The Challenge 

In real-world emergencies, conditions rarely unfold the same way twice. Threats appear without warning, and situations escalate quickly. Decisions must be made under pressure with incomplete information. Training for these moments can be difficult. 

For students at the Navy Master-at-Arms “A” School, preparing for active shooter and emergency response scenarios traditionally required live exercises. These drills depended on securing training facilities, coordinating instructors, setting up buildings and equipment, and organizing participants to play different roles in the scenario. 

Even when everything came together, the number of training opportunities remained limited. Each exercise required significant planning and resources. Resetting the environment between scenarios took time. And changing variables during a live exercise could be both cost and time prohibitive. 

As a result, students might experience only a small number of scenarios before facing such situations in the real world. 

A similar challenge exists in survival training for aircrews. When an Armed Forces aircraft goes down in hostile territory, survival often depends on quickly determining where the pilot has landed and communicating that location to rescue teams without alerting adversaries. This is the focus of SERE training: Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape. 

Aircrews learn to navigate terrain using Evasion Charts, specialized maps that help them determine their position by identifying surrounding geographic features. But practicing these skills requires visibility of the terrain itself. At one training location near Spokane, Washington, weather conditions frequently obscure the landscape. When trainees cannot see the terrain clearly, they cannot practice identifying landmarks or triangulating their position. 

In both cases, the challenge is the same. Critical skills must be practiced before they are needed, but real-world training environments limit how often and how realistically those skills can be rehearsed. 

AVATAR’s Solution 

In each case, we developed immersive virtual environments that allow personnel to rehearse complex scenarios repeatedly and under changing conditions. 

For Master-at-Arms students, AVATAR created multiplayer virtual reality environments where active shooter and emergency response situations can be practiced without the logistical constraints of physical training facilities. Inside the virtual environment, instructors can adjust scenarios in real time. A suspect can appear in a different location, or the sequence of events can change. Students must react to unfolding situations just as they would in the field. 

Because the environment exists in VR, exercises can begin immediately and repeat as often as needed. There is no need to schedule buildings or configure physical equipment. Students can move through the space, experience stress and movement, and practice decision-making in conditions that simulate real emergencies. 

AVATAR applied a similar approach to SERE training for aircrews. Using digital terrain elevation data, the full 11×11 mile training landscape near Spokane was recreated as a one-to-one virtual environment. Aircrews can walk through the terrain in VR, identify landmarks, and practice determining their location using Evasion Charts. Even when weather conditions prevent training in the real environment, trainees can continue practicing navigation and position identification. 

Impact 

Across applications such as these, immersive rehearsal transforms how personnel prepare for unpredictable situations. 

Master-at-Arms students can experience the movement, pressure, and decision-making involved in emergency response before encountering it in the real world. Aircrews can practice terrain navigation and location identification even when environmental conditions prevent live training. The result is greater familiarity with complex situations and stronger confidence when those situations arise. 

Because while reality can’t be scripted, it can be rehearsed. 

Every mission-critical role requires preparation for the unexpected. If you’re interested in exploring new approaches to immersive training, we’d love to talk.