OPFOR 21

Large exercises employ a number of Opposing Force (OPFOR) role players, each of which usually has a single job. However, in expanding the availability of training systems and events to remote units, the number of OPFOR players will be a bottleneck on scalability. There are many activities in which a single person manages a number of tasks/scenarios. For example, a chess master can play dozens of challengers simultaneously and stock traders handle hundreds of orders from other traders. Is it possible to a talented OPFOR player to handle two, three, or more scenarios simultaneously? If he had a well designed simulation interface that did not impede such multi-tasking, could he effectively fight multiple missions at the same time? This is just one step in improving the efficiency of human operations in a simulation center.

Simulation Center Design

While visiting the 86th BWFX in Vermont it struck me that the layout and operation of the sim center is almost identical to the first big exercises that I participated in – Certain Caravan and Reforger 1992. There are hundreds of computers, miles of network cables, and hundreds of operators. In the last 15 years it does not appear that we have done anything to redesign the sim center for better efficiency. Most of the systems in the 2007 exercise were new and different from those of 1992, but the number of computers and operators is the same.

The sim center is like a factory that generates training stimulus. It is hard to imagine a factory that has not been significantly changed by automation in the last 15 years. I know the F-16 fighter factory where I began my career is still in the same building, but the layout and operations inside have changed considerably due to computer automation and increased parts outsourcing. There is probably an opportunity to redesign the sim center, eliminate many stations and functions, and make the system more efficient.