Leveraging Allies, Partners, and Technology: A Case Study Approach to Identifying Best Practices for Improving US Military All-Domain Urban Training

In this study, the researcher explored urban training gaps, opportunities, and synergies across the United States and five Allied and partner nations, and how synthetic training environments (STE) technologies should be optimized now and in the future to improve US all-domain urban training. The researcher adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach, analyzing military doctrine, urban warfare training strategies, and infrastructure in the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Israel, and Singapore to establish best practices across these countries. Urban warfare requires specialized skills to negotiate terrain, including high-rise buildings, subterranean networks, and dense civilian populations. However, the existing U.S. military urban training facilities are insufficient in scale and technological sophistication to replicate them realistically. Allied and partner nations created advanced urban training centers that employ virtual and augmented reality simulations of urban complexities and multi-domain operations. Lave and Wenger’s (1991) situated learning theory was used to stress the need for realistic and immersive training environments. The possible capabilities of synthetic training environments (STE) to transcend physical bounds, improve operational realism, and incorporate technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) artificial intelligence and cloud computing were revealed. The results showcased the significance of modernizing U.S. training frameworks by analyzing training infrastructure across the nations studied. Lessons learned from Allied and partner nations involved creating opportunities for collective training and interoperability, as well as leveraging superior, comprehensive STE technologies. Recommendations include creating training synergies by partnering with Allied and partner nations, improving domestic training infrastructure, and integrating hybrid training techniques.