This April will see the return of the highly anticipated military training technology exhibition and conference, IT²EC. With the overarching theme of the conference set to explore how nations and industry can enable operational advantage through training and simulation, the event is expected to drive the debate on how technological advances can expedite and streamline armed forces training. The event has attracted a number of prominent attendees from the defence community, including senior government and military officials, technology suppliers, academia and industry professionals. 

IT²EC has a strong focus on disruptive innovation and is set to explore the impact it will have on the defence sector. With the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality (XR) and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, the defence community acknowledges the strategic requirement to quickly integrate this technology to keep pace with other nations. Moreover, the role of Big Data and Advanced Analytics (BDAA), offers significant opportunity in transforming existing training methods to make it more data driven and tailored to individuals. Across the ExCeL exhibition centre in London, leading innovators are poised to demonstrate how their solutions can streamline defence training across the globe. 

Given the importance of emerging technologies within this sector, IT²EC is launching a DisTec Challenge for 2024 which will be hosted and run in collaboration with the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl). For the challenge, the overall aim is to develop solutions that address real-work issues faced by the end users of today. Dstl has identified two key challenge areas, emphasising on the one hand the refinement of training methodologies and on the other the integration of state-of-the-art technologies for the future workforce. SMEs from all industries are welcome to submit an entry that showcases their approach to cutting-edge innovation. Three finalists will be selected to present their solutions on April 10^th, with the winner receiving a stand free-of-charge for IT²EC 2025.

IT²EC’s conference will bring together high-profile speakers from across government, academia and industry. There will be a range of high-quality presentations and panel discussions to explore, centred around three key themes: Technologies and Architectures, Human Performance and Emerging Solutions. On day one, there will be a keynote panel discussion on Workforce Requirements with Rear Admiral Jude Terry OBE, Director People and Training - Royal Navy, Brigadier Andy Cox MBE, Chief of Staff, Home Command - British Army and Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards, Director People - Royal Air Force. 

On day two, among other key events, there will be an update given by Major General Chris Barry CBE, Director Land Warfare on the Land Training System (LTS). On day three, there will be a talk on the journey to data-driven training which will focus on the challenges of implementing Big Data and the opportunities when implemented within armed forces training.

The content is shaped by the IT²EC committee, representing the three key elements – users, industry and academia - of the IT²EC community. The event's technical planning committee provides unique advice to organisers regarding the needs of their constituency and trends in the industry and the research base. 

Who attends? 

A variety of people will be in attendance including military, defence media, defence academics and defence company representatives.  

Defence companies will be in attendance from across the supply chain. Prime manufacturers such as Elbit Systems, L3Harris and Leonardo will exhibit alongside tens of smaller companies. There will be a large UK and US presence at the show in addition to companies from France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden and many more. 

The DisTec Challenge for 2024 will be hosted and run in collaboration with the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Three finalists will be selected to present their solutions on stage at IT²EC on the April 10th and the DisTec Challenge winner will receive a stand free-of-charge for IT²EC 2025. Dstl has identified two challenge areas to support their visions of the future and with a primary emphasis on refining training methodologies and integrating state-of-the-art technologies for the future workforce, the challenge's aim is to address real-world issues faced by today's end-users.
We invite SMEs from any industry to submit an entry that showcases their innovations, and cutting-edge solutions. The free-to-attend Disruptive Technology (DisTec) Theatre will provide an exciting showcase of training technologies from outside the traditional defence industry.

It will offer an opportunity to explore developments in markets such as commercial gaming and first responders, and discuss their potential defence applications.

Register to attend the event: https://www.itec.co.uk/military-simulation-training.