page_title: Mounted Warfare TestBed
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Mounted Warfare TestBed / History
caption_attribution_description: Staff of the Mounted Warfare TestBed
context_page_description: Mounted Warfare TestBed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was the premier site for distributed simulation experiments in the US Army for over 20 years. It used simulation systems, including fully manned virtual simulators and computer-generated forces, to perform experiments that examined current and future weapon systems, concepts, and tactics.
  "In name only, Cyberspace had its origins in science fiction: its historical beginnings and technological innovations are clearly military..." - James der Derian, Antidiplomacy
context_section_description: The MWTB started as the initial site of the SIMNET-D  program in 1986.  SIMNET-D was a spinoff of the SIMNET  program, which was the first successful program to use low-cost computers to construct virtual simulators whose resources were distributed rather than centralized.  These M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley simulators, along with the Semi-Automated Forces simulation and the Management Command and Control (MCC) system, allowed the creation of a realistic battlefield where participants could actively fight an enemy using current systems in real time.
  The first MWTB site manager, Dick Garvey, established a strong focus on measurement of battlefield effects from Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulation.  This was in marked contrast with the then-prevalent approach of using highly scripted, closed-form simulations, where the outcome was defined by the scenario designer.  HITL provided an opportunity to evaluate new systems and concepts whose application was not yet fully understood.
  With an enthusiastic embrace of technical innovation and a lean management style, the site carried Garvey's initial philosophy to establish many of the concepts and techniques for experimentation using distributed simulation.
caption: 1996 Staff of the Mounted Warfare TestBed
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