Pacesetters Train in Virtual Environment

Story and photos by 2LT Justin Burney, Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

FORT CARSON, Colorado -- Field Artillery Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team are gaining an edge on victory using high tech computer enhanced simulators to prepare for their next mission in Iraq.

Fort Carson’s Reconstructable Vehicle Simulator, or RVS trainer, is the latest in advanced virtual technology currently available to train the Soldiers from Alpha Battery, 3-29th Field Artillery for combat, many for the first time.

“I have never had this experience before but I liked the feeling of looking for things that were out of the ordinary,” said Pvt. Zachary Davidson, Paladin crew gunner.

The RVS trainer uses screens and computer simulation that gives individual trainees 360 degree scanning capabilities in a variety of challenging combat environments. Inside the training room is a combat vehicle surrounded by large projector screens which depict the different scenarios. Sensors on the vehicle track fuel supply, tire pressure and malfunctions that are encountered on a typical mission while weapon systems connected to the sensors track how much ammunition is used and if they become damaged.

“The trainer had all of the effects of a real combat environment without the threat of death or serious bodily harm,” said 1st Lt. David Celski, Fire Support Officer

Programmers and designers for the system spent two and half years developing the scenarios in order to make them as real to the Soldiers as possible. Designers used current environments that Soldiers are seeing in combat.
The types of scenarios include situations like improvised explosive devices, snipers, indirect fire, direct fire and civilians on the battlefield.

PV2 Richard Hooper, Paladin operator, said the simulator was “Fun! It’s exactly like a video game but more like training. I really didn’t expect it to be that realistic.”

For many of these troops this was their first time using computer technology to train for combat. The training could be repeated if the Soldiers failed to react to the situation properly so multiple missions could be run in order to ensure they know how to react properly.

PV2 Andres Martinez, Paladin crew gunner, said, “I liked it. The first mission was kind of sloppy but it got better and people caught on to it and took it more serious.”

The RVS training simulator gave leaders and their crews the opportunity to gain valuable experience from lessons learned in combat.

This training is part of the preparation the 3rd Brigade Combat Team is conducting before it’s scheduled deployment to Iraq sometime in the second quarter of fiscal year 2010.