MT2 18.4 (June 2013)

America's Longest Established Simulation & Training Magazine

Special Section

Serious Gaming

Readiness Director Frank C. DiGiovanni

www.MT2-kmi.com

June 2013

Director Training and Readiness Strategy Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness)

Volume 18, Issue 4

Command Profile: Randall Chalkley Chief of Plans and the Future Capabilities Office Training Support Analysis and Integration Division U.S. Army

Training Simulators O Utilizing Virtual Technology High-Speed Watercraft O Virtual Training

military Training technology Features

Cover / Q&A

Special Section: Serious Gaming

Command Profile: Training Support Analysis and Integration Division

Solutions for the furture

MT2 discusses the future of the military’s training needs in light of the nation’s austere budget environment with several industry leaders in the serious gaming arena.

Randall Chalkley, Chief of Plans and the Future Capabilities Office, Training Support Analysis and Integration Division, discusses making new systems easier for soldiers to learn and operate.

20 4

Leadership Insight: High-Speed Watercraft

Subject matter experts from Naval Education and Training Command discuss how seamen are trained to operate watercraft at high speeds in a variety of scenarios to best prepare them for mission success.

June 2013 Volume 18, Issue 4

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9

10

Soldiers and Marines utilize video game training and fight battles in virtual worlds using avatars and other hightech simulation to hone their mission readiness and training skills.

Under the right conditions, there are noted benefits to a virtual approach to training for military tasks, in terms of readiness, costs, effectiveness and safety. With steady advances in technology, how can a planner decide whether to consider a technology-based solution or utilize instructors and actual equipment?

Due to ongoing advances in technology, virtual training simulation continues to offer more and more realistic benefits to its users, but it seems that amongst users, cost benefits still reign supreme.

Utilizing Virtual Technology

By Cynthia L. Webb

Taking a Virtual Approach

Training Simulators

By Danielle Cralle

By Christina Curnow

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 3 Program Highlights/PEOPLE 14 data packets 26 Team orlando 27 Resource Center

Industry Interview U.S. Army Major General (Ret.) Jim Coggin

28

Vice President Integrated Enterprise Training Solutions General Dynamics Information Technology

Frank C. DiGiovanni

Director Training and Readiness Strategy Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness)

“As the United States’ combat role in Afghan transitions, our main effort is focused on advising the Afghan military and police and assisting with Afghan-focused, missionenabling training.”

- Frank C. Digiovanni

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military Training Technology Volume 18, Issue 4 • June 2013

Recognized Leader Covering All Aspects of Military Training Readiness Editorial Editor Brian O’Shea briano@kmimediagroup.com Managing Editor Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Online Editorial Manager Laura Davis laurad@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editors Sean Carmichael seanc@kmimediagroup.com Laural Hobbes lauralh@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents J.B. Bissell • Christian Bourge • Peter Buxbaum Henry Canaday • Danielle Cralle • Erin Flynn Jay Karen Kroll • Cynthia Webb

Art & Design Art Director Jennifer Owers jennifero@kmimediagroup.com Senior Graphic Designer Jittima Saiwongnuan jittimas@kmimediagroup.com Graphic Designers Scott Morris scottm@kmimediagroup.com Eden Papineau edenp@kmimediagroup.com Amanda Paquette amandak@kmimediagroup.com Kailey Waring kaileyw@kmimediagroup.com

Advertising Associate Publisher Lindsay Silverberg lindsays@kmimediagroup.com

KMI Media Group Publisher Kirk Brown kirkb@kmimediagroup.com Chief Executive Officer Jack Kerrigan jack@kmimediagroup.com Chief Financial Officer Constance Kerrigan connik@kmimediagroup.com Executive Vice President David Leaf davidl@kmimediagroup.com Editor-In-Chief Jeff McKaughan jeffm@kmimediagroup.com Controller Gigi Castro gcastro@kmimediagroup.com Trade Show Coordinator Holly Foster hollyf@kmimediagroup.com

With recent budgets cuts, all military service branches are feeling the squeeze. It’s times like these that military leaders must prioritize what is most important and what can be put on the back burner. One of the larger programs that is being delayed is the U.S. Air Force’s new trainer jet program, T-X. The USAF is now targeting a request for proposal in 2016 and hopes to have the new trainer jet in operation by 2023 or 2024, said General Mark Welsh, Air Force Chief of Staff, at a May 8 senate hearing. Before sequestration, the USAF was hoping to have the new trainer jet in operation by 2020, but that has now been delayed due to other programs taking higher priority. Welsh has said that some of the higher priority programs include the KC-46 tanker replacement Brian O’Shea Editor program, the F-35 joint strike fighter and a proposed long range bomber.

