FORT BLISS, Texas (AP) — The Army is rolling out a new training system that integrates live, virtual and computer-generated scenarios in order to allow troops to train without the expense of using real tanks and aircraft.
Lt. Col. Shane Cipolla, the officer in charge of the Integrated Training Environment, says before the system was deployed armored vehicle and helicopter simulators couldn't communicate with each other.
The system was delivered to Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, Texas, and it's expected to be deployed to 18 locations by 2017. It is expected simulators will interact with each other from bases across the world.
With the effects of the automatic budget cuts looming for the Army and more soldiers returning from more than a decade of wars, Cipolla says the new system will permit more frequent training.
