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U.S. troops in Iraq are receiving a convoy ambush simulator for their personal computers.
Put together in about six months by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, "DARWARS Ambush!" is based on Operation Flashpoint, a best selling commercial first-person-shooter game. The project began in March, and was field-tested in September by an Army combat unit deploying to Iraq.
The Army already has elaborate convoy trainers, such as Humvee mock-ups. However, big hunks of machinery at Fort Hood, Texas, don't help an infantry battalion in Iraq practice its skills in the field. A modified computer game may not be fancy, but at least a truck driver with a laptop can use it in his tent.
The goal is to mentally prepare soldiers for ambushes, rather than teaching them specific driving or shooting skills, said Ralph Chatham, director of...