Navy has significantly enhanced its training capability for high-end synthetic warfighting with the recent opening of the Fleet Battle Lab.
Deputy Fleet Commander and Director General Fleet Lethality and Force Generation Commodore Anita Williams said the lab at Fleet Headquarters in Sydney would play a key role in strengthening readiness, interoperability and warfighting excellence across the fleet.
"We have witnessed, throughout the region and indeed the world, the speed of weapon development and potential opposing force capabilities increase, as well as the introduction of exquisite and autonomous systems, all of which challenge our traditional training methodologies," she said.
With the lab now operational, personnel can hone their skills in real time.
The Fleet Battle Lab can run an ongoing virtual wargame for up to two weeks at a time. Personnel will stand watch and react in real time each day, debriefing after each session.
When the personnel come in the next day, the situation will have evolved in real time, keeping the training kinetic.
'The Fleet Battle Lab gives us a means to rehearse, validate and improve continuously, so that when we are so called upon, we are ready to generate decisive effect.'
Petty Officer Michael Davaris, an operations room supervisor on board HMAS Arunta, has already benefited from the lab, which he worked in while his ship was undergoing routine maintenance and sustainment work.
"The Fleet Battle Lab is an excellent training tool. Even while our ship [Arunta] is currently on the hardstands, we have been able to run through different scenarios and workshop solutions, keeping the team focused and ready to go," Petty Officer Davaris said.
The lab will not only contribute to the training of ADF personnel, it will also play a key role in strengthening readiness and warfighting excellence with partner nations and allies, with personnel from the United States Navy and the Royal Navy already taking part in the sessions.
The lab was developed by the Fleet Force Generation Directorate with significant support from the Royal Australian Air Force's Distributed Training Centre and the Navy Minors Capital Program.
At the official opening, Commander Australian Fleet Rear Admiral Christopher Smith emphasised the importance of this new training capability.
"We have some of the best systems and the best people in the world," Rear Admiral Smith said.
"The Fleet Battle Lab gives us a means to rehearse, validate and improve continuously, so that when we are so called upon, we are ready to generate decisive effect."
The lab personnel will maintain a close working relationship with the simulation systems and teams at HMAS Watson, a training base in Sydney, as well as being able to integrate with other accredited simulation systems across Navy and Air Force.
