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The Marine Corps, through the Infantry Immersion Trainer virtual reality program, is giving Marines, soldiers and sailors one of the most successful, realistic battlefield training opportunities they can possibly experience--short of actually being in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army is introducing its first fully immersive virtual simulation program for dismounted soldiers and small tactical units. The Dismounted Soldier Training System will provide virtual environments for soldiers to increase combat preparedness and reduce traditional training expenses. And the system’s advanced graphics and tools utilize video game elements and skills already familiar to young soldiers.

In this month's Incoming column, Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege Jr. notes how everyone is going mobile and virtual.

The creation of virtual worlds and robots is spiraling out from the military into a broad array of applications. While the defense community continues to advance its technology to offer better instruction and to improve the safety of troops, other fields of interest—ranging from the technical to the personal—are beginning to use similar tools to meet their needs.

The U.S. Air Forces Northern Distributed Mission Operations program hit a new milestone recently, with the successful completion of the first-ever individualized warfighter training event. In the past, the program, which supports homeland defense missions, could only accommodate large-scale team training efforts. With the new training capability, learning opportunities are open to more people, and with the improved infrastructure, daily events are a practical option.

Submariners are being immersed in the latest in simulation technology to familiarize them with their future stations and duties. Hardware and software under development during the past few years have come to fruition, and instructors at the U.S. Naval Submarine School, Groton, Connecticut, are excited about the positive impact the new systems have in their classrooms. Students are so excited about training in this fashion that they actually refuse to leave when the final bell rings.