“Several key modernization programs remain unfunded given the current fiscal environment, including replacement for the aging T-38 trainer,” said Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick.

“The T-X program was deferred in order to support higher AF priorities. The current fiscal climate forced difficult decisions, and T-X was one we had to push back.”

The T-X trainer program will replace the aging Northrop Grumman T-38 trainer, which was first put into service in 1958 and has maintained operational efficiency since then. Welsh has said the T-38 could be used into the late 2020s.

Sticking to a 2023 or 2024 operational date for the T-X program is contingent upon the 2016 RFP, but any other budget constraints or being left out of the 2015 budget could delay that even further, said Gulick, who added that that being omitted from the 2015 budget “will very likely impact the overall schedule for delivery and capability.”

Interest from prime contenders of this program, including BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Boeing, remains high. Winning this contract would be a significant buy from the Air Force, with potentially other uses besides training, perhaps ISR or strategic strike operations. If you have any questions regarding Military Training Technology feel free to contact me at any time.

Operations, Circulation & Production Operations Administrator Bob Lesser bobl@kmimediagroup.com Circulation & Marketing Administrator Duane Ebanks duanee@kmimediagroup.com Circulation Barbara Gill barbg@kmimediagroup.com Data Specialists Raymer Villanueva raymerv@kmimediagroup.com Summer Walker summerw@kmimediagroup.com

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June 2012 Volume 1, Issue 1

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

U.S. Army’s PEO STRI Orders 52 Additional Man-Portable Aircraft Survivability Trainers AAI Test & Training, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced a task order from the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) for 52 manportable aircraft survivability trainer (MAST) systems, including production and testing, under the Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Omnibus Contract II. Three additional option years remain on this contract.

This task order follows the MAST system’s designation as a U.S. Army program of record in December 2012, with the approval of the MAST capability production document.

“MAST’s designation as a U.S. Army program of record validates the system’s reliable performance, as well as the positive results our customer has experienced since adopting the technology,” said Steve Mensh, vice president, programs for AAI Test & Training. “Training with the MAST provides aircrews the confidence they need in their missioncritical missile warning systems.”

AAI Test & Training’s MAST utilizes a lightemitting diode, or LED, ultraviolet emitter threat simulator to replicate the launch characteristics associated with infrared man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), supporting live training exercises for aircrews addressing surfaceto-air missile (SAM) threats. MAST is interoperable

with the AN/AAR-47 missile warning system and AN/AAR-57 common missile warning system, resulting in a threat declaration in the aircraft cockpit. It can simulate a SAM engagement sequence, including seeker lock and break lock capability, based on environmental and situational conditions. In addition, AAI’s MAST can record SAM engagements during live training exercises. These visual or infrared recorded engagements are used for preparing after-action reviews and debriefing aircrews.

The MAST is capable of interfacing with a weapon effects simulation system to emulate the visual launch signature of a MANPADS and signify the location where the MAST was fired. It also is interoperable with aircraft instrumentation systems such as the Smart On-board Data Interface Module, or SMODIM, enabling force-onforce training at combat training centers.

“Our MAST takes full advantage of AAI Test & Training’s proven experience in aircraft survivability equipment training, flight line testing and long-range electro-optic/infrared test and training solutions,” said Mensh. “It provides threat-representative, realistic MANPADS live training on the ground to challenge aircrews and support tactics, techniques and procedures training prior to deployment.”

