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  • Troops train with €5m simulator

    Todays Independent....

    Andy, Got there before you !!

    TROOPS preparing for dangerous peace missions in combat zones are now carrying out full-scale training exercises without running onto a battleground.

    A highly sophisticated computerised training simulator allows commanders to test their troops in combat conditions and then assess the outcome.

    The simulator, purchased by the Defence Forces at a cost of €5m, has already been used by troops operating on a digital map of Kosovo, where Irish soldiers are currently based on a peace mission.

    And the simulator will also play a key part in training for troops being sent to Liberia by the end of the year, if participation in that mission is approved by the Dail today.

    The new equipment was officially launched yesterday at the Defence Forces training centre at the Curragh by Defence Minister Michael Smith, although it has been in operation since it was installed in June.

    Project leader Comdt Mick Meehan told the Irish Independent: "Simulators provide realistic training conditions and create the environment and stress of combat under which commanders must make vital decisions.

    "Simulations can manipulate training variables such as time, terrain, weather and exercise scenarios, and they are a boost to leader development and collective task training."

    The minister said that while the simulator was no substitute for tactical terrain exercises, it was a very effective training device and, used effectively, enhanced performance and brought a far greater dimension and flexibility to training.

    He described the purchase of the simulator as one of the most significant advances yet for the Defence Forces in the use of information technology by replicating near-real scenarios.

    Comdt Meehan added: "This will never replace traditional field training, but it enables commanders to evaluate internal unit training, examine operational procedures, expose troops to the complexity of the modern battlefield and develop their responses."
    Beart do reir ar mbriathar

  • #2
    Ive heard of this, i friend of mine has done some training on this, i belive it was (wait for it) a "Division in attack"

    but he said some elements of this were "not so accurate"
    like a having a squadron of tornadios, and a Sqn of german tanks, (i forget which ones):D
    Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

    http://www.iamawesome.com/

    Comment


    • #3
      Obviously he's never been to secret defence forces Island then
      "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

      Comment


      • #4
        Were you born so patronising? or did you have to work on it?
        Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

        http://www.iamawesome.com/

        Comment


        • #5
          Who's been patronising, I was just sharing a joke
          "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

          Comment


          • #6
            TIM were you born so paranoid, or do you have to work on it?

            Comment


            • #7
              im sorry i just had the urge to use that line!

              and YJ: no, i had to work on it!:D
              Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

              http://www.iamawesome.com/

              Comment


              • #8
                but its ok... they'll never get past the US marines stationed there!
                Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

                http://www.iamawesome.com/

                Comment


                • #9
                  Better not mention the ICBM silo's under UCD lake so, in case a bunch of crusties jump in it
                  "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    looks like a good peice of kit. it can only help the DF plan missions. how does it compare with international practice?

                    (Division in attack and squadrons of fighter jets and MBTS in the picture hahahaha)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Well we may yet be making division level attacks, and if we do it will be most likely as part of a well supported international division with MBTs and IDS
                      "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Can to PDF train on making tea / losing paperwork etc on this new picec of equipment
                        hurry up and wait, are you back yet

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Soldiers hit the target in virtual war




                          It's early morning and Ireland is being invaded. Enemy forces land at the south-eastern tip of Wexford. A swarm of artillery vehicles speed towards Dublin while a group of tanks moves westwards in the direction of Cork.

                          The Irish army quickly mobilises and moves to the western part of Wexford. Anxious commanders await reports from troops on the ground.

                          Shortly after 11am, the Irish front-line troops spot enemy targets. But before they can contact their superiors for instructions, the enemy opens fire. Armoured cars are blown up and casualties are high.

                          Full-scale conflict ensues, as commanders order rocket launchers to be fired. Then disaster strikes. Word reaches the Irish generals that a key bridge has been destroyed. Irish troops look like they are having serious difficulty quelling the aggressors.

                          Already, grave mistakes have been made - and Irish commanders will have to contend with being responsible for the high death rate among their soldiers.

                          This scenario is, of course, fiction. Ireland hasn't been invaded. No men have been killed. And one of Wexford's best-known bridges is still standing.

                          But for a group of Ireland's finest soldiers, it's all very real.

                          The entire 'battle' was waged on a computerised map of Ireland. Various symbols represent certain military vehicles. The Irish are represented by red symbols, while the enemy is blue. Jagged lines show the troops' sight-lines. Full lines stand for open fire. When a unit is blown up, the symbol disintegrates. The blown-up bridge is represented by a red flash.

                          A team of commanders control each army. To the casual observer, it looks like a highly sophisticated video game. Even the army bigwigs who use it describe it as a "game".

