Vanguard Magazine

16 DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026 www.vanguardcanada.com S Y N T H E T I C E N V I R O N M E N T Canada and the SE Like its FVEY partners, the DND has rec- ognized the importance of SE for force modernization and readiness. As early as 2012, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) began its transformation with the estab- lishment of the Distributed Mission Op- erations Centre (DMOC) at Navy School Atlantic. The goal of the DMOC was to consolidate separate resources into a com- prehensive and unified synthetic training environment known as the Fleet Synthetic Training Environment (FSTE). This col- lective training environment integrated various branches of the military—in- cluding the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)—as well as allied forces such as the United States Navy, the British Roy- al Navy, and the Royal Australian Navy. Moreover, the initiative extended beyond naval platforms to include other training systems, like the Cyclone and CF-18 train- ers, enhancing interoperability and sup- porting joint training exercises. The vision for FSTE has evolved over the years through Canada's various mod- ernization strategies, including Strong, Se- cure, and Engaged (SSE) and Our North, Strong and Free (ONSAF). Both policies recognize the need for the CAF to lever- age emerging technologies to remain pre- pared for any threat environment. SSE, for example, laid the foundation for the Future Integrated Training Environment (FITE), a working concept designed to integrate existing training and simulation technologies into a broader LVC eco- system. As part of this multi-year initia- tive—targeted for full implementation by 2033—the Land Vehicle Crew Training System (LVCTS) was proposed. LVCTS is intended to replicate all crew stations across various armoured vehicles, includ- ing tanks, enabling individual and collec- tive training for soldiers at all five primary Canadian Army garrisons. Under the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre—the lead developer of FITE—several other modernization ini- tiatives related to the synthetic environ- ment are also in development, though progress has been gradual. These include the Urban Operations Training System (UOTS), the Unit Weapons Training Sys- tem (UWTS), and the Weapons Effects Simulation (WES) Modernization pro- gram. The UOTS consists of a cluster of buildings equipped with tracking systems, cameras, sensors, and simulated weapons, allowing for the monitoring of soldier movements and actions using 2D and 3D LVC technologies, with the ability to in- troduce simulated effects as needed. The UWTS is intended to replace the Small Arms Trainer (SAT) by providing a net- worked virtual environment for individual and unit-level weapons training. The WES Modernization program is a significant upgrade—valued between C$250 million and C$499 million—of the original WES system, aimed at enhancing both instruc- tional delivery and simulation realism to ensure training remains as immersive and effective as possible. While the CAF has rightly identified modernization as critical to future force development, significant ambiguity re- mains regarding specific programs, costs, timelines, and what these initiatives will look like once fully realized. Take, for example, the Army's modernization strat- egy. Last released in 2020, the document calls for synthetic training environments to be "integrated where appropriate to maximize individual and collective train- ing efforts," yet offers few concrete details beyond that. Similarly, the DND estab- lished the Canadian Synthetic Environ- ment (CASE) in 2018 to develop net- work-based infrastructure and processes for Distributed Mission Training, Joint Mission Rehearsal, and air and ground crew training—a program intended to address historically fragmented infrastruc- ture across the country. Although an esti- mated C$50 to C$99 million in funding is tied to CASE and it was expected to be fully operational by 2024/2025, little in- formation has been made publicly avail- able since its launch. In a similar fashion, the RCAF has also recognized the significance of the SE, most While the CAF has rightly identified modernization as critical to future force development, significant ambiguity remains regarding specific programs, costs, timelines, and what these initiatives will look like once fully realized. Ex ROYAL STALKER was a field training exercise that covered section-level reconnaissance patrols and platoon-level ambushes. Photo: DND

• Cover