To address the need to simulate the effects of key weapons systems more accurately during live training exercises, the US Army recently developed the Synthetic Training Environment Live Training System (STE LTS) program.

The STE LTS program will accelerate the evolution of cutting-edge equipment and software to amplify and expand the realism of the operational training environment. 

The program specifically seeks to offer improvements to engagements - known as the 12+5 - involving direct and indirect fire; counter-defilade; dropped, placed and thrown objects; guided and autonomous weapons; directed and radiant energy weapons; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear/plume; and information warfare. It plans to accomplish this task through implementation of enablers in the categories of calculations, network, sensors, terrains and transmitters. 

Creation of the STE LTS is a collaborative endeavour of Army Futures Command's Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team, the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, the US Army Operational Test Command the the US Army Training and Doctrine Command Project Office Live, among other Army trainingn experts and stakeholders. 

"There are two primary objectives for this program," explained Curtis Leslie, Director of the STAAR (Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Agile Acquisition Response) Team. "Modernization of existing live training capabilities due to performance constraints and component obsolescence is key, but equally important is the representation of weapons that cannot be trained during force-on-force engagements due to legacy technology limitations."

Currently, roughly 60% of the Army's weapons portfolio is being exercises in force-on-force live training environments. The STE LTS program aims to increase the percentage of weapons being used - particularly those that capitalize on breakthrough technologies - to enable a more dynamic training experience for soldiers.