Armed Forces: Training
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 68 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what plans he has to supplement live training with virtual training environments for the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones
All of the service commands have plans to supplement live training with virtual training environments.
The Royal Navy’s SPARTAN programme aims at modernising and improving the delivery of Royal Navy Collective Training from unit to Joint Battle Staff level through an enhanced Live-Virtual-Constructive simulation approach that incorporates the use of virtual training environments.
The British Army has detailed plans to supplement live training with virtual training environments as part of a balanced and evidence-based approach. This is part of an integrated approach through its Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP).
The RAF uses blended live and virtual training as a matter of routine. The RAF’s Gladiator Distributed Synthetic Training Capability is already delivering for Air personnel and its potential to help integrate across the war-fighting domains is now being pursued.
The benefits of the appropriate usage of virtual training environments to supplement live training are clear although the blend varies on a case-by-case basis.
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