                          But it's far more than just a game. For the Defence Forces, this simulator - which cost €5m - is one of the most important innovations in years.

                          Officially unveiled this week by Defence Minister Michael Smith, the simulator has been operational at The Curragh since June. It has allowed commanders to test their troops in combat conditions and then assess the outcome.

                          It has already been used by troops operating on a digital map of Kosovo, where Irish soldiers are currently based on a peace mission. And the simulator will also play a key part in training for troops being sent to Liberia by the end of the year if, as expected, participation in that mission is approved by the Dail.

                          "Simulators provide realistic training conditions and create the environment and stress of combat under which commanders must make vital decisions," says project leader, Commandant Mick Meehan. "Simulations can manipulate training variables such as time, terrain, weather and exercise scenarios, and they are a boost to leader development and collective task training." He should know - after being deployed in a peacekeeping capacity to the Lebanon and to Iraq after the first Gulf War.

                          Cmdt Meehan says that while the simulator is no substitute for tactical terrain exercises, it is a very effective training device and, used effectively, enhances performance and brings a far greater dimension and flexibility to training.

                          "This will never replace traditional field training, but it enables commanders to evaluate internal unit training, examine operational procedures, expose troops to the complexity of the modern battlefield and develop their responses," says Cmdt Meehan.

                          Captain Shane O'Grady is one of the force's top IT experts and helped install the system. "It is extremely realistic for commanders," he insists. "In a real situation they would be receiving a barrage of reconnaissance on the ground - by phone, radio or e-mail. This teaches them to cope with the pressure of being inundated with information.

                          "When trainee Air Force pilots come out of the simulator, they are sweating because they have had to concentrate so much on what they are doing. It's the same with the commanders who train using this simulator - they are totally focused on this and although it's not a real situation, they are put under enormous pressure. If they make a mistake, it really bothers them."

                          Capt O'Grady says all conversations between the "troops" - the soldiers who carry out the commander's instructions on screen - and the commanders are recorded. "That way, we can work out exactly what went wrong. Something as simple as giving the wrong grid reference on the map can have catastrophic results." He suggests that erroneous grid refences from Allied commanders to their subordinates during the Iraq War led to so-called "friendly fire" fatalities.

                          In December, the simulator will have its biggest test yet when it is used around the clock for a fortnight. The Irish army will link up with the Finnish army (who used the same simulator) to operate a mock training mission.

                          Troops at The Curragh and Helsinki will be able to view identical maps thanks to the internet. "Peacekeeping is very much about dealing with other armed forces, so it's very important that instructions are carried out correctly," Comdt Meehan says. "A project like this will be invaluable."

                          Prior to its introduction, commanders were trained on conventional maps with complex calculations conducted to determine visibility, sight-lines and range. Now, that's all done by the computer.

                          "Before the simulator arrived, it was very difficult to reproduce the pressure of a real situation because it would take so long to work everything out and there was too much room for debate," Cmdt Meehan says. "If, for instance, one of our tanks was shot, a commander might question the legitimacy of that actually happening. Now, nobody questions the simulator."

                          Simulators like this one play a crucial part in modern warfare - and commanders trained on them around the world have had to put that training into practice for real.

                          Cmdt Meehan says the US army would have spent months practising on simulators in advance of the invasion of Iraq. Tens of thousands of man hours were spent by US commanders in Florida in STRICOM - the Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command - the most sophisticated training centre in the world.

                          It offers facilities the Irish defence forces can only dream about. STRICOM includes training using computer-generated battlefields in simulators with the approximate physical layout of tactical weapons systems and vehicles.

                          The US leads the way when it comes to virtual reality warfare. In fact, the US Army created a violent on-line PC game called America's Army to give the video-gaming generation a realistic taste of modern warfare.

                          The soldier-simulator is free to download for any gamers interested in exploring "the adventures and opportunities" of a miliary career. Players handle realistic weapons, train as "advanced marksmen" snipers, rescue prisoners of war and engage in fire fights in virtual swamps, deserts and blasted villages all around the world.

                          And in a further blurring of the lines between gaming and virtual warfare, the US Army commissioned video game manufacturer Atari to tailor its Battlezone game for the purposes of training.

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                          • #14
                            Its a command level battle simulator. it shows a top down picture of the battlefield unlike the americans which has full 3D graphics
                            Religion is like a puddle thinking that the hole in the ground that it sits in is so perfect for it that some higher being must have created it

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                            • #15
                              So its basically a TEWT?


                              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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