A senior Royal Air Force officer recently delivered a striking observation about the evolving nature of warfare, suggesting that the decisive battles of the future might unfold not across physical landscapes but within the intricately constructed realms of virtual and augmented reality. According to this vision, the outcomes of future conflicts may be determined in digital simulations long before any soldier sets foot on an actual battlefield. The statement underscores a profound transformation in military thinking: success will hinge not merely on assembling vast fleets of tanks or advanced fighter jets but on excelling in the mastery of modeling, simulation, and rapid learning cycles. In essence, the armed forces that can absorb lessons more swiftly, adapt to emerging challenges faster, and test strategies in synthetic environments could secure victory before a single missile is launched in the real world.
Air Vice-Marshal James Beck, who serves as the Royal Air Force’s Director of Capabilities and Programs, articulated this strategic shift during a recent discussion. He emphasized that it is entirely plausible for future wars to be “won and lost in the synthetic environment,” with actual combat serving only as physical validation of decisions already refined in virtual space. The comment reflects the growing importance militaries around the globe now place on innovation, data analytics, and digital experimentation as the foundations of strategic advantage.
This reorientation is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened international concern. The United Kingdom, much like many of its European allies, remains deeply wary of Russia and its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Beck described Russia as the UK’s “pacing threat”—the benchmark adversary whose capabilities and aggressions drive British defense modernization—and stressed that countering this threat must remain the nation’s primary focus for the foreseeable future. Addressing an audience at the Royal United Services Institute, Beck argued that the UK must adopt a wartime mindset even in peacetime: leaders, planners, and operators should act as though every moment carried the urgency of combat. Within this context, he noted, a substantial portion of the nation’s preparation and experimentation must occur inside the synthetic environment, which will increasingly serve as the testing ground for new defense concepts. The Royal Air Force, he confirmed, intends to remain at the forefront of developing these virtual systems.
Beck also warned that in such a transparent era, assuming one’s military activities remain unobserved is no longer realistic. Both adversaries and allies possess the means to monitor capabilities continuously. “We must assume that our military is being watched all the time,” he said. “They can see what we can do.” This acknowledgment adds urgency to the development of secure but sophisticated training ecosystems that allow the U.K. to innovate behind digital veils.
The concept of the synthetic environment itself refers to an immersive, digitally created network capable of emulating real-world conditions for training, operational planning, and experimentation. The U.K. government has invested heavily in this technology, and the Royal Air Force’s flagship system, known as Gladiator, exemplifies how sophisticated such environments have become. Housed within a dedicated facility, Gladiator enables simulated missions that replicate the complexity of modern warfare across multiple domains. Following its completion, the platform successfully conducted its first significant international exercise in 2023, integrating with advanced aircraft systems such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The seamless connection across platforms allows pilots and commanders to rehearse cooperative maneuvers and test decision-making at unprecedented levels of realism and safety.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, who led the RAF at that time, praised the Gladiator system in early 2023 as a technological leap forward. He explained that it grants military personnel the capacity to trial, test, and refine tactics in a highly secure, interconnected environment spanning all operational spheres—air, space, land, cyber, and sea. Wigston emphasized that these virtual exercises do not aim to supplant live training missions but rather to complement and augment them. In his view, the synthetic space provides an invaluable setting in which the next generation of warfighters can master their craft, preparing them to perform with confidence and precision when circumstances demand real-world action.
Beyond the United Kingdom, similar advances are transforming training doctrines in the United States. The U.S. Army’s Futures Command—later integrated into the Army Training and Doctrine Command—has spearheaded the Synthetic Training Environment initiative, a project designed to fuse realism with versatility. Soldiers have already tested prototype systems, allowing them to practice within digital recreations of aircraft, armored vehicles, and dismounted units. Brigadier General George C. Hackler, who commanded the Army Operational Test Command at the time of a major 2024 evaluation, described how this simulation technology enables diverse teams to hone their skills collectively. The Synthetic Training Environment, he noted, makes it possible to develop tactical proficiency without expending physical resources or exposing personnel to unnecessary danger.
Marwane Bahbaz, the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, elaborated that the goal of the STE initiative is to revolutionize the Army’s approach to preparation by merging live, virtual, constructive, and gaming domains into a single interoperable experience. This interconnected framework delivers a vivid and immersive platform for combat simulation. According to the Army, such training not only significantly reduces wear and tear on valuable military hardware but also allows soldiers and crews to execute high-risk maneuvers—such as aerial combat training or complex ground coordination—with greater assurance and lower cost than real-world exercises can permit.
NATO has recognized the strategic value of synthetic training as well. General Philippe Lavigne, who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, remarked that the Alliance’s Joint Warfare Center has embraced advanced simulation and “360-degree synthetic scenario generation” as part of a broader effort to enhance readiness. In his words, this integration fuses conceptual innovation, wargaming, doctrinal refinement, and experimentation into a holistic process that strengthens NATO’s collective defense posture. The goal, he asserted, is clear: to make NATO more effective by ensuring its forces train seamlessly across both physical and virtual dimensions.
One notable step in this direction is NATO’s Distributed Synthetic Training project, an initiative aimed at connecting the virtual training systems of allied nations to enable joint exercises without the logistical complexity or expense associated with traditional field deployments. This collaborative digital infrastructure allows multinational teams to share scenarios, synchronize responses, and generate a level of global preparedness that would otherwise require massive physical coordination.
Returning to the British perspective, Air Vice-Marshal Beck cautioned that as adversarial technologies—from advanced drones to next-generation missile systems—continue to evolve at unprecedented speed, the UK and its allies must match that tempo of innovation. Constant adaptation, he argued, is essential to sustaining credible deterrence. “We will need to evolve. We will need to deliver more,” he declared, noting that agility and speed must define modern defense development. While the armed forces have already invested heavily in simulated training environments, persisting obstacles such as achieving sufficient realism, ensuring system interoperability, and maintaining security integrity remain formidable challenges. These issues, however, have not discouraged efforts toward modernization.
Beck concluded by stressing that the new Chief of the Air Staff has prioritized precise refinement of existing assets to maximize operational lethality in the near term, while simultaneously accelerating modernization initiatives so that the RAF can maintain credible deterrence into the future. The pace, he insisted, cannot slacken: modernization must occur within this decade. In his final assessment, the most formidable enemy facing the United Kingdom is not another nation’s army or arsenal—but time itself.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/future-wars-perhaps-won-virtual-worlds-only-proven-battle-raf-2025-10
