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Soldiers

Embracing Change: The Military's Shift to Consumer-Friendly Training Tools

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The U.S. military is racing to keep up with the latest consumer technologies, such as smartphones, video games, and virtual worlds, in a bid to engage young soldiers and provide them with realistic training tools that mirror their everyday lives. With an increasing number of soldiers growing up using sophisticated consumer electronics, the military is recognizing the need to adapt its training methods to appeal to this tech-savvy generation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. Army is pushing for the adoption of consumer-friendly technologies, such as smartphones and video games, to provide engaging training tools for young soldiers.
  • The military is experimenting with virtual worlds and smartphones, with the goal of providing soldiers with realistic training that simulates real-life situations.
  • Brig. Gen. Harold J. Greene, a senior official in the Army's research and development engineering command, believes that the military must adapt to the changing demographics of its soldiers and provide training that appeals to their familiarity with consumer electronics.
  • The military is using video games to recruit and train soldiers, and has started experimenting with virtual worlds to provide soldiers with immersive training experiences.
  • VBS2, a video game simulator, has seen a 1,200% increase in user input over the past 14 months, with soldiers adding new details to the game's database of potential situations.
  • The Army has bought the licensing rights to VBS2 for less than $10 million and is using it to provide soldiers with realistic training that simulates real-life combat scenarios.
  • Smartphones are being explored as a tool for delivering content to soldiers at the point of need, with the potential to revolutionize training methods and reduce costs.
  • The military has held a contest for soldiers to develop the best smartphone app, and is seeing promising results from pilots that have provided soldiers with smartphones.

Statistics:

  • 1,200% Increase in user input for VBS2 over the past 14 months. (Source: Leslie Dubow, project director for Games for Training)
  • Less than $10 million: The cost of buying the licensing rights to VBS2. (Source: Leslie Dubow, project director for Games for Training)
  • 14 months: The time period over which VBS2 user input has increased 1,200%. (Source: Leslie Dubow, project director for Games for Training)
  • 3 days: The amount of time it took to create the app for the Army's Blue Book. (Source: Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane)
  • $750,000: The cost of a recent printing of the Army's Blue Book. (Source: Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane)

Sources:

  • BY ANDREW MARTIN AND THOMAS LIN ORLANDO, Florida -- Brig. Gen. Harold J. Greene has only to look around his house to realize the challenges the U.S. Army faces in engaging young soldiers. His children, he said, are always "buried in a cellphone or an iPad."
  • GameTech, a convention held in Orlando, Florida, in March, showcased the military's expanding use of simulators, video games, virtual worlds and smartphones.

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