JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
As adversaries evolve, maintaining mission readiness requires service members to continually adapt and refine essential warfighting skills. The Engagement Skills Trainer program provides service members the opportunity to practice marksmanship and prepare for weapons qualification in a virtual environment, reinforcing combat readiness before live-fire training.
The Engagement Skills Trainer, or EST, is a U.S. Army program that has expanded to support all Department of Defense branches. Built on a commercial system, the program simulates a virtual battlespace where service members conduct weapons training in a controlled environment.
Because the EST is an authorized training system, instructors can modify scenarios and preset ranges to meet unit requirements. Participants can refine marksmanship skills before completing Combat Arms Training and Maintenance on a live-fire range.
According to Thomas Lindemann, Army Support Activity installation and training support officer, the program includes replicas of approximately 90% of the Army’s small-arms inventory, enabling preparation for a wide range of weapons qualifications.
“When you go to basic training, you don’t get the time needed to actually practice with the weapon since it’s a short period,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathan Espinosa, 119th Inland Cargo Transfer Company heavy wheeled vehicle operator. “This program gives us the time to make them [service members] successful when they go to a range and receive better qualifications.”
The EST is available to all service branches at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Units can access the Training Support Center outside normal operating hours by scheduling through the Range Facility Management Support System website or by contacting facility staff.
“Last year we supported Training and Doctrine Command, they were sponsoring a Schützenschnur, a German weapons proficiency test, with the German military stationed here on JBLE, said Linderman. “They gave us the German firing tables, and we duplicated that within the EST system.”
In recent years, the Army implemented updated standards requiring soldiers to complete CATM twice annually, increasing demand for supplemental training tools. The EST program continues to support readiness by providing service members additional opportunities to build proficiency before live-fire qualification.