An Examination of Options to Reduce Underway Training Days Through the Use of Simulation

Constrained budgets and increasing costs have forced the U.S. Navy to search for ways to reduce the annual operating costs of the fleet. One expensive driver of those costs is underway training of surface combatant ship crews. Focusing on the DDG-51 Arleigh Burkeclass of surface combatants, RAND examines whether and how increased use of simulators could be substituted for underway training without any decrease in readiness.The U.S. Navy is looking for ways to reduce the annual operating costs of the fleet. RAND examines whether and how an increased use of simulators could reduce costly underway training days for DDG-51class ships while sustaining readiness.