Michael Paturzo; paturz@aai.textron.com

PEOPLE Army Reserve Colonel Richard J. Torres has been selected for appointment to the rank of brigadier general and for assignment as deputy commanding general, (troop program unit), 80th Training Command (Total Army School System), Richmond, Va. Torres most recently served as deputy commander-support (troop program unit), 80th Training Command (Total Army School System).

www.MT2-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Defense Logistics Support Inc. (DLSI) announced that Allan Cameron has joined DLSI as a partner, board member and executive board chairman following his retirement from Thales USA Inc. as president and CEO. He joined Thales in January 2005 leading the Naval Division of Thales, UK, and was appointed president and chief executive officer of Thales, USA Inc. in May 2006.

Cyalume Technologies Holdings Inc. recently announced that it has

appointed Michael J. Pellicci as the company’s chief financial officer, effective immediately. Pellicci will succeed Michael Bielonko, who will assume the responsibilities of vice president of finance.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. recently announced that Arthur Marubbio has joined its Technology & Training Solutions division as vice president of business development for training solutions.

$7.9 Million Army Targetry Systems Contract Awarded Since December 2012, Meggitt Training Systems (MTS) has been awarded delivery orders worth $7.9 million to support the U.S. Army’s Targetry Systems program with TACOM, the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich.—one of the Army’s largest weapon systems research and development organizations. The program is part of an effort to provide equipment for live-fire training ranges at U.S. Army installations worldwide.

Under these delivery orders, MTS will deliver some 1,100 infantry and armor units, both stationary and mobile. Equipment will be delivered across 10 military installations.

Delivery orders are open to competition amongst Meggitt Training Systems, Lockheed Martin, Action Target, Strategic Systems and Saab Training.

Ronald Vadas, president of Meggitt Training Systems, commented: “Award of these delivery orders is a further testament to the strength of our 16-year relationship with the U.S. Army, and we look forward to continuing to respond to its evolving range development and modernization requirements.”

Scott Rupert; scott.rupert@meggitt.com

$4 Million for Training and Simulation Products Arotech Corporation has secured $4 million in new contract funding in recent months for training and simulation products and services.

The new funding spanning all training and simulation business units is highlighted by significant awards for programs in air warfare simulation and U.S. Air Force zone acquisition process software for pilot weapon employment.

“As we move through 2013, we have continued the track record of success for our training and simulation products and services,” commented Robert S. Ehrlich, Arotech’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are encouraged by the new funded contract awards which includes a mix of both new and repeat customers, very much demonstrating the attractiveness of our offerings.”

MT2 18.4 | 3

LEADERSHIP INSIGHT

High-Speed Watercraft H N . ow the

avy trains for high speed marine operations

Level II Coxswain – Operations and Tactics What types of watercraft do you train sailors on for high-speed missions?

We use a variety of boats in our training that range in size from 26 to nearly 40 feet in length and are powered by either twin outboard gasoline or twin inboard diesel engines.

We outfit each boat with electronic navigation equipment that consists of radar, sounding and global positioning systems, but what makes this interesting is having each system tie into a single display or user interface known as NAVNET. The training weaponry on each boat mirrors the weight and design of its live-fire counterpart, but is non-functional. The weapons mounts are certified, meaning the boat can quickly transition to live-fire weaponry for fleet operations. Each boat not only has installed programmable VHF radios, but also an internal communication system [ICS].

This system allows the crew to communicate internally with one another using specially designed headsets at each crew station. It also supports communications from one boat to another. Our instructors also have a secondary handheld radio that ties into the ICS, allowing them to monitor and communicate with students, as well as having their own dedicated channel for training safety and coordination.

Who undergoes this type of training and why?

This training is for qualified boat coxswains serving in the Coastal Riverine Force, or with a Naval installation harbor security boat unit, or in a strategic systems program.

These activities are often tasked with providing escort and security services for assets designated vital to our nation’s security. Therefore, these men and women must be trained in the advanced skills necessary to operate high-speed security boats. Training that will enable them to respond quickly, decisively and tactically to ward off a potential threat or eliminate that threat should the situation turn hostile.

