Chief of Naval Operations has directed the use of simulators to complement live training provided safety and operational readiness are not compromised. The Navy Expeditionary Program Office (NEPO) tasked the Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) to determine if existing commercial-off-the-shelf simulators would be a viable tool to complement current live training for Civil Engineering Support Equipment(CESE). EXWC conducted a Business Case Analysis (BCA) to provide a return on investment prior to procurement to ensure it is worth the investment.
A total of 12 Equipment Operators(EO) from NMCB 3’s Alfa company were divided into three groups of four, via a random selection process of drawing numbers out of a hat, following a familiarization with the graders and simulators.
The three control groups were assigned to utilize the CEVT for only a percentage of the course. Group A was only allowed to use the CEVT 25 percent of the time while group C spent 75 percent using the CEVT, and group B spent 50 percent of the time on the CEVT. While each group were not on the CEVT, they were conducting live training on the grader.
A modified P-TAG test was conducted with the Seabees on the day two to receive a baseline grade with the graders and simulators.
Through the iteration of the exercises, the Seabees performed V-Ditch, Shoulders operations, Lane operations, and crowning.
On last day, a final P-TAG was conducted as the final assessment to determine any improvement and best mix of the CEVT and live training.
The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. The force provides deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.
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