The Value of the Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer
By: CPT Brennan Deveraux
For myriad reasons, conducting field training is not always feasible. When this is the case, simulation systems — an underutilized Army resource — can provide a valuable supplementary training tool. Although many simulation systems are useful, the Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer (RVTT) is exceptionally versatile. The system, made up of four full-crew vehicle simulators and a mission command headquarters section, is primarily designed as a convoy operations trainer. The RVTT, however, can be used for much more. As a battery commander, I utilized this dynamic training tool to help build and sharpen soldiering skills and develop our junior leaders. In turn, it was a key component of my unit’s success. This post offers suggestions and personal training examples of employing the RVTT beyond its standard mission to help other units maximize the system.
1. Driver’s Training:
In its purest form, the RVTT is a driver’s training tool. Inside the vehicle simulator, Soldiers can log extra hours of motorized operations as drivers, truck commanders, or a gunner. Whether conducting mounted-land navigation, convoy operations, or scenario training, the additional time spent operating the vehicles prepares Soldiers for their next time on the road. Although this is not a venue for licensing, the vehicle familiarity that Soldiers receive driving in an array of conditions keeps their necessary skills sharp. If the trucks cannot leave the motor pool, the RVTT provides a good alternative. As a commander, I felt more comfortable with our new drivers because of it.
2. Communication/ Reporting Requirements:
On the modern battlefield, reports and reporting requirements are complicated. From color-coded unit reports such as a blue-1 to the Army-wide 9-line medevac and call for fire requests, the RVTT is an efficient venue to practice scenario-based reporting. Realistic and effective scenarios can be challenging to create. In a simulator, however, both the report trigger and the unit response can be easily replicated. These scenarios facilitated repetitions of key reports that helped Soldiers commit them to memory. Additionally, experiencing the situational context helped Soldiers understand the importance of each separate report.
3. Weapons Familiarization:
The RVTT is a unique weapons familiarization platform. Soldiers can train on numerous weapon systems against a simulated threat in a day, night, and chemically contaminated environments. Although not a qualification tool, for a large percentage of Soldiers, simulations provide the only opportunity to fire certain weapons. In a combat situation, a Soldier must employ an array of weapon systems regardless of whether they are qualified. A takeaway from battery evaluations across our brigade demonstrated a general lack of proficiency on crew-served weapons. A regular focus on RVTT weapon familiarization — specifically emphasizing threat scenarios that required cooperation and the synchronization of fires — gave the Soldiers in the battery a high level of confidence that paid dividends when collective training resumed. Additionally, having a large pool of Soldiers complete with pre-marksmanship instruction, and more importantly, comfortable with the weapons, allowed the battery to regularly fill opportunity slots at ranges and build a “bench” of qualified personnel.
4. Terrain Association/ Site Reconnaissance:
For my battery, one of the most useful aspects of the RVTT was terrain reconnaissance. By creating the majority of our scenarios in common training areas, the battery became comfortable with the terrain where we were likely to operate. Although not perfect, knowing major intersections and recognizable terrain features allowed the unit to more easily navigate when we went to the field. This virtual reconnaissance proved even more critical before deploying somewhere where such as a combat training center or another country. It was this aspect of the simulator that first impressed me. As a headquarters commander, my unit deployed to Korea for a Warfighter Exercise. I was able to attend the pre-deployment site survey, which identified the unit’s primary and alternate tactical operations center locations. By building scenarios around these two locations, the entire group conducted a simulated reconnaissance. Although our Korean mission proved quite simple, Soldiers in the unit instantly identified the key bridge they would have to cross in the event of a “jump,” as they had made a defensive stand there in the RVTT. This terrain comfortability gave the unit a distinct advantage when we assumed our mission.
5. Developing and Understanding Intent:
One of my favorite unit training scenarios in the RVTT tested the importance of the commander’s intent. The philosophy of mission command emphasizes the importance of both communicating commander’s intent and placing the confidence in junior leaders to execute it. We created numerous scenarios that removed the headquarters or a key leader from the situation to test subordinates’ initiative and examine how intent was received. For example, in one case, we pushed out an element (the four trucks in the simulation) to recon the next position. In the middle of the mission, the headquarters — a simulated base of tents — received indirect fire. In the middle of alerting the forward element, all communication cut off, and enemy artillery destroyed the base. The trainees’ responses varied based on how well the commander’s intent was communicated and received, as well as the level of the patrol leader’s initiative. These variations included defending an unnecessary forward position until their demise, returning to the original headquarters position with the hope of eventual reinforcements, and fighting the element over to a sister unit’s area to report the situation. This aspect of the training gave leaders a glimpse into the challenge of communicating a clear intent at all levels. The after-action reviews from these scenarios helped prepare our leaders — to include the command team — to better communicate in a decentralized environment.
6. Training Management:
Beyond soldiering skills, my first sergeant and I used the RVTT as a training-management development tool. My guidance was simple: make it fun (this creates buy-in and a desire to train) and have clear training objectives. We were able to evaluate and mentor junior leaders from section chief to platoon leader. The lead officer or NCO for the training would create a rough plan six weeks out, coordinate all external support (reserve the simulator), and brief battery leadership updates as the event neared. This allowed us to observe and guide our junior leaders as they conducted a training crosswalk, assessed their respective weaknesses, and demonstrated (or failed to) a level of creativity that would make the RVTT a positive training experience for their Soldiers. In this respect, the RVTT was a development tool at the battery level that allowed me to identify in our junior leadership key strengths and weaknesses in interpersonal skills, planning, and briefing. Additionally, because it was an internal process, I let the leaders experiment, and if necessary, have small failures in an environment that did not risk anyone’s safety. If planned poorly, it was a learning experience. If planned well, the RVTT was an event that let me highlight the junior leader’s success to the battalion.
Final Thoughts
Simulation training will never replace the real thing, but it is incredibly valuable as a supplementary tool. The RVTT is tailorable to meet an assortment of training requirements from soldiering skills to leader development. Overall, the RVTT is more than just a convoy simulator; it is a training tool. If a leader is creative in incorporating it, this dynamic system can be a staple of their unit’s training regimen.
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Brennan Deveraux is a student at the Army Command and General Staff College. He holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School. In his free time, he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor.
