Since the day I relieved CAPT Arnie Lotring as Commanding Officer, Naval Submarine School, I have been overwhelmed and delighted on a daily basis by the technology and the innovation found across our schoolhouse. But of course, there is a more traditional element found everywhere in the Navy - and especially here - that is even more valuable to us than quality technology - quality people. The instructors here at Submarine School are the foundation upon which we continue to build tomorrow's Submarine Force, and providing these quality people with the best tools to educate our Sailors will always be the center of my focus. 

Naval Submarine School currently has more instructional technology per square foot than many colleges and universities, but we are far more than the sum of all our tools. Learning technology is worth nothing without a dedicated staff to assure it's used to its best effect to develop, maintain, and elevate a consistent level of educational excellence. 

There is a pattern to how we evaluate technology in the classroom here. First, an instructor asks, "How much can this improve learning?" Then, "How much can this improve learning tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?" Our instructors are constantly answering that question by designing and refining new applications and trainers, which result in faster, cheaper, and better learning. And then the questioning process begins again. Ultimately, this process fuels our continuing quest to develop and deploy the next generation of learning technologies. 

I hope that with this initial - and interim - report on the training revolution at Submarine School, I can offer an overview of the trends and technologies making a difference throughout the Submarine Force. In this, and subsequent updates, I'm confident that you too will be both overwhelmed and delighted by our commitment to innovative training and learning.

Advanced Automated Electronic Classrooms - The Heart of Sub School
Today's technology enables students to have individual, tailored instruction beyond what is traditionally found in a conventional teacher-student relationship. Technology provides students access to a wide variety of reference materials to solve problems on a computer desktop. In terms of numbers and geography, web-based instruction can reach an even wider audience than any teacher could before. It's a matter of selecting the best tools and the best instructional strategies to suit each task.

At the heart of Submarine School are our Advanced Automated Electronic Class-rooms (AECs), which were provided by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA 92L). The AECs are used throughout the organization, from the introductory Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS) through the Submarine Officer Advanced Course (SOAC). In the Submarine Officer Warfare Center, AECs provide commissioned students with information never before available in the classroom. An in-house electronic library provides access to every tactical, technical, and administrative publication students need, and it even offers a search capability. 

Access to the Secret Internet Protocol Routing Network (SIPRNET) creates even more avenues for learning. With SIPRNET, a submarine can get new orders during a deployment, and then prepare for an entirely different tactical situation or operational environment without having to return home. By using SIPRNET-based training, the crew has access to the latest possible information because it is constantly being updated in real time by the Submarine School staff, who essentially become an extension of the submarine's crew. 

For enlisted training, the need for electronic classrooms resulted from the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM). IETMs have rapidly evolved from mere documents to actual software, containing embedded training, in addition to traditional technical data. Sailors use IETMs to learn equipment operation and maintenance procedures in their classrooms, exactly as they will perform them in the fleet. 

Throughout Submarine School, electronic classrooms are used to supplement and replace older and more expensive trainers. Computer-based Submarine On Board Training (SOBT) products are already in use for various classes. BESS students routinely spend after-hours time at their AEC stations working with the Virtual Interactive Shipboard Instructional Tour (VISIT) program.

In the foreground, Submarine School instructor LT Rob Mangiafico sits at the console while LTJG Dan Williamson trains with the Virtual Environment for Submarine (VESUB) training simulator from inside a mock submarine sail. Alongside is LT Anthony Jones, another instructor as Submarine School.

VISIT- A Virtual Tour Through a 688I
Basic Enlisted Submarine School makes extensive use of VISIT, which resulted from a cooperative effort between the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) and Submarine School. Essentially, it's the presentation of an Improved Los Angeles-class submarine (688I) in virtual reality. NAWCTSD has photo-graphed panoramic views of more than 60 locations throughout the sub's interior, including all decks in the forward compartment. Sailors use VISIT to learn the location of damage control equipment, spaces, and major systems. With a mouse or a keypad, Sailors can familiarize themselves with an area by viewing a complete picture of the compartment as it appears on the screen. And to learn more about a specific component, the Sailor moves the cursor on the image and a computer-generated voice describes the item. Each Sailor views the submarine at an individual workstation, working at his own pace. He can also see a diagram of the entire submarine, so he understands his visual context at all times. VISIT also creates individual training exercises for Sailors to accomplish. 

After an initial orientation, a student is tested by "walking" through his virtual submarine to find specific equipment. Resembling a video game, VISIT can be configured to varying levels of difficulty from easy, to medium, to hard, to "I built the ship." Instructors monitor each workstation from the front of the classroom, which has a large-screen monitor for giving group instruction as the need arises. The fleet benefits from VISIT by reducing submarine qualification periods by up to one-third (from 12 to eight months), thus providing the fleet a better-trained crew faster, and at lower cost. 

