EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A 412th Security Forces Squadron Airman recently used his film-making background to enhance training at the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, CATM, on Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Staff Sgt. Charles Spellman, 412th SFS Standardization and Evaluations, saw a way to improve the Multiple Interactive Learning Objectives (MILO) simulator by incorporating scenarios filmed on-location into the MILO software.
“I’ve always found it interesting to be able to incorporate film into our Defender training as best as we can,” Spellman said. “We live in a very modern age of society where everything is on (social media), so however we can incorporate a video medium into our training, makes things a lot easier.”
MILO is a training simulator at the CATM that utilizes live-action video to help Defenders build and strengthen muscle memory instincts so that when it's time to act, they can remember what they've learned and make the best decisions they can.
“Training is important because we want our Defenders to have access to the most realistic training that we can get without actually putting them in harm’s way because with our Security Forces, it’s not a matter of if, it is a when,” said Spellman.
MILO allows training managers to develop unique situations that can be digitally recorded and submitted. This allows trainers to construct simulated circumstances at particular sites or facilities throughout the 412th Test Wing allowing defenders to practice for actual events. Spellman used base videography services to film the action at certain locations, including branching scenario outcomes.
The former film student then used his knowledge of film-editing software to tailor the videos into the training objectives. Spellman explained that filming at actual Edwards AFB locations makes the training more immersive by allowing Defenders to see the place where they might run into a situation. First responders have to be ready to handle any situation when they get there.
“That’s what these scenarios are designed for,” Spellman said. “It’s to be able to put you in the shoes of your Defender who’s at an entry control point or out on a patrol, and be able to see the place that their going to potentially run into a scenario and then run with it…We want them to have as much access to these as possible.”
Spellman added that having the knowledge base of film editing will improve the MILO training experience by enabling operators to update and include different scenarios with emerging threats as they see fit.