The U.S. Army has made a considerable investment in the use of virtual environments (VEs) for training. Beginning in the early 1980's with the SIMNET program, the Army has made a commitment to use virtual simulations to train combat forces and to evaluate new systems and operational concepts. While these simulations have predominately focused on training mounted soldiers, the need to train infantry and other dismounted soldiers has been recognized. Although VEs have the potential to immerse dismounted soldiers directly in simulations, there are few successful examples of their use to provide effective training. The effective use of VE for training requires more than just VE hardware and software. It also requires identification of the types of tasks for which VE training is most appropriate, the characteristics of VE systems that are required to provide effective training, and the training strategies that are most appropriate for use with VE. This paper presents selected recommendations for the use of VE for dismounted soldier training and mission rehearsal, and identifies future research needs. The recommendations and research needs are based on the results of our in-house research program, related programs in which we have participated, and the work of other VE researchers. Recommendations include identification of the types of tasks for which VE training is or is not appropriate, design recommendations for the VE interface, and ways to reduce side-and after-effects.