Page 56 - Military Technology 12/2018

54 · MT 12/2018 From the Bridge

In order to derive the greatest operational benefit from the radical design
departure of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), like the
USS FREEDOM seen here, the Navy has adopted an entirely
different and human-centric training regime. Incorporating
individual and crew-oriented elements, the system is
best defined by the ‘crawl, walk, run’ rubric.
(Photo: Lockheed Martin)

Tim Mahon
Training in the Naval Environment

Training for the maritime environment is little different, in terms of for example, the LM2500 Gas Turbine Engine School and the Voyage
demand, from the situation affecting the around-based and airborne Management System Navigation course address common requirements
military training environments. We take a look at the hows and whys across multiple vessel classes.
Using the LCS class training requirement as something of a testbed
in the shaping of future training regimes, the USN has developed a two-
Although there are specifically naval requirements to ensure equipment pronged approach to address the twin requirements of individual quali-
meets safety standards, is acoustically as quiet as possible and is resistant fication and team/crew certification. The service defines Train to Qualify
to the hazards of naval life such as excessive vibration and saltwater cor- (T2Q) as “the process of training, in an off-ship training environment, an
rosion, the fundamental requirements are the same. Provide user-friendly, individual in the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to competently
technically competent and sustainable training solutions, aimed at indivi- perform tasks at a basic level associated with a designated (specific) ship-
dual and collective team/crew training, within budgets that are coming un- board watch station or position.” Train to Certify (T2C), on the other hand,
der increasing pressure from government departments not directly affec- it defined as “the process of training, in an off-ship training environment, a
ted by the consequences of any cuts. In other words – ‘do more with less.’ watch team in the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to competently
Actually, however, there is one fundamental difference and it lies in perform tasks at an advanced level associated with designated (specific)
the human domain. Every navy – even the vaunted US Navy (USN) – is shipboard watch stations or positions.”
experiencing the knock-on effects of smaller crew size. Shrinkage in crew
sizes has, over the last decade and more, forced a rethink in terms of the Immersion Equals Credibility
objectives, scale and operation of crew training regimes. Depending on
the specific mission in question, the crew size for an OLIVER HAZARD The LCS environment has also given the Navy the opportunity to take
PERRY-class frigate runs between 150-175: the average crew size for the experimentation with levels of immersion in training much further, testing
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), by comparison, is little more than 100. The the boundaries of what is possible and measuring that against what is de-
principal issue quickly becomes clear: a smaller crew requires greater sirable. A number of Immersive Virtual Ship Environment (IVSE)M courses
cross- training, since individuals will be required to multi-task at short or have been developed, in which students are placed in a highly realistic vir-
zero notice in the event of an emergency or casualties. In addition – and tual LCS, able to walk through the structure, interact with onboard equip-
perhaps even more importantly in the long run – the reduction in comple- ment and perform planned maintenance, impromptu evolutions or system
ments means that eventually there will be a much smaller pool of expe- alignments in a style and at a pace that is as individual as each team
rienced senior enlisted sailors – those who tradition has always seen as member requires. An inherent component of the T2Q training philosophy,
the mentoring force for new recruits. This is already having an effect on the first IVSE courses were delivered by Cubic Global Defense in 2016 and
the informal aspect of training, in areas ranging from basic seamanship to the initial rollout of courses – culminating in combat systems operation and
emergency procedures such as firefighting or ‘man overboard’ drills. maintenance courses – is due for completion in 2019.
Still ashore, students will complete their T2Q curricula at additional Navy
From Sea to Shining Shore … schools, using Intergrated Tactical Trainers (ITT) designed to familiarise
students – individually and in their watch-keeping teams – with the equip-
One of the most obvious consequences of this shrinkage has been ment and operational software is use on the actual vessels. Comprising an
a marked shift in emphasis from shipboard to shore-based training. A integrated navigation bridge and platform management suite, with engi-
spokesman for the USN’s Office of Information explained that “As we neering control and tactical operations packages ‘tweaked’ for the specific
move towards the future, we are placing a larger emphasis on distance mission set being trained, this approach allows entire watch teams to train
learning and virtual environments to take advantage of the new capabilities in a single seamless scenario – which is already having beneficial effects
those technologies bring and enable us to deliver across a continuum of on mission readiness, according to observers close to the programme.
learning during a sailor’s career. Some training will still be done live at sea Also key to the immersive approach to LCS training has been the devel-
but the shore-based training will enable the live training to be more effec- opment of Mission Bay Trainers (MBT), the first of which was delivered to
tive by allowing sailors to practice ashore and earn certifications through San Diego in 2016. A prominent feature of the LCS design and operational
demonstration in live exercises at sea.” philosophy, the Mission Bays presented a new and unfamiliar challenge for
In this respect, the shift from ship to shore offers a golden opportu- training crews in multiple and alternative mission-specific activities. In this
nity to redress the live, virtual, constructive (LVC) balance that has been case the immersion route was facilitated by replicating actual ship-sets
somewhat out of kilter in recent years. This allows training developers to of shipboard cranes and mission module equipment so that crews could
adjust regimes to take into account a variety of influencing factors, rang- learn and practice primary procedures – such as launch and recovery of
ing from the learning styles of the new generation of recruits to the inser- RHIBs or USVs – in a physical, hands-on manner.
tion of advanced simulation and distance learning technologies. All USN
sailors now attend one or more of the existing Naval Education & Training Crawl, Walk, Run
Command (NETC) schools, which focus on specialties such as small arms
training, counterterrorist operations, engine maintenance and basic navi- From the perspective of the solution provider, Cubic Global Defense,
gational skills. Most of these carter for a training discipline that stretches the issues have primarily been about adapting proven techniques to well
across multiple classes, thus avoiding the expensive duplication of effort understood learning objectives, while developing innovative responses to
in class-specific shipborne training, the resources supporting which can the fresh challenges. The answer has been to develop what the company
now be dedicated to the issues that cause the class to stand apart. Thus, terms a ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach – blending traditional instructor-led