Interactive courseware and other computer-based training enhance comprehension and often reduce training time. Use of PC-based simulation results in significant cost savings over legacy trainers that use actual equipment components. Computers can also simulate a variety of equipment configurations, and the simulation software may be rapidly upgraded to keep pace with equipment in the fleet.

Submarine On Board Training Reduces Training Time 
SOBT continues to develop Interactive Multimedia Instruction (IMI) to support submarine training needs. This IMI software, delivered to the submarines in the form of compact discs, currently provides training in submarine qualifications - both officer and enlisted - including Watch Station Qualification; Engineering Training; Sonar, Combat Systems and Communications; Basic Seamanship; Navigation; and General Military Training. With the incorporation of SOBT into Submarine School, these same products can now be utilized and reinforced during schoolhouse training. In some instances, SOBT products will reduce the amount of time Sailors spend at shore training facilities.

In support of distance learning, Submarine School's on-line courses, which are available through the SIPRNET, can be downloaded and utilized by shipboard personnel. And to facilitate this, SOBT products are being converted from existing IMI products to Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML), which allows them to be utilized independent of the computer operating system. Moreover, conversion to HTML has actually reduced the overall size of SOBT products to speed downloading and use. The ongoing conversion effort will eventually populate the Submarine School SIPRNET site with all SOBT courseware.

LTJG Nigel Sealy, an instructor at the Basic Enlisted Submarine School, uses the Virtual Inter-active Shipboard Instructional Tour (VISIT) trainer.	Students often spend after-hours time working at their Advanced Electronic Classroom (AEC) stations working with the VISIT program.

"Due to limited time at sea and infrequent visits to foreign ports, VESUB is essential to allow OODs an opportunity to practice these scenarios safely and 
free of other operational commitments."

Learning Management System - The Future of Computer-Based Training 
There will soon be a new SOBT Catalog where Sailors will not only be able to launch courseware, but also to order replacement compact discs. And with the implementation of the Learning Management System (LMS), student information about completing SOBT modules will be transferred through the SIPRNET to assist in planning their future progress. Our Submarine Officer Warfare Center has already hosted a prototype of the LMS designed to facilitate professional development. We developed learning plans that included the curriculum of officer pipeline courses, qualification cards, and professional development for collateral duties assigned to the typical junior officer. These learning plans are linked to training activities that provide the skills necessary for successful job performance. The LMS is already used to deliver training content to our AECs in the Submarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC), and our vision is to expand LMS to the SIPRNET site for use around the globe. 

In conjunction with the Advanced Processor Build-Tactical (ABT-T) Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) fire control system, LMS will be installed onboard submarines, and crews will receive specialized computer-based training - delivered and tracked with LMS - accessible over the ship's LAN. Then, using SIPRNET connectivity, LMS content and performance data will be updated and maintained by the Submarine Officer Warfare Center staff. 

The capabilities of the LMS will include delivery of computer-based training, scheduling, tracking and recording of all training activities, and producing comprehensive reports on the training and qualification of personnel at all levels. Future innovations are targeted for developing enlisted training profiles and authoring instructional materials.

InTrain Answers Concerns About Computer-Based Training 
Common complaints about computer- based training focus on the lack of relevance and currency of the content. Using a courseware-authoring tool called InTrain, instructors are creating adaptive, interactive courseware for use by both in-house students and Sailors onboard ships. InTrain sends out its content within applets, so anyone accessing the SIPRNET can take a course. Additionally, InTrain can work within a computerized LMS, so courses can be given almost entirely by computer. This is ideal for introductory sequences, where students are able to learn at their own pace. 

The same computer-based training content can be altered and delivered to other audiences with minimal effort. For instance, a basic sonar theory course, authored for SOBC students, can be reused for review by SOAC students. Changes to the material are easy to make in response to updates in tactical guidance or from lessons learned. InTrain provides easily developed computer-based instruction that challenges each Sailor, yet leaves no one behind.

VESUB Simulates Actual Foreign Ports with 3-D Views, Speech Recognition 
While VISIT illustrates how the waterfront benefits from schoolhouse innovation, the Virtual Environment for Submarine (VESUB) module for training in ship-handling and piloting takes advantage of actual operational experience to enhance training. 

Simulators exist for training Simulators exist for training submarine piloting teams, but offer no harbor or channel ship-handling training for an Officer Of the Deck (OOD). Before VESUB, such training could take place only on the job, but VESUB changes all of this, allowing junior officers to learn in a realistic computer-generated environment. 

Utilizing digital imagery, 360-degree 3-D views, speech recognition software, and the representation of four fully-detailed ports, VESUB is an excellent tool to teach our junior officers basic shiphandling skills. They can also hone more advanced skills like contact management, accounting for set and drift, and getting into and out of a busy port. 

