XR Medical Simulation Training for the Future of Warfare: The Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) Program

In future all-domain combat operations against near-peer competitors, efforts to achieve the "Golden Hour" are likely to be overwhelmed by casualty counts incurred from the use of highly effective weaponry employed by nations on a scale not seen in recent decades. Thus, achieving optimal survivability and recovery under combat situations requires training a significantly larger proportion of warfighting personnel in stabilizing and temporizing medical techniques and protocols in order to extend the "Golden Hour" for as long as possible. Here, we discuss ongoing efforts to develop and sustain such capabilities though the United States Air Force-funded Virtual Advancement of Learning for Operational Readiness (VALOR) program, a large-scale XR for medical simulation training research program with detail on successes and opportunities for future improvement in achieving the overall programmatic goals of improved realism, increased flexibility, and reduced cost for XR medical simulation training.