4 | MT2 18.4

Steve Knapton Waterborne Security Curriculum Control Model Manager Center for Security Forces What are some of the challenges in this type of training?

There are always challenges involved with delivering high-risk training. For example, if a student reports without meeting the prerequisite level of experience in order to learn the more advanced skills, he or she is a risk that is difficult to mitigate within acceptable limits to conduct training.

Another example would be the weather on the Chesapeake Bay, specifically windy conditions. On the bay, it does not take much wind to create conditions unsafe for high-speed boat maneuvers. During winter, the extreme cold conditions increase the risk for hypothermia and make it more difficult to respond and react as required by the high-tempo operations.

When someone begins to get cold, his or her ability to process information and react accordingly can become impaired. To summarize this into a single word, our greatest challenge and our paramount concern is safety—safety not only for our students and staff, but also for our equipment and other boaters on the bay.

Can you describe the live training aspect?

Live training can be described as being well-planned, well-executed, hands-on lab training versus an exclusive classroom presentation approach. Using the live training approach, everything our students are taught in the formal classroom will be applied in a scripted underway performance exercise. This allows students to apply the cognitive classroom skills they learned in a physical—real world—application. The skill sets required to operate Navy high-speed craft safely and effectively in a waterborne security environment is what we call perishable skills.

Sailors must maintain these skill sets through continuous training. Everything they do in the fleet must be second nature because the dynamics of the mission types and the operating environment are fluid and always changing. These sailors need to be comfortable with the fundamental basics of being a Navy boat coxswain. If they are not, they will

never be an effective operator in tactical boat unit. In order to be effective, they must be a tactical thinker and able to assess and execute all aspects of the mission with a tactical mindset that will keep his or her boat and crew a step ahead of the opposition. This can only be achieved through continuous training that keeps their mind and skills sharp.

What are the primary benefits of simulated training?

We prefer the phrase “dynamic training” to that of “simulated training” mostly because of the negative connotations that go along with the term “simulated.” The primary benefit is the hands-on aspect of training where the classroom skills learned are now put into action. For example, when starting the underway phase of training we take the students out to the boats for a walk-through, showing them the different systems that make up the boat.

After the walk-through, we conduct bumper drills, giving each student time to work the controls and familiarize themselves with handling aspects of these particular boats and in confined spaces. “Chase the Rabbit” and “Turns against OPFOR” are two dynamic training evolutions students will practice in the initial phase of underway training. In “Chase the Rabbit,” each student will in turn demonstrate his or her ability to fall astern in the wake of the instructor boat, referred to as OPFOR, and maintain the same speed and distance through a series of turns and maneuvers. In “Turns against OPFOR,” students learn how to approach and execute high-speed turns against OPFOR while maintaining position between the high-valued asset regardless of how OPFOR maneuvers and turns. The remaining phase of dynamic training will employ scripted mission-specific scenarios designed to drive training in a specific way to achieve a specific outcome and becoming more complex as the training continues.

Is there some kind of certification regarding the completion of this training? www.MT2-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

We offer three different waterborne security courses each designed to support a select mission area. Each course encompasses more than 70 percent of dynamic hands-on training and those who successfully complete the course receive a certificate of com-

Riverine Combat Skills What types of watercraft do you train sailors on for high-speed missions?

We utilize two craft in our training, the first being the riverine patrol boat [RPB] built

by Safe Boats International and the riverine assault boat [RAB] built by USMI. The RPB has an aluminum hull with a foam-filled collar and is 39.5 feet long. Its principal mission is troop transport with the ability of team insertion and extraction. The RAB has an aluminum hull, but is only 33 feet long, and its principal role is to provide armed escort and waterborne security.

Both boats are extremely agile and maneuverable and are powered by twin inboard Yanmar diesels at 440 horsepower that drive the twin Hamilton Jet water propulsion units.

The RPB has mounts for three medium or heavy machineguns and can carry up to 13 combat-loaded troops. It has a five-person crew which is comprised of the coxswain, boat captain and three gunners. The RAB has mounts for five medium or heavy machineguns and, if required, can easily carry a small team of six personnel. It has a six-person crew which is comprised of a coxswain, boat captain and four gunners.

