning abilities to our scenario," said Van Riper.