Marines will be using a new simulated mortar and recoilless rocket trainer that could help to protect them from exposure to heavy blasts as concerns over brain injuries from even routine military training have grown.
The Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, which is currently in use at five Marine Corps bases across the world, allows troops to practice firing the weapons without being exposed to what is called blast overpressure, the shock wave from munitions that is linked to the injuries.
Earlier last month — before the Marine Corps’ simulator announcement — the Pentagon issued a new policy to track and reduce the risks of blast exposure among service members following pressure from Congress. Previous Military.com reporting showed that traumatic brain injuries have been linked to suicide among veterans and that for years the Department of Defense had effectively ignored the issue.
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“Risk reduction is another positive effect of using virtual systems in advance of live training as it allows individual Marines and crews to hone their drills and weapons handling procedures,” Morgan Blackstock, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Systems Command, told Military.com on Monday.
“The fact that using these virtual systems does not introduce additional blast overpressure, or other safety hazards, is a positive byproduct of the technology used,” she…