Who undergoes this type of training and why?

This training is available to all U.S. Navy sailors, both active and reserve, serving within the Coastal Riverine Force. Additionally, all members of the U.S. military and DoD civilians are authorized to attend this training if space is available and they justify attendance and obtain a waiver from Center for Security Forces.

What are the types of missions is this training geared towards?

The training provides students with the basic skills they will need to perform conventional military operations and ground combat element support. Waterway security through interdiction of vessels and tactical www.MT2-kmi.com

pletion. One of our courses enables trainees to qualify for a special NEC. What is the process and timeframe of undergoing high-speed watercraft training?

We have the students for only two weeks,

and when you add weather conditions and other factors as previously discussed, two weeks goes by quickly. That is why it is so important for students to arrive prepared and ready to start training at an advanced level.

William McFarland Expeditionary Warfare Curriculum Control Model Manager Center for Security Forces insertion/extraction of combat ground troops are among the various mission types supported by this training.

What are some of the challenges in this type of training?

This is not a closed rate; therefore, we encounter a variety of students with varying backgrounds, abilities and experience. Our training is progressive in nature; therefore, as the students begin to establish confidence in their ability to execute the task, we push them further and harder outside their own comfort zone. Additionally, we must teach the student new skill sets while teaching them to adapt and overcome an austere environment. We execute this training package once every quarter, so some classes are exposed to rain, heat and humidity while others must adapt to the cold, sleet and occasional snow.

Can you describe the live training aspect?

All training is conducted with live boats and weapons. Crewmen are put through a progressive seven-week training course. After learning the basics of seamanship, navigation and craft systems, they learn to drive the craft at slow speeds and moor against a pier. Once they complete the confined space evaluation, they learn to drive at cruise speed as individual boats and progress to a three- or four-boat section. After a week of gaining confidence on the boat during daylight evolutions, we proceed to night operations. Again, they progress from individual boats to a three- or four-boat section. They quickly gain confidence in the use of their radar, night vision goggles, and with crew serving as lookouts on the forward guns.

During the fifth week of training, crewmen are refreshed on machinegun skills and given the opportunity to employ all weapons during a waterborne live-fire exercise. Again, this evolution is executed during daylight and nighttime visibility. Finally, the student transports the boats via water to an off-sight

location to conduct a final skills assessment.

Here, they are placed in realistic scenarios, and the students from other courses are incorporated to serve as patrol leaders and organic security. At this point, instructors step back into a role of safety observer and then critique the individual performances.

What is the process and timeframe of undergoing high-speed watercraft training?

Prior to attending courses at Learning Site Lejeune [LS Lejeune], every sailor must attend Expeditionary Combat Skills (ECS/ NEC 90CS) in Gulfport, Miss. This is a fourweek training course that establishes the basics required to attend follow-on training for Coastal Riverine. At a minimum, every Coastal Riverine sailor attends Riverine Combat Skills [RCS]. This is a five-week course that builds and expands upon the knowledge taught in ECS. From there, the student’s command selects them to attend one of the three followon courses offered at LS Lejeune. Each of the three courses has a staggered start date but execute concurrently in order to enable a culminating, week-long exercise. The first course is Riverine Crewman Course [RCC], which is needed to earn the NEC 90IE. RCC is a sevenweek course that teaches sailors designated as boat crewmen basic seamanship, nautical navigation, craft systems, tactical employment and waterborne live fire. The second course is Riverine Unit Level Leader [RULL]. RULL is a six-week course that teaches sailors designed to be patrol leaders tactical employment, fiveparagraph order and combined arms. The third course is Riverine Security Team Member [RSTM], which is needed to earn the NEC 90IF. RSTM is a five-week course that teaches sailors designated as members of the organic security team small arms marksmanship, medium machinegun employment, ground patrolling techniques, and security sweeps of personnel, vehicles and designated areas. O MT2 18.4 | 5

Simulation, avatars boost military training.

By Cynthia L. Webb, MT2 Correspondent

Soldiers and Marines utilize video game training and fight battles in virtual worlds using avatars and other high-tech simulation to hone their mission readiness and training skills.

