Hybrid Live/Virtual TSIS Outlines US Training Procurements

Billions of US greenbacks are up for grabs in the simulation and training domain; the annual Training & Simulation Industry Symposium broke attendance records, reports Chuck Weirauch.

The National Training & Simulation Association’s TSIS 2021 returned “live” at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, but with an option for virtual participation. The combination (800 in person, 250 virtual) exceeded previous events. Adding content were 24 exhibitors displaying products and services.

The event enables opportunities to interact with S&T procurement officials from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and even the Defense Health Agency – including acquisition strategies, timing and funding levels.

JSF Goal: Interoperable

This year’s TSIS featured more participation than in the past by the USAF and USMC.

A late add to the agenda was a presentation by Capt. Robert Betts, Program Manager for the F-35 Training Systems and Simulations Program Management Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense Acquisition (OUSD), JSF.

“The vision of the F-35 Training Systems and Simulation PMO is providing high-end tactical training for our F-35 warfighters in support of global operations, Betts said. “This effort includes basic training through high-end tactical training, with flight simulators and mission rehearsal trainers to deployable mission rehearsal mission trainers. One of our goals is to be interoperable with other platforms’ Distributed Mission Training systems. We have to train in a synthetic environment, and we have to fight together in the next war.”

Betts also pleaded the case for other services and weapons platforms to make use of the JSF Joint Simulation Environment. In this way, they could make use of the development stream for pilot training created for the JSF, rather than having to develop multiple training streams for different aircraft.

USAF: Accelerate Change

Air Force Col. John Kurian, Senior Material Leader, Simulators Division, Agile Combat Support Directorate, highlighted USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown’s messages that ‘we must accelerate change or lose, and that good enough today will fail tomorrow.’

“We have to incorporate change in the form of technological advances provided by industry at a much faster pace than we currently are,” Kurian emphasized. He also discussed efforts to develop the service’s Simulator Common Architecture Requirements and Standards (SCARS) effort, as well as the Air Force Common Synthetic Training Environment (CSTS), to help accelerate the change process, while improving software delivery timelines.

Margaret Merkle, Innovation Technology Chief, Simulators Division, Agile Combat Directorate, described the Air Force’s efforts to compress the amount of time it takes to train pilots while striving to get the same amount of competency. A part of this plan is to shrink the amount of time in schedules where actual training is not taking place, and then steepening learning curves to get the same results in less time.

“We are moving away from less-fidelity systems, where a student has to imagine his or her environment and scenario, and making more use of immersive devices during the times when pilots are not in high-fidelity cockpit trainers, for example,” Merkle said. “We will also have a data training hub in the center that allows interconnectivity between multiple types of devices.”

Kevin McFarland, Acquisition Lead for the Air Force Modeling Simulation Analysis, Architecture and Integration Directorate, described the service’s Common Synthetic Environment, currently under development. He said it is important to create this environment and a consortium with industry help, as there no such interoperable environment for the thousands of Air Force training devices deployed.

Marines: Modernizing Training

Col. Luis Lara, Program Manager for Training Systems at Marine Corps Systems Command, stated that education and training are two of the service’s five priority focus areas as a part of its modernization and transformation efforts. He noted that the Marine Corps is looking for new technologies and innovative approaches, while increasing its portfolio of virtual and constructive simulations.

“Our emphasis is on the Force on Force Training Systems Next contract,” Lara said. “We are also tying into the LVC Training Environment by adopting new technologies. This is being done in cooperation with new processes to problem-solving, with the help of industry partners, to provide the means to master combat readiness. This work advances the Command’s direction to transform our training from industrial age to information age learning.”

Click here to view the 2021 TSIS Contract Opportunities

ADL: Ecosystem

Another organization returning to the TSIS event was the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL). Dr. Laura Milham, Director of Innovation at the ADL Initiative at the Pentagon, provided an overview of the latest effort, which is the building of its Future Learning Ecosystem via its Total Learning Architecture. The goal is to deliver distributed learning content to all Department of Defense entities through this system, Milham explained.

