GPS offers the ideal technique for postmission training evaluation

With current training instrumentation technology, continuous contact with the player is required in real time. Therefore, only a limited number of players may participate in an exercise, and they all must be in constant radio contact with a groundsite. GPS offers an ideal solution to this training problem because no real-time contact with the ground is required, and all TSPI data derived from GPS could be recorded onboard each player. Then when the players return to base, the TSPI data could be retrieved, and a complete mission debriefing could be performed. A real application for this type of mission debriefing system exists in Europe where multination training exercises must be conducted over densely populated areas of many nations. The training areas are constantly changing, and no single training area can be specified. It is therefore impractical to install groundsites to receive data via data link from the players. Modern solid-state recording techniques enable the real-time recording of TSPI data aboard each of the players for periods exceeding 3 hours. Flashcard memories have the required storage capacity and can be easily removed from the players at the completion of a mission. A simple workstation can then be used to read the flashcards, combine all the data, and display it so that the complete training mission can be evaluated. The paper explains how such a system can be implemented and used to solve real-world training problems. Only through the application of GPS can such training requirements be satisfied