the past four decades – and those improvements are likely to continue, despite the US Army’s wish to replace laser-based systems such as I-MILES with alternative technologies, possibly including geo-pairing. Should that turn out to be the case, the focus should be on trying to make the overall force-on-force live training environment more holistically representative of the battlefield, by extending the use of improved and more realistic battlefield effects. This approach is expensive, but expecting exercising troops to be seduced into the simulated high-intensity kinetic battle when vehicle kills are depicted using a flashing light on a tank turret – as is currently the case in many nations around the world – does nothing to “induce fear and stress,” or to motivate exercise participants. Force-on-force training is vitally important. It is not, however, just about the TESS technology – it is about the environment that technology has to work in; that is where the investment needs to be made. In addition, collective force-on-force training needs to be considered within the complete environment, as a culmination of training or a capstone event, that has built on individual and team competencies such as weapon skills, camouflage and concealment, tactics, range work, leadership and battlecraft. It is in many of these areas that realism is lacking. For example, the need for greater exposure to weapon terminal effects through a process of ‘battle inoculation’ and a radical modernisation of current ranges to include ‘smart targets’. live simulation standards, allowing nations equipped with this common code, known as ULEIS, to train together. In USMC parlance, this ULEIS code is referred to as the Marine Corps Training Instrumentation Systems (MCTIS). As this standard is adopted increasingly across NATO and coalition forces, the case for retaining laser-based system is clearly strengthened. Between 2023 and 2026, the Corps’ Systems Command plans to field FoFTS-Next to Marine Corps bases in California, North Carolina, Hawaii, Virginia, Japan and Guam. Although it represents a clear advantage over the legacy ITESS system, does it provide a true force-on-force training capability? Looking Forward The answer is not simply a binary yes or no. As noted above, the capabilities of laser-based TESS have been dramatically improved over 10 · MT 2/2022 Theme: Training and Simulation One way in which force-on-force training could be improved is through the use of more realistic battlefield effects, such as sound generators and pyrotechnics. (Photo: Trevor Nash) f
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