SOCOM Must Tie Operational Data to Virtual Reality Training.

• Author: Shubsda, Brian
• Position: COMMENTARY

Today, the nexus of U.S. military advantage is rooted in the effective integration of new and disruptive technologies. The modern digital transformation is a strategic investment into the lethality value chain of U.S. Special Operations Command as well as the overall cognitive performance of its operators.

As today's digital revolution continues to reshape the character of war, the command's ability to maintain a persistent state of preparedness will require the agile acquisition of disruptive commercial technologies to synthesize the design, development and expedited delivery of immersive digital training tools.

With the exploitation of technological discoveries, the expansion of their military capabilities and the rapid transition of prototypes, Special Operations Command has identified the accelerating technology trends which possess the greatest potential to deliver superiority.

These areas define propensities for repetitive and customizable on-demand training, digital planning and immersive mission rehearsals to sustain a global future force capability defined by precision lethality.

To that end, this transformation must be rooted in the cultivation of an ecosystem approach which emphasizes the vitality of the collection, synthesis, storage and management of the command's most valuable asset: its operational data.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis said, "virtual reality solutions will allow our close-combat soldiers to fight 25 'battles' before the first battle begins."

With its global market now expected to exceed $35 billion by 2022, virtual reality has reached a state of maturation which, once adopted, will deliver SOCOM digital tools for repetitive, on-demand, immersive training. Training at each of the four Special Operations Command components will no longer be constrained by funding, resources, assets and risk to their personnel. To prepare for the certainty of conflict posed by advancing global competition, the command must be diligent in its implementation of digital tools that far exceed the capabilities of legacy platforms currently being utilized to satisfy traditional training requirements.

The commercialization of virtual reality has resulted in countless tools for military advantage. In addition to the technology solutions being offered by industry, commercial gaming has advanced to a degree which now requires developers to adhere to principles defined in their recent publication of commercial industry standards.

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