The Army’s Games For Training (GFT) program is a collection of computer training software and gaming technology designed to apply combat lessons and operational capabilities in a virtual environment. The gaming program started in 2009 to train companies, squadrons and smaller-sized units.

GFT is managed by TRADOC Capability Manager (TCM) Gaming at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., which collects user requirements from soldiers to pinpoint technology helpful for training. Data is sent to PEO STRI in Orlando, Fla., the Army’s massive acquisition and contracting center of excellence for simulation, training and testing capabilities.

Virtual Battlespace (VBS2) is a computer-based video game platform for battlefield simulations training with multiple viewpoints and players. VBS2 can be rapidly modified for different training scenarios, including counter-IED, bilateral negotiation 6 | MT2 18.4

skills, language training and convoy operations decision-making skills, said Anthony Rolfe, TCM Gaming military analyst and operations officer. Geographically specific terrain can match a mission location and an after-action review tool provides training review, said GFT engineer Rob Bowen.

“It is limited by your imagination. If you can think of a scenario, it can likely be built in VBS2,” said 24-year Army veteran Rolfe.

When he served in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2003, it was his first time there.

VBS2 would have helped tremendously to be prepared, he said.

Recreational gamers pick an avatar with the best skills and attributes to win a game. If a soldier in video-game-based training picks an avatar with only top-level marksmanship and skills, it wouldn’t necessarily reflect their capabilities. The Army developed a way to fill this gap by synching scores and training records from a systemwide training management system with VBS2, Rolfe said.

The technology can “produce an avatar with ... the same physical attributes and marksmanship capabilities and personalized training as the actual soldiers have.” www.MT2-kmi.com

“It really changes the decisionmaking process,” Rolfe said. Decisions are based on a squadron’s capabilities and not just an avatar dream team.

“I don’t want a squadron of experts. I want a real-life squadron” with different proficiencies for testing scenarios, he said. An out-of-shape avatar would show fatigue based on their physical fitness testing levels, testing how a squadron could manage different abilities in battle.

The training boosts skills and motivates soldiers to improve in a livetraining environment, Rolfe said. The virtual simulation is cheaper and give soldiers greater proficiency for a live event, Bowen said.

One challenge is maintaining research and development pace with mission needs. “We don’t know where the next situation may be and we have to be prepared to be able to create that A group of U.S. Army soldiers are operating the Dismounted Soldier Training System in the prone position at Mission Command Training Branch Building. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army/Sgt. Austin Berner] environment quickly,” Bowen said.

Marines also use VBS2 for smallVirtual insurgents are projected as 3-D images of avatars onto unit training. The system is transportable to deployments, said holographic screens for battle simulation in different environGary Tepera of the MCB Quantico Training and Education Comments. Simulation trainers in another room control sound, pipe in mand, which centrally manages the simulations and trainers. The unsavory, realistic battle smells, and control how avatars react to unit also aims to link systems together, such as with CACCTUS, trainees, such as raising weapons in response to firing, said Jonell the combined arms staff training system, to further boost training, Laxa, IIT lead technician and advisor. Shooting is tracked by spesaid Colonel Anton H. Nerod. cial effects marking systems. When shooters hit an avatar in any The Marine’s premier mixed reality training facility Infantry vital location, the avatar will die, but a shot elsewhere will cause an Immersion Trainer (IIT), developed by the Office of Naval Reavatar to flinch and keep fighting, he said. search, prepares sailors and Marines for deployment using virtual “The whole point of the immersion trainer is to immerse all of reality technology to recreate urban scenes and boost warfighters’ their senses into a believable environment that doesn’t look like skills.

California. When they react to it, their reactions are more intense “It optimizes what they would do in a live-fire environment,” because they buy into their scenario surroundings,” said Camp Tepera said.

Pendleton IIT site manager Bert Thielen, a 30-year Marine veteran.

