Commanders Want Realistic Simulations.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

At the core of the U.S. Army's efforts to prepare for non-conventional warfare--such as small-scale conflicts and regional flareups--is the idea that a soldier must see the enemy before the enemy sees him. And he must take action quickly, before the enemy can react.

The problem with trying to develop those combat skills is that the training capabilities available today are inadequate, said Col. Charles Randy Ball, project manager at the Army's Simulation Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM).

The training tools--such as command-post simulations--currently used to instruct commanders and staffs are not suited to prepare the type of leaders the Army wants in the future, Ball said. These simulations "will never allow them to execute that kind of doctrine," he told reporters during a briefing at an Association of the U.S. Army's symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

What the Army needs, Ball said, is a simulation "with enough detail, with enough fidelity to practice the way we are going to fight."

That simulation is in development now, and it's called Warsim, said Ball, Warsim is the land component of a gigantic multi-service simulation program called JSIMS, or joint simulation.

Warsim could be available as early as 2004, but its future is tied to JSIMS, which has suffered delays and cost overruns since the program began in 1997. JSIMS is managed by a government team under the Defense Department's office of research and engineering.

Lockheed Martin Information Systems, in Orlando, Fla, became the Warsim prime contractor in 1996. Subcontractors include SAIC, Logicon, Computer Associates, Dynamics Research Corp. and Veridian.

All Levels of Conflict

What makes Warsim valuable to the Army is that it allows brigade, division, corps and joint commanders to train for all levels of conflict, from major theater wars, to peacekeeping and operations in support of international coalitions, explained Debra Palmer, program manager at Lockheed Martin. "They can train more realistically," she said, because Warsim can adapt to all types of environments and terrains.

In peacekeeping and support operations, she added, "you have complex relationships, nontraditional players and coalition forces."

If this program works as promised, it would allow joint commanders to conduct after-action reviews based on the actions by all services, not just the Army, Palmer said. Currently, there is no "common view of the battlefield," she said. "JSIMS would provide that."

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