“US Navy Strike Group Experience” – Firsthand Look at Navy’s Newest Recruitment Tech
Just North of the National Mall within view of the US capitol lies the US Navy Memorial. Located right next to the entrance to a major metro station, the area around the memorial is usually quite busy, although the installation itself rarely gets much foot traffic. Its entrance is guarded by two masts adorned with maritime signal flags; beyond them lie fountains, reliefs depicting key moments in the Navy’s 250-years history, and a statue of a sailor. The lone seaman looks over the memorial’s tiled floor which is arranged into a polar map projection.
Late in September, things got a bit more lively at the memorial. Braving the rain, dozens of volunteers and sailors set up booths in hope of attracting the next generation of volunteers to man America’s fighting ships. But with VR and free patches, they had a few more tricks up their sleeves than 20th century recruiters. This was one of the first public showings of the Navy’s new mobile “Strike Group” recruitment system.
The first step for anyone hoping to take part in the “US Navy Strike Group Experience” is filling out some personal details in exchange for a plastic dog tag. Next, you’re free to roam around from booth to booth. The first of these, the big attention-grabber, is the flight simulator. After scanning your dog tag, you select a call sign and take off the deck of an aircraft carrier to bomb an enemy target (an undemocratic circle in the sand to be exact). Yet, while the whole seat moves as you fly and stick controls add to the immersion, the simulator can best be compared to a 2005 arcade game rendition of Top Gun Maverick. Another game has you pilot an indestructible boat through choppy waters on the minimum graphics settings. The third and last is a VR experience that allows one to imagine themselves as part of an aircraft carrier’s deck crew. Unfortunately, the software crashed while I was there. Nevertheless, while these “recruitment tools” weren’t the next GTA, they still managed to be fun.
On top of the games, there is short physical challenge where two volunteers hype you up as you try to do as many pushups as you can in 20 seconds and pull a heavy rope as far as you can in twenty seconds. A short quiz recommends you a number of jobs you could have in the Navy such as a “Cryptologist” or “Special Warfare Combat Crewman”. Finally, there is an interactive table where you can learn about various US Navy vessels and the humanitarian operations they’ve been a part of. On top of that, you get a free patch from every booth you visit; this provides some incentive to check out as many as you can.
The big question which kept running through my mind was what was the thought behind the whole event? Certainly, they were looking to recruit, and a follow up email asking me to “see myself as a sailor” underscores that. Yet, I doubt many people would be convinced to enlist after playing some licensed Navy Chuck E. Cheese games. Rather, my guess is that the event may get some people who never seriously thought or considered the Navy to start thinking about it as a potential career path. In this capacity, I can see the “Strike Group Experience” being effective. And finally, as an added bonus, it probably helps boost the Navy’s image with the local community.