The current strategy of unit rotations, extended combat missions for Reserve and National Guard units, and reset fielding means that multiple versions of the same equipment are operating in the field. The multiplicity of variants poses a challenge for trainers, who must prepare soldiers to be proficient on multiple versions of the same equipment as well as prepare them to work with different types of equipment.

Training institutions cannot afford to maintain inventories of all equipment models for training, nor can they spare the time to train for all possible scenarios (including troubleshooting fault scenarios) on all possible equipment configurations. In addition, unit commanders need sustainment training on their specific equipment configurations, yet they can neither afford to take equipment out of operation for practice and training, nor afford to insert faults in operational equipment for training troubleshooting. Alternative methods must be used to satisfy training needs.

This paper describes the training requirements and the reuse of assets underlying a tactical satellite communications terminal simulation-based training system that addresses the needs of both institutional training and unit sustainment training. The system is a collection of five training courses: a course for institutional qualification training on four equipment variants and a sustainment training course for each of the four variants. This paper also describes different levels of asset reuse, such as the following:

• Reuse of a simulation architecture and user interface across multiple training systems

• Reuse of simulation lessons across and within courses

• Reuse of simulation assets across and within courses

• Reuse of lesson steps and simulation assets using randomized operating parameter sets.

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Harold Waters