Peter Roberts

How To Train A Military

Government EN ↓ 28 episodes

Training a military force is a proposition unlike the one faced by other civil organisations: It has to prepare people to perform in the chaos and turmoil of battle – even simple tasks like making deliveries or baking bread become very different in the face of artillery fire or roadside bombs. It’s not just about mental pressure and physical discomfort, it is about facing death while doing the mundane and business-as-usual tasks. It is, perhaps, the greatest test of humans and has always been so. As military training has evolved (along with the force it enables), so have the opportunities in t...

Author

Peter Roberts

Episodes

Simulation has changed military training. A lot. 18.04.2023 34:10

When militaries started using simulators back in the 1930s, live training remained the priority. Things have reversed now where live training opportunities seem to be few and far between. Most militaries seem to have adopted the strategy of General Charles Krulak USMC who, in the 1990s, purchased commercially available gaming equipment to hone his troops decision-making under pressure. Today, as e...

Training for lethality, readiness and deterrence 04.04.2023 31:42

Former UK Chief of Defence Staff General David Richards talks to Peter Roberts about how important training is in generating a capable and lethal military force, and whether technology can substitute for live field exercises. General David's former experiences in integrating computers and simulation into training and education is illuminating, but comes with a warning that simulation alone cannot...

Trailer episode: Why now and why is this an important conversation? 28.03.2023 8:48

Military training budgets are getting hot in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Holding big live exercises is expensive. Very expensive. And as military budgets are increasingly under pressure from over budget equipment costs, and pay rises for service personnel, cuts to the training budgets look like easy 'savings'. But there isnt much evidence that postponing exercises or curtailing them can do any...