CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – The badly injured pilot of a downed helicopter screamed for help. Thick black smoke billowed from the aircraft's tail. A foreign officer lay wounded under a skid. Insurgents opened fire on approaching National Guard infantry Soldiers.
That scenario was part of some extraordinarily realistic training at Camp Atterbury during an exercise named XCTC 2006. That is short for Exportable Combat Training Capability, and it could be the way that National Guard troops are trained for future deployments.
Meanwhile, miles away from the downed helicopter, civilian defense contractors and trainers from the active Army watched the scenario unfold on computer screens. They watched the Soldiers and their vehicles moving on a traditional, two-dimensional screen and on another screen that made the Soldiers look like three-dimensional figures in a videogame.
After the exercise was over, the contractors combined the computerized images with video shot in the field to create a product that gave a whole new meaning to the concept of After Action Review.
This type of training was previously available only at Army facilities in California, Louisiana and Germany. However, it can be difficult to schedule time for Guard troops at those places, Guard officials said, and it's expensive to move entire brigades across the country.
The National Guard Bureau, for the second straight year, conducted exercises to demonstrate that this training could be brought to the troops rather than taking the troops to the training.
"We created a combat training capability environment that the National Guard could do at home station as a tool to prepare for deployment," said Marshall Townsend, deputy director for the exercise.
"The real power is the training method," he added. "Because we can track you, we can let you go out and exercise your training without a coach. I can send a Soldier out there, and then I can show him with the technology what he did. It brings the same learning environment as a combat training center to the National Guard."
This is not your father's annual training.
XCTC 2006 saw more than 750 Indiana National Guard Soldiers participate in a three-week exercise through July 28 based at Camp Atterbury, according to Lt. Col. Deedra Thombelson, an Indiana Guard spokesperson.
Soldiers from the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were at the heart of the action even though they were not preparing to deploy, Thombelson said.
The National Guard Bureau's Army Training Division brought First U.S. Army trainers, civilian contractors and Indiana Citizen-Soldiers together for the train-as-we-fight exercise, she said.
The XCTC applies the latest technology to the age-old dilemma of how to simulate a combat environment as realistically as possible without actually injuring Soldiers.
Battlefield effects – Hollywood-like special effects – increased the realism and the stress for the exercise. The trainers tracked instrumented Soldiers and vehicles and civilians on the battlefield in an urban setting.
"It really helps replicate the problems we have over there," said Maj. Hal Johnston, who has served in Afghanistan. "It's as close to real as you can get."
Johnston said XCTC is a huge improvement over transporting troops to the National Training Center in California or to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana. "Our movement down there was enormously complicated," he said. "This focuses on the training rather than the movement."
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Mullins, a platoon leader, echoed Johnston's praise. Like 75 percent of the Soldiers he leads, Mullins is a combat veteran.
"Men are visual creatures," he observed. "A lot of these young men grew up in the videogame revolution. It helps them grasp a lot of the concepts because it's so visual. It provides a level of realism to these guys.
"This is real-time training with things that are going on in theater right now," he said. "The more we sweat here, the less we'll bleed on the next deployment. It's a showcase that the state should be proud of, and at the same time it's a valuable training tool. I can't wait for this to be a model for the entire National Guard."
During XCTC 2006, Citizen-Soldiers encountered simulated civil unrest, ambushes, security patrols and improvised explosive devices.
The Citizen-Soldiers wore equipment that allows their every movement to be recorded in real time. The equipment incorporates the latest generation of the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System – commonly called MILES gear – with Global Satellite Positioning and other technology.
"It's always more effective when you know you've been shot," said Garth Mahns, XCTC field applications manager for SRI International, the defense contractor that provides the system. "This takes away all doubt. It allows us to view in real time, in two dimensions and three dimensions and video, where they are and what they're doing. It's a very powerful tool for commanders and observer-controllers."
Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Prothro, 1st Battalion, 306th Infantry, was one of those who were watching. "I call us the eyes in the sky," he said. "This is a very good working tool, and it's only getting better. To be able to show Citizen-Soldiers where they went and what happened is a lot better than saying it."
Prothro demonstrated how the technology also makes it possible for the trainers to show the trainees the enemy's point of view – a perspective that can give Citizen-Soldiers a better insight into combat vulnerabilities.
Trainers try to stress Citizen-Soldiers to create a level of realism. Battlefield effects help.
"The closer we can get the details and the stress level of an actual combat mission, the better the unit will be able to make good decisions and execute properly when they're in theater," said Matt Sment, a lane boss and coordinator for Cubic Defense Applications, the defense contractor that provides battlefield effects.
"We provide the flesh and blood, the stage and the people for the Citizen-Soldiers to interact with. I strongly believe in this concept. I tell my role players, 'Today with what you do you're going to save one life.' "