This award recognizes those exemplary programs that provide outstanding value to clients. The category includes but is not limited to programs such as:

  • Training as a service,
  • Long-term maintenance,
  • Management of facilities,
  • Exercise support, or
  • Any other long-term service and support arrangement.

The three finalists are:

 

Applied Training Solutions, LLC

DMS-MES M&S Program

The purpose of the Disaster Management Simulation and Media Emulation Software (DMS-MES) Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Program is to provide off-the-shelf and customizable Disaster Management and Media Emulation Software to support M&S for exercises, experiments and training events. It provides USNORTHCOM a simulation capability that enables it to train and exercise with the complete range of organizations that respond to disasters, whether they are within the DoD or external to, for example non-Government organizations (NGO), faith-based organizations, the private sector, and partner nations. The contract vehicle allows the flexibility for organizations with similar exercise programs to pool resources; and the contract vehicle allows partners to access the tools for their own exercise programs, giving them the flexibility to conduct their own exercises separate from USNORTHCOM exercises. Currently, the program supports over 60 exercises/year with ATS’s DMS software suite ATSsim that includes a constructive simulation (Verity), an exercise development, execution and assessment tool (Compass), and a staff training tool (Fusion); with Nusura’s MES software SimulationDeck; and with services to support all of the above. As the DMS-MES M&S program is leased, it enables clients to avoid the cost of ownership, and empowers ATS to ensure the clients always have access to the most effective and cost efficient software. It also allows the client to exercise their training audiences without having to put all the subordinate organizations in the field saving an estimated $70M /year over 60 exercises.

 

CAE

RAAF Hawk Mk 127 Lead-In Fighter Training

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Hawk Mk127 is a lead-in fighter training aircraft that prepares qualified RAAF pilots for conversion to F/A-18F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler and F-35A Lightning II frontline combat aircraft. Three CAE Hawk Mk127 full-mission simulators entered service in late 2016 and early 2017 with one installed at RAAF Base Pearce and two at RAAF Base Williamtown. At the beginning of 2017, Australia’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group awarded CAE Australia a contract to provide comprehensive support and training services for the RAAF’s lead-in fighter training program. Following a growing trend within the Australian Defence Force to make ground-based training delivery an integrated government/industry collaboration, the contract included CAE Australia providing simulator instructors in addition to providing maintenance and support services on the simulators. CAE Australia staff are embedded with RAAF staff from 76SQN at RAAF Base Williamtown, which is the home to the tactical fighter element of the RAAF's Air Combat Group. The team has met their training goals to graduate students from the Introductory Fighter Course, even during a pause in Hawk Mk127 flight operations, required a significant increase in the use of the Hawk simulators. In a certificate of appreciation awarded by Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts, Head of Aerospace Division in June 2019, it was noted that “CAE’s efforts have been outstanding, enabling the continued progression of fast jet students while flight operations were paused”.

 

Conflict Kinetics

Marksmanship and Firearms Training Support

Conflict Kinetics’ technology is rooted in decades of professional sports human performance optimization training techniques and has provided support to warfighters since 2008. When applied and adapted to modern marksmanship, it provides the foundation for an innovative and proven approach to firearms training. Supporting US forces and NATO allies in their missions, Conflict Kinetics has trained over 30,000 Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Sailors, and multinational partners through synthetic programs of instruction (POI). For one training command the Conflict Kinetics training program has maintained an over 98% uptime with zero training days missed since 2015. These training evolutions have accounted for over 9 million rounds fired and the completion of over 970,000 combat marksmanship drills - forcing the warfighters to make over 3 million decisions while under intense physical and mental stress. Throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic the Conflict Kinetics team was designated “Mission Critical” and continued to train warfighters to the tune of over 3,400 shooters trained, over 1.4 million rounds fired, and no missed training days. As expressed by training command's Program Manager, “Conflict Kinetics’ corporate philosophy is ‘We will stop at nothing to support the warfighter’. Unlike most defense companies, Conflict Kinetics really means it and their actions nearly every day embodies it.”

 

MS&T invites all subscribers to vote for their favorite candidate, limited to one voting session per subscriber each program year. The 2020 Winners as selected by MS&T subscribers will be announced in MS&T’s Awards Issue (3), publishing in mid-August and at  https://www.halldale.com/mst-awards-2020.

Click to vote for your choice for winner of each category https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSTAwards2020.

Voting ends on Thursday, July 16, at 9pm UTC/5pm EDT.