Rheinmetall digitizes the German Training Center: A model for Infantry and Cavalry Schools

The German Ministry of Defense has entrusted Rheinmetall with the modernization of the Gefechtsübungszentrum Heer (GÜZ), the main combat training center for ground forces in Saxony-Anhalt. The contract, worth approximately 61 million euros gross, is part of the “Digitalisierung Landbasierte Operationen” (D-LBO) program and aims to bring the facility to the same digital level as operational units. The first activities are expected by the end of 2025, with integration completion at the beginning of 2028.

The project involves the integration of the Bundeswehr's new digital radio system, so that the same technologies used in operations are also employed during training. All data generated by the command and control systems (Battle Management System) must be viewable and analyzable in the exercise control center, allowing instructors and controllers to follow in real-time the movements, decisions, and engagements of the units.

To support this leap in quality, the IT infrastructure of the GÜZ will be profoundly renewed, with servers and networks redesigned to handle a large amount of voice, data, and video. A key element is the creation of a new broadband network based on 5G technology, which will ensure coverage and transmission capacity across the entire training area. This will be accompanied by the integration of the “Tactical Core” software from Rheinmetall Blackned with the existing communications network, thus creating a true digital “backbone” of the center.

The GÜZ will thus be able to represent not only voice and position, as it already does, but also the entire command and control cycle, including the digital processes that are part of the Sitaware Frontline and HQ systems. The exercises will therefore be accompanied by much richer after action reviews, based on objective data related to movements, orders, reaction times, and coordination between units.

According to Rheinmetall, this modernization will durably strengthen the training and command capabilities of both the Bundeswehr and NATO partners, transforming the Altmark area into a digitally advanced and strongly multinational training environment.

The Italian realities: Infantry School and Cavalry School

In Italy, a central role in the training of ground forces is played by the Training Regiment of the Infantry School, based in Cesano di Roma. It is organized into two battalions, the 1st “M.O. Vannucci” and the 2nd “M.O. Fasil”, which are responsible for the training of volunteers on fixed-term service (VFP1) and infantry personnel from the units. The Regiment also takes care of the updating and specialization of Officers from the Military Academy (including direct appointments) and Non-Commissioned Officers, as well as the retraining of VFP4 personnel. An additional task, particularly sensitive in the current transformation context, is the selection and training of VSP and VFP4 personnel destined to serve as instructors in the RAV and in the same Infantry School.

The Cavalry School, based in Lecce, is the reference institute for the training and specialization of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Volunteers of the Cavalry Corps. Equipped with its own General Staff and a Training Regiment, the School serves as the armored-blind hub of the Army, concentrating courses for Officer Cadets and Warrant Officers, as well as qualification and updating paths for permanent and fixed-term personnel, particularly in the use of armored and armored vehicles. The Institute also preserves the Standard of the Cavalry Corps, decorated with an Italian Military Order and a Gold Medal for Military Valor, symbolizing the link between tradition and innovation.

These two structures represent the heart of advanced training for infantry and cavalry, and for this reason, they can greatly benefit from a comparison with the German digitalization model.

From GÜZ to Italian Schools: possible transfer lines

The GÜZ experience offers some concrete insights that could be adapted to the realities of Cesano and Lecce. First of all, the creation of fully instrumented training areas, where departments, vehicles, and individual soldiers are equipped with sensors and terminals connected to command and control systems, would allow instructors to follow not only the maneuver on the ground but also the flow of orders and cooperation between units. The ability to review the exercise through tracks, timelines, and communication recordings would make the after action review more objective and effective.

A second axis concerns network infrastructures. The experimentation of 5G or equivalent solutions on training areas would allow simulating scenarios characterized by high data density – from the use of drones and advanced sensors to the exchange of images and videos – bringing basic and advanced training closer to the real conditions of the contemporary battlefield. In parallel, the use in Schools of the same C2 systems present in operational units would ensure consistency between what is learned in the classroom and what is used in the field.

Finally, the dimension of multinational interoperability and that of instructor training gain decisive weight. Configuring Italian infrastructures to facilitate joint training with allied armies – adopting shared standards for data, procedures, and communications – would mean projecting the Infantry School and Cavalry School into an increasingly central role within the NATO system. At the same time, investing in the preparation of instructors as true “digital multipliers”, capable of integrating IT systems, tactical networks, and data analysis into the training process, would allow transforming digitalization from a simple technological update to a real educational quality leap.

The modernization of the GÜZ demonstrates that training digitalization is now an integral part of combat preparation. For the Italian Infantry and Cavalry Schools, looking at this model means seizing the opportunity to align their training system with the needs of today's and tomorrow's battlefield, while at the same time strengthening interoperability with European and NATO allies.