Lives were saved in this facility through effect force-on-force stress inoculation training.  

"Stress responses were imposed upon the students by overwhelming sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. These responses were then identified through hot washes or debriefings immediately after the force-on-force scenarios.  Tools were then provided to help the students understand and overcome the negative effects of stress.  As a result these warriors would get into the fight quicker, and the artificial "combat" experiences would be retained permanently. This principle based approach increases combat survivability, stimulates cohesion and inspires confidence.  These improved responses resulted in greater overall mission success."  Jager - Founder of the Urban Warfare Center

Training at the Urban Warfare Center was unlike any other place. NO LIVE FIRE all the training is designed to create the most realistic environment possible. Using less than lethal tools and real humans as OPPOSING FORCE (OPFOR) this dynamic facility replicated the real world stress of close quarters fighting.

Range skills are important, but often agencies and the military do not get the stress training required to dominate a violent confrontation. The Urban Warfare Center provided a three dimensional environment that reacted to your decision processes and real-time reactions to threats.

This method of training ingrains lessons learned like no other experience other than the real ones in the field. We wanted to teach these vital lessons before the risk levels were permanent.

Attacking the Five Physical Senses

1. SIGHT - The absence of or light in its extremes are used to overwhelm the sense of vision. The safety gear worn will often fog up, or when hit with paint become milky and unclear. This produces the desired results of confusion. Some people become totally incapacitated while others grab on to a partner and ask “what can I do to help”.

2. SOUND - We use multiple channels of pure high definition sound. As you move from one location to another the sounds shift. Examples are babies crying, Mid East music, dog’s barking, with women screaming and of course the sounds of battle mingled with helicopters. These sounds make it hard to verbally communicate and require units to use hand signals or touch to get the job done.

3. TASTE - This sense is combined with smell in that when they get shot or rocked by the simulators, they can taste the smell, the paint from the rounds and the dirt. All these combine to make life very uncomfortable for an unspecified period of time.

4. TOUCH - Out of all the technologies around for shooting people in less than lethal ways, off the shelve paintball guns with modifications became our premier solution. .68 caliber rounds are large and filled with thick water based paint. When you get hit you know it, and when you shoot another person the big SPLAT, and often the flinch of the person being shot gives you positive feedback that you engaged and hit the target successfully. It is also a clear friendly fire indicator as we use unique colors for good guys and bad guys. The psychological effect of paintball technology is intense. We have fired hundreds of thousands of rounds, and there is nothing that matches its impact on the shooter or the victim. At a cost of a few cents per ball you can’t beat the economics of it either. We have since switched to a clear .68 caliber round as well as .68 caliber rubber balls and Airsoft weapons. VERY effective at confirming shots.

5. SMELL - As specifically produced shotgun shells and simulators explode, the smell of powder, dirt, sweet and debris fill the air. Smell is one of the most powerful reminders of a stressful experience we have had, and we use it.

HOT WASH (DEBRIEFING) AND RESULTS

After the stress has been induced it is time to establish benchmarks for the individuals and teams as a whole. We talk about “how did you feel” during the fight. What physical symptoms did you experience?  Humility is the normal conclusion to the first event. The remainder of the day is spent talking about principles of dominance in the urban setting, then running more scenarios focused on driving home important conclusions related to those very principles they are struggling with. 

An example of a correct principle would be to stay out of “funnels” defined as windows and doorways. We reinforce this principle through firepower. Well placed shots by well trained and ego absent opposing forces (OPFOR) teach the principle clearly. 

As the day progresses so do the missions, until at the end of the day the unit is ready to repeat a mission similar to the first one. 

Because of this unique process of INDUCING, IDENTIFING, and INDOCTRINATING stress, the symptoms and tools to overcome this life threatening condition in battle are retained. Principles learned are retained quicker, and the training cycle is reduced. 

Another important consideration regarding this method of teaching is the fact that Special Operations units will get large doses of stress during selection and subsequent training. This enables them to dominate more quickly on the battlefield and respond with educated motor skills more rapidly to threats. Line soldiers, patrol officers, sailors and airmen do not get the type of training that brings stress levels to the brink of Fight, Flight or Freeze like special operations units do. Therefore they have to learn about these responses in the field and are subject to the “other” forces imposing their will upon them during this learning curve. For units to hit the ground running, they must be stress induced, have the responses identified and be given tools to overcome the negative responses. Furthermore they must build motor skills that reward the proper responses to stress and threats. I.e. engaging and eliminating the threat, taking cover, communicating etc… 

In a very real way we can accomplish in one day what most elite units pride themselves on doing over a sustained period of time. We are never trying to induce stress to “wash” someone out of our program as elite units may be doing out of selection necessity. However, we are heaping large amounts of pressure on them, which will require them to work together or fail. Success is determined by teamwork, communicating, doing your job under pressure, and accomplishing the mission.