PONCE,PR- Ten soldiers assigned to the 475th Engineer Company, US Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, received specialized training from Caterpillar (CAT) Company personnel, as part of the fielding of the CAT Simulator System, conducted at the Captain Pedro J. Parra Reserve Center, April 16-17.
The soldiers will now train other members of the unit.
Set in a construction environment, the CAT Simulator System features authentic controls combined with simulated applications. The cost of the fielding reaches $410,000.
"This equipment enhances the training opportunities to the soldiers of the unit," said Lt. Col. Carlos Alvarez, 1st Mission Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico Force Development Officer.
According to Alvarez, the equipment reduces the long process of requesting environmental permits to train in open areas.
"It is a state of the art simulator that brings the opportunity to the soldier to practice and train their engineering skills, within a constrained environment," added Alvarez.
The simulator also records and reports each session allowing operators, instructors and administrators to track and review the results of each simulation.
One of the main benefits provided by the simulator is that it addresses the serious challenges that operating large engineer equipment in areas of reduced space and capacity represent.
"The equipment that we use in a horizontal engineer company generally require a lot of space, which we do not have here at the Reserve center," said 1st Lt. Luis E. Reyes, 475th Engineer Company commander.
According to Reyes, by receiving these CAT simulators, his soldiers will be able to train every Battle Assembly, something that was not possible before.
By completing these upgrades, the U.S. Army Reserve in Puerto Rico, the largest U.S. Army command in the Caribbean, will be able to achieve higher levels readiness in their engineer Military Occupational Specialties, which represent a critical capability in case of local disasters.
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