Vanguard Magazine

S Y N T H E T I C E N V I R O N M E N T www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026 15 tributions, in March 2024, soldiers from the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division began testing Abrams tanks and Bradley combat vehicles indoors. Using AR, VR, and gaming tech- nologies with virtual reality goggles, opera- tors gained a new perspective on situational awareness. Whereas previously tank crews could only train from inside the hatch, STE allowed them to see outside the ve- hicle, providing a much better understand- ing of their surroundings. After exercises are completed, trainers and trainees can then rehearse and review operations from a birds-eye view, allowing soldiers to study outcomes and improve performance in fu- ture missions. While the STE is the most comprehen- sive training ecosystem in the U.S. Army, other military branches—including the Air Force, Navy, and Space Force—also em- ploy LVC training environments in their training regimens. For example, under the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Op- erations Center (DMOC)—which oversees distributed simulator-based training—a program called Virtual Flag allows airmen to practice tactical warfighting and combat in a fully virtual battlespace. This exercise connects simulators across the country, en- abling pilots and aircrew to train together in large-scale, realistic scenarios without physically being in the same location. Likewise, the Navy Continuous Training Environment (NCTE) is another example of LVC technology enabling live and syn- thetic training across the globe. NCTE allows sailors to practice a wide range of scenarios that would be difficult or impos- sible in full-scale exercises, from complex anti-ship missile threats to multi-fleet co- ordination across different time zones. It also provides scalable training, starting with simple challenges and progressing to more complex, realistic situations, enhanc- ing operational readiness in a cost-effective and immersive environment. Canadian-based CAE is providing the BAF with its Dynamic Synthetic Environment, a simulation platform capable of supporting up to 50,000 simultaneous participants. The system can simulate a range of sce- narios, including army tasks such as infan- try maneuvers, vehicle operations, piloting aircraft, and even observing missions from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). To il- lustrate, one participant could operate a military vehicle while another, piloting an Apache helicopter on a high-fidelity simu- lator, participates from 50 miles away. In a different scenario, a pilot in Canada could control a UAV while another participant in London assumes the role of a commando. Another system used by the British mili- tary is Elbit's Interim Combined Arms Virtual Simulation – Deployed (ICAVS D), which allows soldiers to rehearse mis- sions in a wide variety of environments. The Israel-based company's approach re- lies on state-of-the-art gaming comput- ers, and can train up to 55 participants simultaneously, even when located in dif- ferent countries. It is particularly effective for mounted and dismounted operations and is currently being employed by Brit- ish troops remotely in Estonia as part of Operation CABRIT. Other systems, such as the Joint Fires Synthetic Trainer (JFST), enable the BAF to practice calling in fire support, coor- dinating airstrikes, artillery, and critical communications necessary for operation- al success. The range of SE capabilities implemented by the UK extends further; it includes Hadean's Cloud-Distributed Simulation (which uses AI-augmented technologies to simulate civilians, adver- saries, and social media reactions); BAE Systems' Project OdySSEy (aimed at creating a unified synthetic environment across all military domains); and enhance- ments to the existing Gladiator System, (which facilitates LVC training by link- ing previously siloed simulators to achieve high fidelity and realism that duplicate live exercises). As the U.K. continues its mod- ernization efforts, it has further commit- ted an additional £600 million for CTTP activities, signaling its intention to expand synthetic environment capabilities well be- yond the next decade. United States For the United States Army, the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) is the cor- nerstone program for modernizing train- ing, enhancing fidelity, realism, and rep- etition through virtual, constructive, and gaming environments. Unlike legacy systems, STE is more interactive, collects and analyzes significantly more data, en- ables multi-domain training (supporting interoperability), and can even simulate human interaction. Major STE initia- tives include One World Terrain (OWT), which provides high-fidelity geospatial mapping of the globe for life-like simu- lation; Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT), a mobile, transportable system that allows pilots, ground vehicle crews, and dismounted infantry to train together; and the Training Management Tool (TMT), which helps commanders analyze training data to track performance and design, conduct, and monitor future exercises. To illustrate one of the many STE con- The vision for FSTE has evolved over the years through Canada's various modernization strategies, including Strong, Secure, and Engaged (SSE) and Our North, Strong and Free (ONSAF). Both policies recognize the need for the CAF to leverage emerging technologies to remain prepared for any threat environment.

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