Training Soldiers for the Future: How Militaries are using AI and VR for Defence Training
Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) have become increasingly commonplace technologies in our tech-crazed world. But with those come a lot of cool developments - particularly in the defence space.
We’re no strangers to working alongside some of the biggest names in the Security, Aviation, Defense and Marine industries to manufacture and develop specialist platforms to drive training, simulation and real-world applications. So, we just had to find out more about how militaries use these technologies to train soldiers of the future.
We spoke with Christina Balis to find out more about how the world of defence training is evolving, what impact technologies like AI and VR are having, and what effective training should look like for militaries.
Christina has extensive experience in the defence and security space and currently serves as Global Campaign Director, Training & Mission Rehearsal at QinetiQ, a leading British security and defence contractor. Her role is to develop and implement the company’s long-term strategy and transformational growth within its distinctive offerings.
This makes Christina the ideal person to chat to about training soldiers of the future - and how best we can do that. Let’s get into it.
How effectively does training adapt to new threats?
Effective training isn’t about just repeating the same thing over and over. It’s about having the flexibility and know-how to adapt to new threats - both known and unknown.
So, how effectively does military training evolve and adapt to face new threats that might arise?
“Training always adapts whenever there is a conflict or war. And, of course, we’re always learning about the most recent war or conflict,” Christina explains.
“But while, yes, training is always evolving, do we actually train for challenges we might face in the future? I think there’s a question mark there.”
It can be difficult to predict each and every threat we face, Christina says, especially when they often aren’t one-dimensional or easy to define.
“It’s not like in the past where we’d say ‘we’re going to move to counterinsurgency and then we’re going to move back to peer-to-peer.’ Instead, we have multiple scenarios that we have to be prepared for, because all of them could play out. And they could play out concurrently.
“So, the challenge is not whether we’re adapting.” Christina explains, "but whether we’re consistently adapting at pace with the complexity of the threat environment.”
What should effective training look like?
So, what takes training from being just a standard requirement to a truly powerful and rich learning experience? Christina highlights three key requirements.
“First is frequency,” Christina explains. “Of course, you could say that all operations are a form of training. But if you don’t do training regularly, that could have a negative impact.”
The second key aspect is realism. “Do the trainees feel immersed in an environment that is as close to operation as possible?”
The third is unpredictability. “If training becomes more of a validation exercise where you can say ‘I know exactly what to expect and exactly what reaction I need to have,’ then it actually loses that aspect of learning and immersion,” Christina says.
“Training has to have an aspect of unpredictability. It should be about rehearsing those skills you’ve learned but also being able to apply them in a creative way.”
Are technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality transforming the way we train?
“Artificial intelligence and virtual reality have fundamentally challenged the way we do lots of things - not just training.”
But these technologies are helping us to face three key constraints around training today, according to Christina. These are space, time and resources.
“In the past, you could only train while you weren’t deployed or weren’t on leave or doing some other activity,” Christina explains. “But now, in the case of virtual reality and simulation, that constraint is no longer there.”
With VR and simulation, training can be completed in any location and at any time. This also means that individuals can train at different times as opposed to with the rest of the group.
“Not having to return to home base every time you need to do some training immensely increases adaptability and flexibility - which is fundamental for militaries.”
The addition of artificial intelligence into training has also been revolutionary in helping speed up numerous time- and resource-consuming processes.
“Planning training exercises, for example, is very time-consuming. And you have significant staff resources being used for months at a time,” Christina explains.
“AI can speed up that process, and a lot of that work can actually be done by an artificial agent. You can then repurpose your staff to do different work.”
The need for experimentation is another key driver behind adopting these technologies.
“Experimentation is something you can’t divorce from training anymore,” Christina explains. “And we can no longer afford to spend the time developing the capability, training against it and then changing it. We have to be experimenting and adapting our training alongside the capability development process.”
As a result, technologies like AI and VR are inevitably going to be used more and more in training scenarios, according to Christina. “Even when maybe the underpinning system or kit is not fully assured yet.
“It’s about embedding experimentation into everything you do. And technologies like AI and simulation are at the heart of that.”
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Is trust an important aspect of training using these new technologies?
“Anything that involves human or social interaction is absolutely dependent on trust,” Christina says. “And this is something that we take for granted.
“When you put trust in someone or something, you’re vulnerable. So, we want to put trust front and centre of everything we do.”
In environments like military training and operations, there are numerous dependencies that rely on trust between parties.
“In a training environment, there is a certain level of uncertainty,” Christina says. “You have to rely on your team members. You have to rely on the kit. You have to rely on your industry partners to help you deliver the right outcomes. So, when we talk about trust, it involves all of those things.”
When we look specifically at new technologies like AI and VR, the introduction of AI into the decision-making process is having a huge impact on how command and control is done, according to Christina. And this has an impact on what trust between commanders and their teams looks like.
“Militaries have traditionally been very top-down and hierarchical in nature. But now, they’ll have a far more dispersed decision-making environment,” Christina says. “You want this to be reflected in training because it means commanders will have to trust some of the decisions that teams are making, rather than things being decided upon at a higher level.
“So, you have to rethink the concept of trust and how team leaders or commanders really engage with their people.”
Thanks to Christina for taking the time to speak with us.
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