Future soldier
machine learning to create training scenarios that would be impossible to do outside of dealing with the randomness of an active war zone, even down to manipulating freak weather conditions, sandstorms and the like.
An ‘Afghan’ stands at a simulated fruit stall at the Afghan training village built to train British forces in Norfolk, UK, before they deployed to Afghanistan.
CATT was designed to provide battle group training in line with the cold war set-up of forces in Europe. As the nature of conflict changed to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, so CATT changed – growing to become a key part of the mission specific training for operations Telic and Herrick.” Two years on, and CATT is as important as
ever. Each site covers an area the size of three football pitches and consists of more than 200 networked simulators, all linked to create a combat area of over 10,000km2
– an area larger 4,000+
The number of exercises conducted since CATT
was inaugurated. £3bn+
The amount the MoD has saved on ammunition costs alone due to CATT.
UK MoD 30
than North Yorkshire. It can accommodate over 400 warfighters, alongside artillery, air and aviation training. Being an almost entirely digital space, meanwhile, soldiers have fired more than 14 million rounds of virtual ammunition, saving the taxpayer an astonishing £3bn in bullet costs alone. CATT also enables the use of simulated armoured vehicles in realistic cockpits, translating to more than six million miles of digitally traversed terrain at a saving of approximately 13 million gallons of fuel. This equally has an environmental impact, shaving off an impressive 147 million kilograms of CO2
emissions from the MoD’s sustainability
targets. With numbers such as these – and more than 4,000 exercises having been undertaken over almost a quarter of a century – it’s no surprise that the British military establishment is enthusiastic about CATT, which can drive down costs while maintaining a keen cutting-edge.
Bridging reality with the virtual world Yet beyond the benefits of systems like CATT, can these advanced technologies replace more traditional training methods? There’s some evidence they can. After all, simulations now incorporate AI, augmented reality (AR) and
Not that soldiers can simply replace real-world training altogether. While, after all, there can be no doubt that simulative experiences have significant advantages, they equally can’t replace the experiential wisdom of veteran soldiers and trainers who have been there and done that. This is hardly surprising: there is, in the end, a world of difference between traversing and fighting across all manner of virtual terrains from the comfort of an office chair and computer monitor, to slogging it out across the Brecon Beacons in wet conditions with a fell wind at your back that cuts straight to the bone. There is, moreover, something about being in a computer that is stultifying, and can risk removing the feeling of actually being on the ground with a soldier’s unit and working in difficult conditions in the real world. This reality has been recognised in academic papers studying the efficacy of simulations in producing soldiers who possess combat readiness. “While vigorously promoting simulation training, the US military also pays great attention to the practical test function of actual training,” is how a 2021 paper by Kai Yao and Shaoluo Huang put it. “Combining simulation training with actual training can integrate their strengths, avoid their weaknesses and really play the role of simulation training multiplier.” In other words, it’s never good enough to sit in comfortable simulated environments, and soldiers need to also be accustomed to getting down-and-dirty in the field to be more complete warfighters.
While digital simulations offer numerous benefits – such as cost-effectiveness, safety and the ability to repeatedly practise complex scenarios – they therefore clearly don’t fully replace the need for live field exercises. The physical and psychological experiences of actual manoeuvres, the unpredictability of real environments and the hands-on learning that occurs in the field are irreplaceable, even if they are significantly more expensive to run. While modern militaries such as those fielded by Nato forces therefore increasingly rely on digital simulations to enhance training – they equally continue to maintain a robust schedule of live exercises to ensure their forces are fully prepared for the complexities of modern warfare. The future likely promises a more integrated approach, where digital and live simulations complement each other, each addressing the limitations of the other, and ultimately providing nations with forces that are better equipped to support their interests. ●
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
Andy Cargill/UK MoD
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