Training Magazine has published a new article by WILL CEO Sharon Sloane:
Challenge
Imagine you are a non-commissioned officer (NCO) preparing for combat in a U.S. military operation and a new and unseasoned officer has joined your ranks. As a leader of your squad, it is your responsibility to be the proper buffer between the platoon and the new lieutenant. However, as you prepare for the upcoming mission, you realize you are going into battle with a variety of problems that were not resolved in pre-deployment. The necessary respect and trust for the platoon to function at its maximum effectiveness simply isn’t there—and as a result, things are about to go disastrously wrong. Deaths may occur because this critical relationship between your leadership team is malfunctioning. If you fail to resolve problems appropriately, you may even end up with a suicide in the unit.The problem
The dilemma above is not an unusual one for a soldier serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. While traditional training programs in bases across the U.S. have prepared young soldiers well for day-to-day tactical and operational functions, there have been learning gaps that have left them equally under-prepared for issues involving leadership, improvisation, cultural awareness, and interpersonal relationships. Aware of this gap in learning, Fort Sill leaders in Lawton, OK, decided to address the challenge of how to teach soldiers to handle delicate situations, where they are forced to make decisions, the consequences of which could cost lives.The solution
Increasingly the military is turning to virtual experience learning systems and advanced training simulations that stop and allow users to weigh their options at critical decision points, providing a safe environment in which to make choices before facing them in potentially life-or-death conditions. When military leaders at Fort Sill realized the need for their NCOs to enhance good decision making and build leadership skills they turned to WILL Interactive, Inc., a serious games developer that has now produced more than 55 VEILS (Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations) for the Army, the National Football League, the FBI, large hospital systems, and other organizations. The result was a unique motion picture/video game hybrid training tool called Danger Close.
Read the full article here.
