tabletop exercise

A tabletop exercise is a simulation of an emergency situation, such as a military invasion or a bioterrorist outbreak. It involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting. TTXs can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures.

In 1989, tropical disease specialists at a conference in Honolulu participated in a tabletop exercise of an ‘‘airborne Ebola’’ outbreak among African civil-war refugees.