Due to limited time at sea and infrequent visits to foreign ports, VESUB is essential to allow OODs an opportunity to practice these scenarios safely and free of other operational commitments. Placing students in a mock-up of the bridge of a submarine, immersing them in a realistic virtual reality world, and requiring them to act as if on watch, VESUB brings a level of training simulation that is unparalleled in the Submarine Force. The head-mounted display provides a 360-degree view of a simulated harbor that contains all of the visual cues associated with harbor and channel navigation. This view can be switched from the ship's own bridge to a binocular view, and students can hear harbor sounds such as wind, waves, and navigational cues. Voice recognition and speech synthesis software enables a student to interact with a computer-generated navigator, helmsman, and engineering officer of the watch. 

Commanding officers have the ability to train all of their OODs, while evaluating these watchstanders in stressful situations. The voice recognition software forces students to learn how to speak calmly and clearly, reinforcing good watchstanding habits. VESUB allows young officers to try out an idea or plan, without fear of damaging their submarine. The option to insert casualties and man-overboard scenarios allows for unprecedented training in these venues. With realistic ports - actual navigational aids, turn bearings, and pilot techniques are modeled in the trainer - officers can get an outstanding "feel" for a port that can be transferred directly to future real-world operations in that location. Since more port simulations are in preparation, VESUB will allow submarines to practice entering other foreign ports many times before actually doing so on deployment. VESUB is actually learning-by-doing, but when a student makes a mistake, the program is simply reset, and the consequences of a misstep in the real world are avoided.

SUBSKILLSNET 2.5 Offers a Variety of New Training Opportunities 
The Submarine Skill-training Network (SUBSKILLSNET) is rooted very much in the real world but harnesses the possibilities of simulators to create a training-friendly virtual reality. SUBSKILLSNET is PC-based, using networked computers to simulate an actual submarine navigation environment. Version 2.5, installed here in June 2001, includes simulators for periscope, radar, and surface bridge views, as well as a variety of other attack-center controls and displays.

The original network, which linked several laptops for training while at sea, was designed for SOBT by NAWCTSD in Orlando. Submarine School initially adopted the trainer as a temporary replacement for the Submarine Piloting and Navigation (SPAN) trainer during an upgrade slated for next summer, and also as a tool for training specific watchstanders in a one-on-one environment. Its cost is far less than that of a typical hard-mounted, equipment-oriented tactical trainer. Future software upgrades will incorporate more realistic scenarios and additional harbor databases. Additionally, this upgrade will add to the number and type of navigation aids and better define land areas for each specific port. With these additions and enhanced visual simulation, SUBSKILLSNET will continue to add to its overall value and usefulness to the fleet. 

When used to train Sailors ranging from A- school through Prospective Commanding Officer classes, SUBSKILLSNET is an exceptional tool for the Submarine Force. It allows for an isolated OOD station, thus bringing greater realism into the training scenario. And by using wo periscopes, a Sailor can navigate and perform contact coordination at the same time. This team training capability is a major improvement over the current SPAN trainer, which is limited to only one periscope. Other improvements include the BQN-17 fathometer and WRN-6 GPS simulations, which are almost identical - visually and functionally - to the actual gear. 

Join the Training Revolution 
I noted at the beginning that this is my initial report on our efforts here at Submarine School. It is not intended to be exhaustive, and it's more a point paper than a white paper. I promise to offer further reports on our efforts here in future issues of UNDERSEA WARFARE Magazine.

If this article seems to be equal parts reporting and recruitment, I confess that it was by design. I spoke of quality people earlier, and I have to admit we're looking for more to join our ranks right now. Submarine School staffing levels are half of what they were a decade ago, while our daily student population has peaked at about 2,000. In order to continue producing world-class Sailors for the 21st century Navy, Submarine School needs to attract motivated individuals who really want to make a difference - I am aggressively seeking those individuals right now. I'm hoping to attract leaders who will not only educate, but will continue Submarine School's tradition of invention and innovation, so that decades from now it will still be the Center of Training Excellence for the U.S. Submarine Force.

Departing Submarine School CO Honored CAPT Arnold O. Lotring (left) was recently relieved by CAPT Bill Hanson as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Submarine School. During the change of command ceremony, Lotring was praised for his efforts by ADM Richard W. Mies, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Strategic Command. "Arnie Lotring has kept the Submarine School at the technological forefront," Mies said. "We have the best trained, best prepared, most capable Sailors in the world because of this school." During his two years as commanding officer, CAPT Lotring installed 23 electronic classrooms, implemented a new class instructor course, and established the Submarine Officer Warfare Center. Furthermore, officer retention increased from 21 to 50 percent, and enlisted retention reached 73 percent - 24 percent higher than the fleet average. "I want to tell you what has been going on in my school," Lotring commented during the ceremony. "Simply stated: Change. Dramatic change. To some, shocking change. Teachers here have taken charge… they came up with a plan and executed [it]. They boldly challenged the status quo." CAPT Lotring is currently serving as a member of the Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Table of Contents