LVC is on the Move – into the Indo-Pacific AOR

US DoD is expanding the Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) into additional mission domains and to new training audiences.

This July 31, US Indo-Pacific Command announced several LVC milestones were achieved during this June’s Valiant Shield 2024. This was the first time high-level advanced LVC aviation training was conducted West of the International date line, during the inaugural event for the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC) forward training site, located at Navy Base Guam.

Dr. Andre Stridiron III, PMTEC Capability Program Manager at the command, told MS&T this August 1, this training effort was a collaborative effort between the PMTEC Program Office, NAVAIRSYSCOM, and several industry companies (Cubic, CAE, RCG Inc.) focused on demonstrating the value of advanced LVC training enhancements delivered west of the international dateline. He emphasized during the demonstration, this training organization was able to connect live aircraft to simulators (from PMTEC forward Facility in Guam) flown by real Navy and Marine Corps pilots. “This type of training is very high-end and technical, which is why it is primarily conducted at the most advanced Navy and Air Force ranges in the continental US.” The S&T authority continued, “We were able to bring LVC tools, equipment, and technical team out to Guam and set up a temporary environment and conduct this highly sophisticated and advanced training. By doing so, we are able to make live aircraft fight and react to virtual aircraft.”

Asked to further elaborate on the significance of this PMTEC demonstration, the command manager replied: this high-level advanced training was conducted in Guam for the first time; this was an employment of advanced LVC capabilities to the western Pacific - a first; and provided the ability for a US Indo-Pacific Command exercise to be able to train, rehearse, and advance readiness against simulated adversarial capabilities (at the tactical level), forward, west of the international date line. “All of this provides USINDOPACOM with an asymmetric advantage to be able to sustain high-end tactical proficiency without having to send forces back to the US continental ranges to train.”

Meeting Challenges to Produce ROIs

US Indo-Pacific Command is overcoming significant challenges to provide LVC-based training to its forces and provide diverse ROIs for the overarching defense enterprise.

PMTEC is working very closely and collaboratively with other DoD stakeholders to coalesce resources and deliver them to US Indo-Pacific Command’s joint and coalition warfighters postured across the Pacific Theater. Stridiron pointed out, “We are very cognizant of the cost of building and sustaining sophisticated multi-domain ranges. We are also very cognitive of the pace at which warfighting technologies are advancing. And we are faced with a limitation such that most of the ranges and training areas we operate at west of the international dateline, belong to our allies and partners.” As such this organization does not want to duplicate investments across the DoD enterprise. “Therefore, we, try to maximize all resources available by linking through networks or nodes or by with mobile capabilities when we support USINDOPACOM joint (and coalition) exercises. Bottom line is, PMTEC uses Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) resources to deliver (at the pace needed to execute Posture and Deterrence in the Pacific) forward nodes capable of delivering capabilities that are rapidly adaptive to changing exercise/ operational needs.”

The program leader placed down several markers about PMTEC’s ability to support the increased rigor and scope of training in this AOR. Matter-of-factly noting all US Indo-Pacific Command joint exercises are now multi-lateral, he also observed these events are significant opportunities for the joint and coalition forces to get together and execute training, refine Tactics, Techniques and Procuedures, and rehearse multi-domain tactics and the necessary battle management associated. “PMTEC resources are enablers for these joint forces (along with our allies and partners) to conduct advanced all domain activities, assess and adjudicate the effects of their tactics employed, and implement advancements in areas such as space, cyber, spectrum, combat logistics, and battle management command and control.”

PMTEC’s Roadmap

The next focus of PMTEC will be to link the US virtual environment across the Pacific, CONUS, and other Combat Commands in an effort to conduct training and significantly, all-domain rehearsals virtually and at a more rapid cadence than the planning cycle for joint exercises currently affords. Dr. Stridiron concluded, “PMTEC is also working with our global Allies and Partners to develop, advance, and link to their virtual environments. This will afford us the opportunity to conduct training and rehearsals without incurring the cost of travel, shipping, and time. This will also allow emerging capabilities and domains to contribute as we continue to refine multi-domain operations and associated Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures.”