Virtual Clearance Training Suite opens at Fort Carson

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Sitting behind the driver's wheel is a young specialist on his first deployment, with just two weeks in Afghanistan. The sergeant occupies the seat next to him. Their vehicle is in the lead of a column rolling down the road, trolling along at about 5 mph, scanning the roadside for signs of anything suspicious and the barren horizon for trouble. It looks like a routine patrol, nothing out of the ordinary. But then, all of a sudden, they hear it. Their seats shake violently, and nothing but thick smoke is ahead of them.

This is one of the possible scenarios that Soldiers might face to train their skills in the safe, yet realistic, environment of a Virtual Clearance Training Suite that officially opened here Aug. 3.

Fort Carson is the second of 28 posts designated to receive the VCTS, after Fort Bliss, Texas, which received it July 27.

"We are moving as fast as we can to get (the training suites) out so hopefully we can help save Soldiers' lives," said Sgt. 1st Class Jawn Downing, training developer for Engineer Combat Systems, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

"That's the point of this. One should be able to fail here in a simulated world rather than fail there in real combat," he said.

The VCTS consists of four mobile trailers containing simulations of Mine Protected Clearance Vehicle "Buffalos," Vehicle Mounted Mine Detector "Huskies," Medium Mine Protected Vehicle RG-31 "Panthers" with gunner stations, Man Transportable Robotic Systems and instructor operated stations with classroom space and after-action-review areas.

"These devices, although represented virtually, provide route clearance training that we cannot replicate in real conditions except for war," said Ronnie R. King, functional manager for ECS. He said the system has been designed to "provide practice, practice and practice in both individual and collective tasks to allow our route clearance formations and platoons to prepare for their missions downrange."

The VCTS has been specifically designed to support Soldiers who operate vehicles employed in route-clearing missions, providing them the most enhanced training resources to be successful across a wide range of operations.

Ten years of war has put a spotlight on the increasing importance of better dealing with the No. 1 lethal threat to U.S. troops in the contemporary operating environment in Afghanistan: improvised explosive devices.

Up-to-date training is an essential element in combating the fast-evolving IED threat downrange, and the ability to make decisions based on safe and reliable technology remains key to the success of military operations.

Audiovisual and motion elements are used to make the VCTS recreated environments as realistic as possible as this cutting-edge virtual reality technology allows the Soldiers to experience the deployed environment in a multisensory way.

Designed to add physical and psychological challenges, the system fully engages all the senses that affect the trainees' performance and decision-making skills on the battlefield.

To this purpose, settings can vary to include different stimuli, such as changing soil or weather conditions, unexpected traffic obstacles and opposing enemy forces.

"The main thing about these vehicles is that everything is identical to the real vehicle, even down to the head sets. … For example, if a Soldier is driving and he hits an IED, the vehicle reacts like a real vehicle. You are going to lose oil pressure, you are going to lose air pressure and eventually your vehicle comes to a halt and it stops," said Downing.

"That's exactly the point the leaders need: assess, plan and decide what to do next," taking into account all unforeseen circumstances and the possible consequences of one's actions.

Not only does the VCTS provide a realistic training environment, but it also gives a digital recording of the entire training scenario that the units can immediately review on any computer. This way, Soldiers can look at what they did right, what they did wrong, and how they can improve.

"There is really no way to get away with what you did once you did it," said Downing.

The vehicle simulators can be configured to adjust to different vehicle combinations and can be networked for collective route clearance mission training or provide individual training, as in the case of Soldiers coming to practice their skills in operating swing arm metal detectors.

The vehicles can also be relocated in other areas to support active units and meet specific commander's requirements while allowing for comprehensive training without endangering lives, wearing out expensive apparatuses or burning fossil fuel.

One of the biggest gains that trainers are going to have here will be the drivers' training with the recovery vehicles, said Jeff Brown, training support officer at the Fort Carson Training Support Center.

"These vehicles are so limited on the installation, units are going to have so much drivers training opportunities in this simulator. This device will be a big winner on every installation it's fielded," said Brown. "It is an honor to be part of the team which is watching over the equipment for the Soldiers and offer this to them as a unique training opportunity."