The complex and dynamic environments encountered by our warfighters call for creative solutions to training challenges. The forward-deployed nature of amphibious forces, practical operational concerns, and perishable nature of complex cognitive skills and team process behaviors create the need to train our Marines and Sailors while at sea. Virtual Technologies and Environments (VIRTE), an advanced research initiative sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), aims to develop prototype simulation training systems for deployed amphibious forces. These training systems will provide the opportunity to refresh team skills and will include various environmental conditions that may impact the training exercises.

VIRTE will incorporate many technologies into the development of these amphibious forces training systems. This paper will be concerned with development and integration of Computer Generated Forces as teammates (Synthetic Agents) and an intelligent tutoring system (Instructional Agent). Synthetic Agents (SAs) provide the capability to replace individual crewmembers in training scenarios. Synther technology creates an atmosphere where the entire crew need not be present in order for one or more crewmembers to participate in meaningful training. Automated instruction, a key feature of the VIRTE program, is accomplished via intelligent tutoring. The Instructional Agent (IA) monitors trainee behavior and performance, assesses trainee actions, and provides after action review of trainee performance. VIRTE advances the current state of human behavior representation by integrating these powerful tools to emulate human operators and instructors with technology that uses artificial intelligence to simulate human reasoning.

Synthetic and Instructional Agents will be applied to virtual training platforms of the Navy's Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicle and the Marine Corps' Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV). The model development process of the SA and IA will be discussed. This paper will discuss agent development, progress achieved, anticipated challenges, and plans for performance evaluations.