GM "A" School incorporates Modernized Training

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Cory Asato | GREAT LAKES, Ill. (Jan. 23, 2023) Gunner's Mate “A” School students practice assembling a .50 Browning Machine Gun at Surface Combat Systems Training Command Great Lakes, explains to students where to aim for warning shots. GM “A” School gives accession Sailors technical training in weapons and electronic systems maintenance, and operation of launch systems and torpedoes. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cory Asato)  

GREAT LAKES, IL, UNITED STATES

05.10.2023

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Cory Asato 

Surface Combat Systems Training Command Great Lakes

GREAT LAKES, Ill.— Surface Combat Systems Training Command Great Lakes (SCSTC GL) Gunner’s Mate (GM) “A” School has been implementing modernized training through various phases of the curriculum.
The modernization of naval combat systems training is spearheaded by seasoned active duty and retired staff, who instruct the basics of electronic theory, munition components and how to perform corrective and preventative maintenance of naval weapons systems including small arms and crew-served weapons through curriculum delivery to junior Sailors.
The Multiple Interactive Learning Objectives (MILO) simulator is part of the Director, Surface Warfare’s (OPNAV N96) program of record, Surface Training Advanced Virtual Environment-Combat Systems (STAVE-CS), which was introduced in 2015 as a means to invest in training technologies, devices, and facilities to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and availability of all surface training. A key tenet of our approach is to immerse trainees in realistic real world training environments by emulating, simulating, or providing the physical elements of the equipment and operating conditions. MILO is a state-of-the-art complex video training simulator that allows us to generate variety scenarios, from an active shooter, boarding, room clearing situation. It uses computer technology to enhance the Sailors decision-making capabilities while training on the M18 pistol, M4 carbine rifle and M240 machine gun.
“Providing Sailors with the most modern and up to date trainer here at GM “A” School allows our instructors to more effectively deliver curriculum while enabling our students to absorb the information,” said Capt. Roy L. Henkle, commanding officer, SCSTC GL. “We are able to virtually and realistically conduct hands-on training so our Sailors can familiarize themselves with the weapons prior to arriving to their first command.”
The simulator allows for an added depth of realism and new capabilities of running scenarios where students need to accurately fire on active makers to advance the scenario enhancing the training experience. The system may be equipped to run hundreds of scenarios. Scenarios may be a mix of skill building and stress inducing to meet the training objective.
Previously, students were trained using a tethered firearms training simulator, but now have the ability to train with weapons using compressed gas cartridges. The new weapons communicate with the MILO system, giving the same control as tethered weapons, but with a full range of motion, mimic recoil, and speakers from the software emit noises so the trainee can get similar sensations to what they would experience at a live-fire range.
“Our training weapons simulate the weight and feel of a loaded weapon and simulate live recoil for when the gun goes off, which is a little closer to what a real-live fire round would feel like,” said Gunner's Mate 1st Class Nathan A. Fontaine, GM “A” School leading petty officer. “This current trainer uses compressed air cylinders in each firearm, which eliminates the use of hoses in previous iterations of our trainer. The hoses used to cause distracting obstructions. Now our students can focus on the scenario while benefiting from free movement, which simulates how the weapon would really feel during operation.”
GM instructors stress safety as a top priority. They instruct students to perform jobs which work with high-voltage electronics and deadly firearms.
“Being able to train these Sailors now at the start of their career and teach them the safe way to handle the weapons puts them on the right path,” said Fontaine. “We deal with weapons and ammunition which are designed to kill. For 10 weeks, we teach them that safety is paramount at all times in our profession. We finally get to show why we have stressed how important safety is when instructing students using the simulator through hands-on scenarios and firing weapons.”
Fontaine also incorporates confidence and warrior toughness into the curriculum. The instructors prepare the class to re-center their focus using warrior toughness techniques, as a group, before entering a training scenario or a line coach may have one-on-one interjection, both to help students re-center their focus and confidence before and when shooting, practicing real-world calming techniques that minimize stressors and distractions to meet the training objective.
“We have always conducted dry fire prior to conducting our live fire qualifications, but with this system it takes our weapons familiarization from just squeezing a trigger and visualizing the results to have direct weapon feedback and target analysis capabilities to hone their accuracy as well as getting them comfortable handling the weapons in the time requirements,” said Fontaine. “Our job is to not only use these weapons but teach the rest of the fleet how to use them so we need to be experts in that field. Being able to train and manipulate the weapons in this controlled environment where any concerns we have can be addressed and corrected with zero potential for loss of life, is an invaluable asset and opportunity.”
SCSTC GL instructors aim to deliver the right training at the right time, in the right way, preparing Sailors to operate their equipment and fulfill their rating requirements, forged into highly skilled, operational and combat-ready warfighters.
“The course will have our GM accession level Sailors showing up to the fleet with a better understanding of firearms fundamentals as well as marksmanship fundamentals to help them execute the mission in a safe and effective manner,” said Fontaine.
For more information on SCSTC, visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/SCSTC/.

• Date Taken: 05.10.2023
• Date Posted: 05.10.2023 09:52
• Story ID: 444437
• Location: GREAT LAKES, IL, US