It combines live training and VSB2 elements to teach urban Trainees have to juggle maneuvering their squad, identifying enewarfare, decision-making, language, cultural nuances, shooting, my threats, reacting to simulated fire and IED explosions, commuclearing spaces and other training skills inside of a massive warenicating commands and managing their adrenaline, Thielen said. house, Tepera said. Civilian actors depicting children, villagers and The aim “is to make your first fire fight no worse than your last enemy combatants are aided by animatronics and special effects simulation,” Laxa said. to help role play. An exercise is recorded and reviewed to examine About 48,000 military members have used the training for both why a soldier might have engaged a target or made a decision. pre-deployment and currency training, Thielen said.

“You can become an avatar and see what he was seeing in that Phase I is an experimental facility to test new technologies, engagement or incident,” said Marine Joint M&S Training conincluding motion detection and voice recognition to spur avatars cepts representative Anthony Cross. to react to verbal commands and motion cues. High-tech puppe“In a financially constrained environment, simulation usage teering with Pixar-style technology is being tested to add two-way will increase,” Cross said. communication to avatars instead of automated, pre-programmed The flagship 32,000-square-foot IIT Phase I warehouse facilresponses. ity opened in November 2007 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. A second The digital avatars can be projected into multiple rooms to rephase opened in 2010 with nearly 70 training buildings. Camp duce the use of actor role players and save costs, Laxa said. AnimaLejeune opened its in 2011 and a third in MCB Hawaii. tronic figures similar to those developed by Garner Holt ProducThe movie-set-style space, with props, high-tech wizardry and tions Inc. for Disneyland help to create realistic, moveable models local actors of different nationalities, helps trainees practice realisthat can add movement to urban settings, he said. tic scenarios. Makeup artists create wounds on actors, while lightThe IIT’s realism is evident when trainees with deployment exing, sounds and artificial smells can mimic specific environmental perience in Iraq and Afghanistan say the training puts them right features of foreign geographic regions. www.MT2-kmi.com

MT2 18.4 | 7

and interviewing villagers. One actor can play a child, combatant back in that environment, Thielen said. “I haven’t seen anything as or villager because the technology changes an actor’s voice and comprehensive as we have here,” he said. appearance and projects any desired character into a training setSAIC is one company tapping the simulation market. SAIC has ting while mirroring mannerisms of the actor, said developed 3-D avatars for programs including virtuChief Executive Officer Andrew Tschesnok. al medical information centers for the Air Force and The company’s small projector units use a mobile Army virtual training simulation programs, markerless capture technology to map a person’s said Al Funderburk, SAIC senior vice president and characteristics to create a digital character. The operations manager in Orlando. system measures the actor and can capture facial One SAIC system incorporates augmented realexpressions and voice details and then project a ity to train crew chiefs on UH-60 Black Hawk and high-definition digital character into a training Chinook helicopters. A helmet-mounted display setting. immerses soldiers in a 360-degree training environThe technology can help the military reduce ment that depicts sounds, ballistic effects and scencosts for using multiple actors for training. Voice ery.

Al Funderburk and visual augmentation can allow one to two acThe Army uses SAIC’s technology housed in portors to replace 15, Tschesnok said. table 50-foot trailers to bring training to different al.funderburk@saic.com Traditional avatars have very limited artificial locations. “The more time you can spend in simulaintelligence capabilities with pre-recorded, scetion, the better prepared you can be for live training nario-specific responses, he said. Organic Motion’s events,” said the former Army aviator. technology provides a real-time link between trainFunderburk said more special operations forces ees and the digital experience. “The actor smiles and aviators are training in virtual environments. and blinks the eyes and the avatar is doing the “We used to spend all our time in live training and same thing,” Tschesnok said. “You are becoming what we are seeing now is the simulation is so good, an avatar in real time.” and some of the training, you can’t do live,” FunderCory Kumm is the Orlando-based worldwide burk said. It saves resources and localizes training. director of military and simulation for Intel Corp.Future trends include cloud storage instead of owned Havok, a popular gaming company whose on-site hardware for virtual training technology and Matt Spruill technology has been tailored to military training helmet-mounted augmented reality in the future mspruill@ecsorl.com applications. Havok’s software portfolio includes could shift to sunglass-like devices, he said.

