SPARTAN II: An Instructional High Resolution Land Combat Model

This project improved SPARTAN, a high resolution land combat model demonstrator. SPARTAN was originally developed as a hands-on trainer for land combat modeling students because there were no models specifically designed to teach the analysts how the models function. SPARTAN is built to demonstrate the techniques used in the current generation of US Army high resolution models. Like the original, the model is primarily a small scale attrition (both direct and indirect fire) model. The model represents 12 soldiers involved in the following processes: target search, target selection, direct fire engagement, indirect fire engagement, movement, reaction to fire, obstacle breaching, and some elements of command and control. The emphasis on model development was to keep the logic simple, yet accurately portray current high resolution modeling techniques as used in the more capable models, JANUS and the Combined Arms and Support Task force Evaluation Model (CASTFOREM). SPARTAN contains numerous features that allow the user to observe, in great detail, how the model represents the various activities of the soldiers. An educational assessment of the model was performed by students and faculty at the Air Force Institute of Technology.