<p class="MsoNormal">Peter talks to Professor Jim Storr about the use of simulators in the British military since the 1980s. Why and how they have become such a central element of force development for Western militaries, and what we have failed to extract from their potential use. It seems that simulators have far more potential than we current get from them: and even if we did, they still cannot entirely replace the need for live training events – especially at the combined arms and joint level of exercises. Three people in a room wearing VR headsets really does not make an effective fighting force. Nor one ready for the realities of combat. Industry professionals, it seems, don't think so either.</p>

Peter talks to Professor Jim Storr about the use of simulators in the British military since the 1980s. Why and how they have become such a central element of force development for Western militaries, and what we have failed to extract from their potential use. It seems that simulators have far more potential than we current get from them: and even if we did, they still cannot entirely replace the need for live training events – especially at the combined arms and joint level of exercises. Three people in a room wearing VR headsets really does not make an effective fighting force. Nor one ready for the realities of combat. Industry professionals, it seems, don't think so either.

<p>Peter talks to Professor Jim Storr about the use of simulators in the British military since the 1980s. Why and how they have become such a central element of force development for Western militaries, and what we have failed to extract from their potential use. It seems that simulators have far more potential than we current get from them: and even if we did, they still cannot entirely replace the need for live training events – especially at the combined arms and joint level of exercises. Three people in a room wearing VR headsets really does not make an effective fighting force. Nor one ready for the realities of combat. Industry professionals, it seems, don't think so either.</p>

Money, exercises and simulation

Training a military force is a proposition unlike the one faced by other civil organisations: It has to prepare people to perform in the chaos and turmoil of battle – even simple tasks like making deliveries or baking bread become very different in the face of artillery fire or roadside bombs. It's not just about mental pressure and physical discomfort, it is about facing death while doing the mundane and business-as-usual tasks. It is, perhaps, the greatest test of humans and has always been so. As military training has evolved (along with the force it enables), so have the opportunities in technologies such as simulation: are the benefits without bounds, or is there a point that the benefits of simulation tail off? What mix of virtual and physical performance maximises performance? And amongst all of this is the reality of organisational culture, and the cost-effectiveness of training. How much of this training can be outsourced to a commercial provider? What is the optimal amount of training done away from the cauldron of combat, and how much must be exercised under arms and stressing conditions? Answering these questions is crucial if we are to all understand the importance of training in a military force – and how to optimise it to win in the greatest of contests. Listen to the series as we talk to people who think a lot about military training - from the professional soldiers and commanders to the academics who study it, as well as the commercial operators who are increasingly being employed to deliver it.

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Money, exercises and simulation

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