NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) -- The Army's Training and Doctrine Command cut the ribbon Monday on a new virtual training space, with high tech, computer- based animation and gaming. It's designed to prepare soldiers for the battle spaces they'll face, before they ever get there.
It's the new G-2 Operational Environmental Training Support Center at Ft. Eustis, where, the Army can create realistic virtual battle spaces, exactly as they are, without venturing further away than the nearest computer screen.
"And because we lift things from real world, it's the actual environment , we're not making anything up, so to speak," said Director of Operations John Wrann.
The new center is designed to give the more than 500,000 U.S. and coalition troops that TRADOC trains annually, as real of an experience as possible, long before they ever reach the battlefield.
"So in short, the primary purpose is to define the infinite amount of variables into an endless number of scenarios, that prepare soldiers for limitless numbers of tasks, at any place, any time, against any enemy," said Major General Anthony Funkhouser, Senior Command, Army Element at Join Base Langley-Eustis.
And it presents the material to soldiers in a more stimulating and memorable way than in days of old.
"This allows you to see content and understand in a faster way that's more appropriate in today's world," said Colonel Chris Pflanz, Director of the Operational Environmental Training Support Center. "I think this is much more effective than getting a stack of books, yes."