Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
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Flick oF a switch C C4iSR 16 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 www.vanguardcanada.com For Bruce Gilkes, the story is a reminder of the challenges militaries face when incorporat- ing training for new technology. It also became the impetus for how he structured his business. A retired colonel, Gilkes served in the Canadi- an Army for 30 years before forming C4i Con- sultants while still a Reservist. The company's training simulations and tools for command, control, communications, computers and intel- ligence (C4I) applications have found traction in Canada, the U.S. Army and National Guard, and with governments in the Middle East and South and Central America, helping militaries, first responders, and senior decision-makers prepare for security operations and disaster management. The embedded model for building C4ISR muscle memory s everal years ago, a Middle Eastern country invested in a command and control (C2) system for one of its combat vehicle fleets. Although the system came with transit cases on which soldiers could practice, few felt compelled to use it and most training only occurred during live exercis- es. Without sufficient training, however, soldiers lacked the 'muscle memory' to use the system expertly during real operations. They quickly blamed the system itself, and soon their officers were also assigning it blame for poor C2. The military responded by pulling it from their vehicles, leaving a "black hole where they had a capability. The only thing standing be- tween them and success was training." by Chris thatcher Bruce Gilkes