The U.S. Army is in the midst of an extensive, rapid, and ongoing transformation process, which is having a dramatic effect on tactical operations, doctrine and training program design. The focus on joint integration, the reorganization of brigade combat teams, and the Future Force Warrior (FFW)(formerly known as Objective Force Warrior) and Future Combat Systems (FCS) initiatives are all driving these changes down to the individual Soldier. At the Soldier's level, it is imperative that the capabilities of equipment, networked systems, and organization can be effectively trained and utilized. This report describes the design, organization, and capabilities of the Warfighting Experimentation Lab. In essence, the lab represents a "reach forward" concept in training research. Many of the FCS and FFW and associated initiatives remain on the drawing boards with their specific designs and utilities still developmental. The challenge was to be able to address these new developments as they begin to solidify and conduct applied research experiments using parallel surrogate technologies. The Warfighting Experimentation Lab was designed to provide a flexible environment allowing researchers to analyze the uses, at Soldier level, of a variety of evolving tactical technologies and innovations. Procedure: Though several potential vehicles were explored, the simulation environment that was selected offered a more comprehensive approach and could more accurately reflect actual new equipment and developmental features. It was decided the best approach would be to mirror the desktop systems already in use at the Fort Benning Simulation Center. This set up would allow easier coordination for collaborative research between ARI and the Simulation Center.

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