Special Section:
Simulation & Training
Tighter budgets and advanced technologies pave the way for increased simulated training. By Maura McCarthy, CGF Editor Simulated training allows the Coast Guard to reduce costs in a variety of ways: The service can reduce the number of hard trainers they need to purchase, mitigate equipment wear and tear, and eliminate fuel consumption. “As budgets force people to rethink the way they do things, simulation is well-positioned to allow them to continue to operate at their high tempo and pump out the trained servicemembers that they need, but do it at a lower cost and faster,” Gabe Batstone, chief executive officer of Ngrain, a software simulation company, predicted. Live training is still important but can be reserved for critical tasks. CSC’s VirtualShip is used to train Coast Guardsmen at facilities across the country, including TRACEN Yorktown, Va., Fort Eustis, Va., Mare Island, Calif., the Trident Training Facilities in Bangor, Wash., and Kings Bay, Ga. An advanced ship simulation software package, VirtualShip can be used for training in navigation, seamanship, anti-terrorist force protection, escort and transit protection, vessel defense and weapons, total ship, underway replenishment and boat operations. TRACEN Yorktown utilizes a Response BoatSmall (RB-S) simulator, which “can take a new recruit right out of basic and train him or her in more than boat handling—the student learns rules of Gabe Batstone the road, whistle signals—and the skill to do it in challenging conditions,” Ron gbatstone@ngrain.com 6 | CGF 4.2
Peterman, director of Strategic Planning for CSC’s Advanced Maritime Center explained. Previously, the gun crew trained in a separate room, but the RB-S simulator integrates the Fire Arms Trainer which allows the gunner to train with the crew, further enhancing the realism of the training. The Trident Training Facilities in Bangor and Kings Bay have installed the Transit Protection Training System (TPTS) to facilitate their mission rehearsal of missile submarine escort. The demand for trainers is great, and in addition to having the VirtualShip installed at various Coast Guard facilities, CSC is working on taking the trainer on the road to reach reserve centers. Only 18 miles from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, CAE’s C-130 Tampa Training Center is the largest commercial Hercules training center in the world and provides training to over 30 U.S. government, foreign militaries and commercial operators. With over 400 separate courseware modules employed, this customized approach is a hallmark of the center. “Each and every training course has been specifically customized to the USCG aircraft configuration, operating and technical manuals, and approved procedures,” said Rich Paglialonga, manager of the C-130 Tampa Training Center for Rich Paglialonga CAE USA. The center has three C-130 full-mission simulators, one part task www.CGF-kmi.com