YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the introduction of a new interactive shooting simulator, the MILO Range.

The MILO Range is a weapons simulator that offers customizable simulations to deliver safe and realistic training options. The simulator has the ability to display mission specific scenarios ranging from street encounters with violent suspects to reality based scenarios.

“The old system was unreliable, used fake weapons and used undependable Bluetooth technology,” said Gunners Mate Petty Officer 1st Class Gasper Pena, CFAY command armorer. “The new system uses real weapons that look the same, they weigh the same, they sound the same and they act the same.”

Members from CFAY’s Security Department said the new simulator offers more options than the previous one.

“We have a myriad of options; we can actually build scenarios,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Lucian King, armory leading chief petty officer. “We can video tape our live scenarios and build simulated scenarios from those into this system.”

The new system provides a variety of uses for CFAY’s security with multiple scenarios.

“The MILO Range has over 900 different scenarios,” said Pena. “The system that we use here is for sustaining qualifications for our small arms program as well as target analysis and quick draw techniques.”

Sailors also said the MILO Range allows CFAY to reduce costs associated with live fire ammunition.

“The biggest advantage to the firearms training simulator is that every simulated shot down range is money we did not spend on ammunition,” said Pena. “We can save $50,000-$80,000 a year by using this system opposed to live ammunition.”

In addition to saving money on ammunition, the MILO Range allows Sailors to train with variety.

“We also benefit from not getting stuck training on paper targets,” said Pena. “This system allows us to simulate real world scenarios.”

CFAY’s Command Master Chief, Master Chief Derek Mullenhour, said he was impressed with the new range.

“I was very impressed with the MILO’s realism and accuracy,” said Mullenhour. “Using actual weapons and the huge volume of available scenarios was equally impressive; you can conduct scenarios in the dark just as you would in the evening on patrol.”

Mullenhour said he feels the MILO Range is a huge benefit to CFAY.

“Allowing security teams across the installation to use the MILO for sustainment training with little to no cost is amazing,” said Mullenhour. “It often takes time and money to keep security teams qualified to do their job; the MILO will help eliminate that while giving teams the opportunity to train like it is the real thing.”

For 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.