The complexity and dynamism presented by the ever-changing threats in the African battlespace require landward forces to be dynamic and responsive. If soldiers are to be successful in meeting tomorrow’s battlespace challenges they must be trained in realistic environments. Hence the concept “train as you fight” is no foreign concept for many militaries. The biggest problem with providing operationally realistic training is cost since major field exercises are prohibitively expensive. The trade-off between realism and cost has been substantially altered by the introduction of ICT technologies: cutting-edge military solutions provide impressive realism and immersion at a fraction of the cost of field exercises. With defence budgets experiencing tremendous pressures, the use of simulation as an effective and complementary tool to aiding operational training is becoming a norm rather than the exception.
The SA Army together with the CSIR will be hosting the 1st Landward Simulation Symposium at the CSIR, Pretoria on 26 – 27 October 2017. The Symposium will allow the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) together with local defence industry to discuss the latest developments in virtual training and simulation as a cost-effective training aid tool to advance future combat readiness for landward forces.
The theme for the symposium will be: SA Army Simulation Symposium – a walk through the future digitised African landward battlespace. The aim of the symposium is to highlight the importance and relevance of simulation for concept, development, experiment and evaluation for capability development and management of requirements, specifications, implementation (technology, acquisition and force preparation) and force employment. This will support the need for integrated and interoperable capabilities with common data models and data exchange technologies to support functional re-use. The exhibition displays will include a mixed blend of simulations with Live, Virtual, Constructive and Serious Gaming (LVC-SG) elements to support concepts of blended learning as new training methodology, leveraging current mixed reality technologies.
The audience will be introduced to the latest training and simulation technologies, as well as be part of an immersive simulation training experience in order to gain insight into the benefits of LVC-SG as part of blended learning concept. The focus will be on force training, the current training challenges, recent training and simulation developments, changing training needs – with simulation as the key enabler.
Benefits for attending the event include:
- learning how landward forces are ensuring mission-readiness for future combat demands;
- listening and interacting with SANDF leaders and operators;
- interacting with new training and simulation technologies for current and future combat forces;
- learning about new trends in training and simulation technologies; and
- networking with other members the defence industry community and exchanging experiences and opportunities.
Who should attend:
- Military leadership overseeing:
- Army Training & Simulation
- Live training
- Future capability development
- Military training & simulation providers
- Defence research institutes
- Universities
- Solution providers currently developing:
- Soldier training systems
- Simulation hardware and software
- Live training equipment
- Networked training
- Consultancy