Soldiers test reflexes in close range combat

FORT BENNING, GA, UNITED STATES

03.09.2007

Courtesy Story

Fort Moore Public Affairs Office

bY Annette Fournier
Fort Benning PAO

FORT BENNING, Ga. -- The Soldiers' Battle Lab completed a study March 2 that pitted Soldiers against simulated enemies to test troops' reaction times.

The Close Range Quick Reaction Engagement experiment measured how quickly a typical Soldier notices and reacts to an enemy in close range.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, the 11th Infantry Regiment and EXFOR troops took part in the experiment, which was managed by the SBL's Virtual Constructive Simulation Division, said Deuce Douglass, a project lead for the experiment.

Soldiers trained to use the system Feb. 26 and began the test course the following day.

The course was based on the map of a village "somewhere in the world," which was duplicated in a computer, Douglass said. The designers wanted the simulated village to be as realistic as possible, and added multi-story buildings, debris, bystanders and vehicles.

All the simulations are integrated into one master system, managed at a control center. The control center operators can see exactly what the Soldier sees, watch the Soldier's simulation from a variety of angles, or see a map display of the entire village showing the location of each Soldier and each enemy.

During the test runs, the Soldiers wore all the gear they'd use in combat while facing a life-size video screen displaying the simulated scene. Soldiers tested their skills in five firing lanes, in village streets, inside buildings and in a wilderness area on the village's perimeter. In each lane, 10 enemies attacked the Soldier from close range. The test troops ran the lanes multiple times, but the enemies appeared in different locations each time.

Sensors attached to the Soldier's body and equipment measure speed and muscle movement. The sensors record the reflexes and amount of time it takes for a Soldier to react after he or she hears or sees an enemy in close range. Past experiments have measured reaction times, but this experiment is focused specifically on close range combat.

The information collected was stored in a database which will be sent to the TRADOC Analysis Center in Monterey, Calif. Originally, the project leaders planned for the Soldiers to complete each lane twice, but the runs went better than planners expected, said Tom Siefken, project lead.

"We always plan for things to not go as well as we hoped," he said. "We're always figuring on Murphy's (Law) showing up. It went better than I had hoped and we got twice the amount of data we were anticipating."

Unlike many of its experiments, the Soldier Battle Lab is conducting only the testing, not the analysis for this project, Douglass said. The TRAC analysts in Monterey will examine the data and use it to improve future simulations, future military technology and other projects. Data like this helps show the capabilities and functions of troops, training, weapons and equipment in close combat, Douglass said.

The tests hinted at trends in troops' reaction, Douglass said. Soldiers' reaction times differ based on an enemy's distance, from what position a Soldier shoots, from what angle an enemy attacks or what part of the body an enemy reveals while firing. The test troops were mostly Infantrymen ranging from privates to staff sergeants. Having a diverse test group may help Monterey TRAC researchers to correlate trends with experience, age or training, Siefken said.

Simulations save money on ammunition and allow for weapons training rain or shine, Siefken said. It also gives young troops practical experience in which they can learn from mistakes and go through a multitude of lanes and scenarios.

"It's easier to conduct tests here with computer simulations, then to bring a bunch of Soldiers out to the woods," Douglass said. "It's almost like a video game, but we have an aversion to calling this a game. This is serious business."

• Date Taken: 03.09.2007
• Date Posted: 03.09.2007 10:35
• Story ID: 9373
• Location: FORT BENNING, GA, US