SimsSir: modeling and simulation are leading the assault of new learning technologies that are winning favor with the U.S. military. Meanwhile, corporate training executives should keep an eye out for new techniques suitable for the workforce

T+D, Oct, 2003 by Paul Harris

Joint Strike Fighter. This selection of Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) for use by all branches of the U.S. military, as well as certain allies, points the way to future military training. It includes an unprecedented mandate for a common training system, as well as a requirement that training be embedded into the avionics of every aircraft. Training will become an integral part of design, with an emphasis where possible on simulation. Designers are seeking innovative ideas for all aspects of the project, including virtual, constructive, and live training systems.

A decade of training advances

What a difference a decade makes. In the period between Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, dramatic changes have taken place in modeling and simulation. Every weapons system now has a modeling and sim component to it, supported by a bustling industry of contractors. Much of the research and development activity takes place in a huge Orlando, Florida complex operated by the Navy's Naval Air Systems Command and used by every branch. "We are seeing greater emphasis today on high-end training for flag and general officers, and an increased emphasis on joint training," says one official with the Pentagon's Defense Modeling Simulation Office. Credit the Navy for making the U.S. military's first foray into simulation. Its initial interest followed the Vietnam War, when Navy aviators first realized that if a pilot survived his first six combat missions, he had a very high probability of surviving the rest of the war. The training curve is described in "Training Superiority and Training Surprise," a report released in 2000 by a taskforce of the Defense Science Board. Investments in training that followed the discovery, including the Navy's Top Gun program and the Army's National Training Center, made a convincing case that military superiority benefited greatly. The first real output of that investment was Desert Storm.

"We stand on the verge of a potential training revolution," wrote the Defense Science Board's taskforce. It said the revolution includes an array of such elements as advanced computer learning, just-in-time/just-right training devices, electronic classrooms, distributed learning, advanced embedded training, virtual environments, training administration and resource management, automated courseware development, and automated auto-tutor development.

One expert on the front lines of simulation R&D is Michael Macedonia, chief technology officer of the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation. "The biggest change has occurred since 1992, as technology has convinced the Army to invest dramatically in simulations and simulators," he says. Since Desert Storm, PEO STRI has launched a variety of simulation systems, including the Combat Tactical Training Systems, which seek to develop, field, and sustain high-quality ground combat virtual training devices that meet or exceed the requirements of war fighters. Used around the clock in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the computerized instruction devices resemble the inside of tanks, fighting vehicles, and other equipment. They are linked together and used to train as a platoon, company, or battalion. Examples include an Engagement Skills Trainer, a marksmanship training system that enables soldiers to almost qualify for marksman in a simulator. They're in use at Udari Range, Kuwait; Bagram Air Base; and Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan.