How can Navy uplift and accelerate operational capability today?

At the heart of every navy’s operational capability is its people. As new platforms, technology, data, and networks continue to shape the way naval forces operate, training systems and approaches must also match the learning needs of the modern sailor.

The shift in the nature of the geopolitical environment and the immediacy of threat, combined with limited personnel and budget pressures, is prompting naval forces to transform the development, management, and delivery of training; critical to enhancing operational capability in today’s environment.

Increasingly, defence forces are considering a more integrated and holistic approach to training across all domains. Seeking available levers to shift capability quickly, defence forces are maximising commonality in their training and operations for increased efficiencies, cost savings, and interoperability.

The current plan to increase the size of the Royal Australian Navy fleet to help mitigate threats will take time to implement. However, enhancing approaches to naval training across the entire continuum will have an immediate impact on operational capability to support the current and new fleet in today’s environment.

Powering capability uplift with integrated training

Naval training is a complex endeavour. Initial phases and preliminary qualifications aside, it is the business of generating individual capability, folding skills into sub-teams, linking capability between teams and fusing teams into force elements. All while, enabling individuals to function in the joint environment for sustained periods while managing inevitable skill fade.

Historically, training has not received sufficient attention when allocating budget or considering the requirements of whole of fleet or joint battlespace capability. Yet, training remains a fundamental and critical enabler and driver for the current and future fleet.

Training philosophy, methodology, and technology have developed considerably in recent years and offer an opportunity to increase fleet capability regardless of the platforms operating at sea. While the Navy is upgrading and enhancing the surface and submarine fleet, training capability can be seamlessly enhanced and flexibly delivered in a shorter time frame with reduced risk and cost.

The Australian Defence Force and allied forces are well versed in the technique of systems integration when it comes to the acquisition and sustainment of Defence platforms and assets. The same concept is relevant for naval training and, if employed across the whole fleet, can afford Navy significant value when working in partnership with an organisation that understands training system integration, connectivity of training facilities and devices, and the provision of training instructors and developers.

This integrated approach is required for training systems in Australia, considering the whole continuum from basic to advanced levels of training, and to ultimately uplift operational capability through increased proficiency of sailors and officers.

Integration across the training continuum, with the provision for secure connectivity between the Australian Defence Force and allied services, enables multi-domain and multinational integrated task groups to successfully conduct training, both ashore and afloat, in Live Virtual & Constructive (LVC) environments. Once individual and team skills have been learned and mastered, the same technology can be used to maintain readiness and conduct mission rehearsals.

What is required is a multi-class approach to training which must be appropriately planned, resourced, and executed from a fleet-wide perspective to unlock greater impact from training.

Unlocking advantage with enhanced multi-class naval training

Navy training facilities were typically designed for a class-by-class approach and were often constrained by ‘siloed’ funding mechanisms. This traditional approach to training has led to the unnecessary duplication of buildings, simulators, and training management functions across locations that could instead be linked to provide integrated multi-class training support.

This proposed new approach employs a transition to a whole-of-fleet and multi-class perspective which would unlock significant benefits and efficiencies over the long term, compared to previous approaches. For Navy, this means providing less constraints and the flexibility to pivot training as priorities change. For modern sailors, this approach offers exciting opportunities to upskill and plan career pathways as they build individual and team mastery without being constrained by a role or class of ship.

The concept of adapting separate class-based courses into generic training modules has been explored by global defence forces, including the United States Air Force (USAF). This approach promises greater flexibility in crewing and cross-pollination of skills, to build a more proficient, ready and resilient force across geographically dispersed locations.

Working with an organisation that understands simulation and immersive learning, and has deep training experience across all domains, can significantly simplify and speed this improvement process. Across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, CAE has introduced training technologies that allow emulation and simulation of platforms and consoles to be digitally interchangeable to enable training across multiple classes. For example, a quick change of a training console’s user interface can transform a bridge simulator from a frigate to a destroyer within hours.

Providing the right training facilities with the flexibility to adjust training to the highest priority, without significant re-tooling time or the need to travel to a different facility, provides modern learner-centric support to each individual and a powerful mission-rehearsal tool for teams and units. The performance monitoring and evaluation functionality embedded within such solution offers new and advanced monitoring and feedback mechanisms, that will drive continuous evaluation and performance improvement tailored to the needs of the modern sailor and organisation.

A systematic multi-class approach to training will help identify collective needs, define whole-of-fleet challenges, illustrate opportunities and constraints, and offer insights for development, delivery, and evaluation of modern approaches to uplift capability efficiently and effectively.

Adopting a ‘whole of fleet’ approach to training, supported by multi-class training facilities and integrated training systems, will unlock economies of scale and enhance operational capability in current and future fleets, to prepare personnel to fight and win at sea. The key to success is the ability to integrate new learning approaches and advanced educational technology, with the collaboration and support of multiple stakeholders.