Military Metaverse Could Add To Nation’s Defense Abilities

The United States Marine Corps (USMC), the nation’s maritime land force, is testing the metaverse to train its personnel. Military.com, a US military news provider, reported that CGI Federal Inc., an information technology (IT) company, is helping them to leverage the technology. 

Moreover, the report clarifies that it is different from the notion that tech giant Meta Platforms presented during their rebranding in 2021.

Military Metaverse Nascent Too

CGI’s vice president for emerging technologies Victor Foulk told Military.com, “We’re focused on bridging the real and the surreal a little more closely.” Currently, they are still in a development phase which requires scanning and replicating the objects, and their integration with real-world mechanics, physics, and geolocation.

Horace Blackman, CGI Senior Vice-President, Defense, Intelligence and Space, says “We believe that the combined power of the Metaverse and military logistics systems will revolutionize the way defense organizations train, strategize, and prepare for future challenges, and set the bar for other federal agencies.”

The operations officer for Blount Island Command in Florida, Major Jeff Plateen told Military.com “Everything’s too far apart to really consolidate our assets as we set the theater.” Adding that, “So we need a way for local commanders to be able to see where their items are, what is coming to them … [and] how those items are loaded.” Moreover, the simulated environment will test logistics before moving on to other military areas.

In September, Defense News, a global news website and magazine, reported that German startups were helping their military with the metaverse. They had built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance autonomy and self-learning. Moreover, the German military funded the idea in the form of a COVID-19 subsidy package worth $540 Million.

Technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and more are considered gateways to the metaverse. Recently, Ohio State announced that they will train first responders for emergencies. This would allow them to experience real-world situations through simulations.

Head mounted devices (HMDs) could make their way to professionals before entering the mainstream, experts believe. This means areas like military, healthcare, science, and more may get their hands on the products initially.

As of now, the global metaverse market is valued at 82 Billion according to the data aggregator platform Statista. The number is estimated to reach 936 Billion by 2030. A military metaverse could differ from the one envisioned by Mark Zuckerberg. The reason is that a potential connection between a ‘civilian metaverse’ and a ‘military metaverse’ could lead bad actors to threaten cyber security.

Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.