Observations on the Centurion Shield 90 Exercise
Abstract
Large-scale field exercises, such as those conducted by U.S. and NATO forces in Germany, are economically and politically costly. One of the more obvious negative aspects of such exercises is maneuver damage -- the damage to civilian crops and property caused by units maneuvering over private and public property during training. The use of more simulations and less combat equipment is one way to reduce the maneuver damage and operating costs of an exercise. Simulations also tend to train personnel in certain functional areas better than more traditional training methods, such as field exercises. In January 1990, the United States Army, Europe (USAREUR) mounted one of its major periodic exercises, Return of Forces to Germany (REFORGER). As part of the 1990 REFORGER, Army personnel engaged in an innovative field training exercise, Centurion Shield 90 (CS 90), which was conducted from 15 to 26 January. CS 90 was the second in a series of experiments carried out by USAREUR that combined live and simulated units in a single exercise. A small number of units, mainly light infantry, were deployed in Field Training Exercise (FTX) mode, while the bulk of the two opposing units were deployed in Command Field Exercise (CFX) mode. In the latter mode, wheeled vehicles are deployed to stand for their respective companies and batteries. Simulated forces were played in three separate combat simulations: the ground combat model (GRWSIM) and air combat model (AWSIM) of the Warrior Preparation Center (WPC), and the Corps Battle Simulation (CBS) of the U.S. Army. This Note documents RAND's observations of the CS 90 experience and the issues and recommendations that emerged from it. The authors' focus is on the simulation interfaces, including simulations linked with each other and with units on the ground. Preliminary results indicate that using simulations improves the quality of training in several functional areas, but this improvement is difficult to measure. (1 table, 2 figure7
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA428265
Entities
People
- D. R. Worley
- James P. Kahan
- Patrick D. Allen
- Thomas F. Lippiatt
- Thomas Polsley
Organizations
- RAND Corporation