The US Army has been displaying a Virtual Army Experience, (VAE), at Six Flags amusement parks and airshow venues across the nation in the hopes of exposing the public to what soldiers experience when fighting insurgents in theatre. Utilizing a complex set-up of computers, LAN based scenarios, motion simulators, videos, and presenters, the VAE is a massive display of technological power. While impressive in design and structure, some critics are concerned with the format and message that is being conveyed to the public. Is the VAE truly effective at communicating what a typical convey soldier experiences or is it merely a recruiting tool that glamorizes war?
As the VAE website explains, “This 10,000 square-foot interactive exhibit brings the Army’s exceptionally popular computer game, America’s Army: Special Forces (Overmatch), to a life-size networked world to provide visitors with a virtual test drive of Soldiering.” Sizable lines are cordoned off in a Disneyland-esque fashion that keeps the queue moving. Once inside, waiting participants can join in a LAN version of America’s Army while they wait for their group to get called up for the main event: a simulated mission.
Missions are comprised of three parts: a pre-briefing, the mission and a debrief. The group is given a basic understanding of what their objective is: protect friendly aid workers from known genocidal extremists. Then each group is told to take their positions in a Humvee simulator. Each position has air-powered weapons that simulate the recoil, or “kick”, of an actual weapon. Three simulator screens give an almost 180 degree view of a Middle Eastern scenario with streets, buildings, civilians, and enemy personnel. As the scenario is played, the Humvee rocks with each simulated blast and participants are jostled as they try to accomplish their mission. When the simulation finishes, the group is told to dismount and enter the debriefing area where live presenters go over the performance of the crew and answer questions.
All told, it is probably the most comprehensive technological road show every put on by any branch of the US Armed Forces.
But critics are concerned about the message that is conveyed by the VAE. By presenting war as a game or even in a game-like scenario, detractors state that it makes light of a very serious situation. This year’s VAE display at the Cleveland Air Show was waived off after Veterans for Peace protested the display.* “The group Veterans for Peace says the simulators desensitize children to killing,” reported the Mansfield News Journal. Those who oppose the VAE say that by adopting a familiar and attractive platform like computer games and simulators, the VAE is skewing children’s views on war. But was the issue that the VAE allows children aged 13 to participate and would that change if attendance requirements were set to age 18? Attempts to reach the Veterans for Peace for comment were unsuccessful.
“I don’t think it does make light of it,” says retired Colonel James Allard of the US Army public relations department. “For a few minutes, people get a very realistic simulation of what it’s like to be on a mission.” In Col. Allard’s opinion, the VAE is one of the best ways the US Army has of sharing the experience of soldiering. Regarding the issue of reaching the public and exposing them to the types of things that occur during an actual attack mission, “I can tell you that it’s [the VAE] quite effective in conveying that message.”
The US Army has actually done a fairly good job of harnessing technology to communicate and educate. On the one hand, they have provided a mobile system capable of displaying scenarios that incorporate the major pieces of hardware that soldiers use to complete their job. On the other hand, they’ve had to use that same technology to “dumb down” the experience so that it is “user friendly”. For example, simulators require 60 degree temperatures that a Humvee crew would never see in Iraq, computer simulations make target identification overly simplistic, and the scenarios lack the carnage that occurs when bombs, bullets, and projectiles are exchanged. Still, in order to demonstrate how a soldier must make split second reactions based on briefings received prior to mounting up, and then share the ramifications of such decisions after the fact, VAE does offer the public a basic understanding of the complexities of war. “Sharing in this manner…those sort of things build respect,” comments Col. Allard.
The VAE is a unique use of military technology. While not an official recruiting tool, the Wall Street Journal found that “Those who want to try the game are asked for their age, address, phone number and email, and the information is entered into a database.” Clearly the Army isn’t passing up an opportunity to gather information.
What the public gets out of the VAE depends greatly on what they bring to it. Parents need to take an active role in deciding if their child is too emotionally young to handle the information being presented. They should also take some time after the military debriefing to have a chat session of their own with their child and explain issues that are important to their values and beliefs. The VAE becomes a springboard for discussion and “I certainly couldn’t ask for a better use of my tax dollars” says Col. Allard.
Those in the New England area who wish to investigate the Virtual Army Experience for themselves are advised to attend the 2008 Great State of Maine Airshow scheduled September 5th, 6th, and 7th at Naval Air Station Brunswick. Due to mobile technology, the US Army is bringing audiences a highly interactive method of communicating its unique experience at this venue.
“It’s a great way to get a taste of what we are asking our young people to do,” advises Col. Allard.
* CORRECTION 27AUG08: The VAE will be present at this year’s Cleveland National Air Show. Please visit the 2008 Cleveland National Air Show site for more information.