“Our primary goal is to ensure the interoperability of all of the government learning systems so that we can all function together,” she stated. “In doing so, we can better support personnel readiness. We also serve as policy oversight for learning technology, and are the principal steward to research and facilitate the implementation of distributed learning standards for DoD components.”

PEO STRI: $3B in FY20

Timothy Bishop, Deputy Executive Officer for the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), told the TSIS audience that in spite of Covid-19, his organization conducted over 2,000 contract actions totaling more than $3 billion during FY 2020. PEO has four major thrust areas for the near future: the Synthetic Training Environment (STE), the Information Systems Domain; Threat Systems; and Information Management.

“The STE is the technology of the future for the Army,” Bishop reported. “We also have a major focus on live training systems. We are trying to transform our contracting efforts, including moving towards adaptive acquisition.”

Bob Wolfinger, Project Lead for Army Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations (ATADSS), called attention to pending updates for two of the largest contracts ever issued by his organization. One is the $4-billion Warfighter Training Readiness Solutions (Warfighter TRS) contract, which is a follow-on to the current Army Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations Maintenance Program (ATMP) contract. The other is the new, 12-year, $1 billion Flight School Training Support Services contract, which is the follow-on to the current Flight School XXI contract which ends April 2023.

Wolfinger’s TSIS presentation slide for the Warfighter TRS did not show an RFP date, but he said his organization anticipates a Q3 FY 2024 award, even though the current contract ends in the third quarter of FY 2025.

“We want to transfer from the ATMP contract to the new one in January with a six month’s transition period, because this is a major effort worldwide, and we want to do it properly,” Wolfinger said. “The goal for the new Flight School Training Support Services contract is the issuance of an RFP during the third quarter of FY 21, with a contract award in the third quarter of FY 23. Again, the goal is to award the new contract a couple of months ahead to allow for a lower-risk transition period from the current one.”

NAWCTSD: Upgrades, Not New

Captain Tim Hill, Commander, Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), said the Navy is undergoing a big change in its information technology systems, moving at ‘flank speed.’ His organization has grown in the past five years – a 30% increase in terms of contract value awarded, from $1.1 billion in FY 2016 to $1.5 billion in FY 2020. He also highlighted the NAWCTSD focus areas: Fleet Readiness, Readiness Training Skills Training, Cyber Security and Fostering an Ecosystem of Innovation.

Mike Merritt, NAWCTSD Acquisition Director, provided insight as the direction of customer demand, which includes more sim upgrades with fewer “new” systems. He also foresees more emphasis on individual and team training.

“We also need to do faster what we do, and take more risk in how we do that,” Merritt said. “Our customers are saying that we need to make sims more concurrent and relevant. They want upgrades of what they have with higher fidelity and lower cost. They also want their devices networking together in an LVC environment.”

Captain Robert Kerno, Program Manager, Surface Training, discussed how the Navy is embracing virtual technology through the service’s Surface Training Advanced Virtual Environment (STAVE).

“We are embracing simulation and instructor-led training but also reconfigurable classrooms,” he stated. “The Surface Navy has embraced a complete revamp of how we conduct our training; we now are able to conduct 90 percent of ship training onboard and will be able to conduct training worldwide. STAVE is geared to modernize 70 percent of 850 of our courses.”

Defense Health, JAIC

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) – which migrated from PEO STRI three years ago – now covers medical M&S for the entire DoD medical health system as the acquisition agency. Jude Tomasello, Program Manager for Simulation and Training, DHA, announced the new Stabilized Patient Education Services contract, contract value between $25 and $35 million.

Will Roberts, Chief of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) in the Office of the Department of Defense Chief Information Office, explained that the mission of the JAIC is to help the acceleration of AI into the DoD.

2021 TSIS Contract Opportunities follow on the next page...

2021 TSIS Contract Opportunities

(Sole source, International, Awarded and Imminent Award Contracts not listed)

PEO STRI

NAWCSTD

Marine Corps Training Systems

US Air Force

Defense Health Agency