Navy, Marine Corps Officers Prioritize Integrated LVC Training

Officials from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are advocating for greater integration of live, virtual and constructive systems so that training for every warfighting capability can be conducted in a single environment. Gen. David Berger, Marine Corps commandant, underlined the importance of connecting exercises around the world, whether they concern maritime, airborne, unmanned or other types of operations.

Vice Adm. Scott Conn, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, explained at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference earlier in April that LVC exposes warfighters to certain scenarios, thereby preparing them for actual combat.

He added that LVC environments are the only way to try out certain weapon systems and activities with real-life limits. These include aircraft capable of longer flights than the span of existing training ranges and weapons that could impact commercial air traffic.

Segments such as information warfare are facing difficulties integrating into the LVC training environment. According to Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, Naval Information Forces commander, accurately simulating what IW weapons can do has been challenging, and realistically presenting threats hinges upon elevating classified training to a higher security level, C4ISRNET reported Friday.