Grafenwoehr, Germany. (January 19, 2025): It is impossible to recreate actual combat, but the Army has come “electronically” close. In this photo by Markus Rauchenberger, Soldiers assigned to the Regimental Engineer Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, hone their marksmanship skills in the comfortable surroundings of an Engagement Skills Trainer (EST).
The EST is an extremely realistic simulator that allows Soldiers to practice their marksmanship skills in a series of customized combat scenarios, and much more.
The EST covers the basics. Troops can qualify with their weapons or just work on their accuracy before heading to live range fire. It can be used for individual or crew-served weapons up to the .50 caliber machine gun. Soldiers can practice as a squad learning to distribute their fire and function as a team. Having a virtual range naturally results in savings of time, ammunition, and transportation costs.
But with the EST, this is just the beginning. Unit commanders can upload maps of various locations and create tactical scenarios that use computer generated imagery to create realistic situations. They can even adjust the weather conditions during a simulation. The EST displays targets, terrain, and weapon effects on a high-definition screen while squads maneuver to engage the enemy. Users can customize obstacles, create pop up targets, or present shoot/don't shoot situations. The system allows platoon size elements to tackle complicated scenarios such as ambushes, react to contact, patrolling, and how to identify improvised explosive devices.
Perhaps the genius of the EST is its capacity for comprehensive after-action review. Coaches go over individual and group performances with unit members and offer suggestions for improvement. If a Soldier appeared to panic in a scenario, for example, a trainer could work with them, one-on-one, to help them remain calm in such situations. This “tailored” advice makes the EST an extremely useful tool to prepare troops for combat. It’s also a nice, comfortable place to train.