With the world now some months into the pandemic, MS&T’s Editor Andy Fawkes reports on developments in remote training and working during and beyond Covid-19.
“Remote Working”, “Working from Home”, “Teleworking”, once minority ways of working have in the space of weeks become commonplace and with some employees unlikely to return to offices anytime soon. In 2019 a UK ONS study reported that just over 5% of the total workforce worked mainly from home, and in June 2020 this had risen to 49%. Similar trends have taken place across the world because of Covid-19 and words such as “Zoom” have entered day to day language. Live events and exhibitions have moved wholesale online. The pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of the workplace and remote work has become a new reality, making connectivity, speed, reliability, cybersecurity, and undisrupted access essential elements of organizations. Further, a whole generation of children, future recruits, and employees, are experiencing remote education and schooling over an extended period.
British technology company Improbable’s Defence business has secured a contract with the British Army to supply its synthetic environment platform as a pathfinder technology demonstrator project for the Army’s Collective Training Transformation Programme.
More than 4,000 participants from the US and ally and partner nations will participate in Saber Junction 20 at the US Army’s Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas from 3-27 August, 2020.
Ultra has won a Joint Interface Control Cell Extended Trainer contract for the delivery of advanced trainers to support National Guard Warfighter objectives.
The DiSTI Corporation was awarded a follow-on Other Transaction Authority production agreement from the U.S. Army for the Family of Maintenance Trainers Diagnostic Troubleshooting Trainers.
Team AVT, consisting of the Prime Contractor, AVT Simulation, alongside subcontractors Industrial Smoke & Mirrors, Kratos Defense, and Raytheon Technologies has been selected by the US Army to develop the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Hands-on Trainer (HOT) prototype, which will join the Family of Maintenance Trainers Product Line.
Defence and training support company, MASS, has been awarded the Joint Command and Staff Training (JCAST) contract for UK Strategic Command, worth in excess of £11 million across a two-year period.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense has signed an agreement with Bagira to replace the current Blank Ammunition for combat exercises with the MAGNET-Lite magazine.