25-10-2012, 12:32 PM
Observations on the Centurion Shield 90 Exercise
ABSTRACT
Large-scale field exercises, such as those conducted by U.S. and NATO forces in Germany, are economically and
politically costly. One of the more obvious negative aspects of such exercises is maneuver damage -- the damage to civilian
crops and property caused by units maneuvering over private and public property during training. The use of more simulations
and less combat equipment is one way to reduce the maneuver damage and operating costs of an exercise. Simulations also
tend to train personnel in certain functional areas better than more traditional training methods, such as field exercises. In
January 1990, the USAArmy, Europe (USAREUR) mounted one of its major periodic exercises, Return of Forces to Germany
(REFORGER). As part of the 1990 REFORGER, Army personnel engaged in an innovative field training exercise, Centurion
Shield 90 (CS 90), which was conducted from 15 to 26 January. CS 90 was the second in a series of experiments carried out
by USAREUR that combined live and simulated units in a single exercise.Asmall number of units, mainly light infantry, were
deployed in Field Training Exercise (FTX) mode, while the bulk of the two opposing units were deployed in Command Field
Exercise (CFX) mode. In the latter mode, wheeled vehicles are deployed to stand for their respective companies and batteries.
Simulated forces were played in three separate combat simulations: the ground combat model (GRWSIM) and air combat
model (AWSIM) of the Warrior Preparation Center (WPC), and the Corps Battle Simulation (CBS) of the U.S. Army. This
Note documents RAND’s observations of the CS 90 experience and the issues and recommendations that emerged from it.
The authors’ focus is on the simulation interfaces, including simulations linked with each other and with units on the ground.
Preliminary results indicate that using simulations improves the quality of training in several functional areas, but this
improvement is difficult to measure. (1 table, 2 figure7)