3-D visualization framework, which supports avaEngineering & Computer Simulations Inc. of tars with physics simulation, animation and AI Orlando produces simulation games for military path finding technology to provide realistic moveand government customers. Its technology inment and behaviors for avatars. Its Havok Cloth cludes avatars for mobile computer-based coursesoftware component creates realistic clothing for ware, said Matt Spruill, ECS vice president and avatars and another augments avatar language cachief technologist. Training tools include a virtual pabilities, Kumm said. combat medic trainer, which allows Marine trainees Military customers often have limited budgets. to choose to fight or triage during a battle scene.

Havok’s simulation tool templates can be plugged Another course for language training let trainees into virtual training environments. Havok’s techconverse with avatars in a virtual environment. nology can help with computer-based helicopter “I have coaches and mentors that pop into the Andrew Tschesnok training, force-on-force exercises, cultural trainscene to steer you on course or provide immediate andrew@organicmotion.com ing and checkpoint simulation training exercises, feedback,” Spruill said.

Kumm said. With that training, Havok’s technolECS also built a mobile game for the Army for ogy is able to provide realistic facial expressions training medics that used mobile devices to test and movements to images rendered in the system speed and knowledge, including a leader board to train soldiers, Kumm said. for all trainees to see who was winning the game A positive development in the sector is the while completing training. The immersive training growth of various content streams in virtual envi“captures their attention and motivates them to do ronments to bolster urban training, Kumm said. well,” Spruill said.

“The actual simulation is much more realistic. I “The effectiveness and cost savings associated think that is a trend that will continue.” O with virtual training are crucial to the continuum of training,” he said. Ultimately, soldiers “are going to get more out of their live training experience by Cory Kumm practicing it virtually first.” cory.kumm@havok.com New York-based Organic Motion Inc.’s Live Interactive Virtual Environment (LIVE) technology For more information, contact MT2 Editor Brian O’Shea projects 3-D digitally animated characters based on a real person at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives into multiple locations. Soldiers can interact with the characters for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com. in real time to practice clearing spaces, questioning insurgents 8 | MT2 18.4

www.MT2-kmi.com

Taking a Virtual Approach

Can, or should, training be virtual?

By Christina Curnow

approach that may have greater refinement Under the right conditions, there are but is beyond everyday usage in the training noted benefits to a virtual approach to traincommunity.” ing military tasks, in terms of readiness, A review of relevant costs, effectiveness, and safefindings from the industrial ty. With steady advances in psychology and training retechnology, how can a plansearch literature, and discusner decide whether to consions with experts, identified sider a technology-based soa set of categorization faclution (referred to here to as tors and criteria for grouping virtual) or utilize instructors tasks into discrete categories, and actual equipment? separately for individual and This question is of incollective tasks. For individterest to Frank DiGiovanni, ual tasks, the review encomdirector, Training and ReadiChristina Curnow passed models from numerness Strategy, Office of the ous technical perspectives, Deputy Assistant Secretary such as time and motion analysis, Bloom’s of Defense (Readiness), who sponsored a taxonomy, and cognitive task analysis. For study to construct a decision-making framecollective tasks, the review included models work to indicate whether a military task can from technical perspectives such as input(not necessarily should) be trained through process-output, teamwork processes and virtual methods or remain being taught temporal dynamics. through live methods. The study developed categorization schemes to classify individual and collective tasks by factors sensitive to Integration of Perspectives instructional methods. The intention is to offer a front-end analytic tool as part of a For individual tasks, an integration of service’s larger decision-making process on these perspectives led to the development training delivery. of four factors and several subfactors, each with its own scale. The main factors are: individual domain, learning complexity, inClassification of Tasks teraction/fidelity, and task certainty or feedback. For collective tasks, the main factors Although there are numerous task-catare: collective domain, teamwork training, egorization schemes designed for various synchronous activity, and environmental purposes, the interest was in isolating facconditions. The permutations result in 240 tors sensitive to the live versus virtual trainpossible classes of individual tasks and 2,187 ing issue. Carl Rosengrant of OSD [Office of possible classes of collective tasks. the Secreatry of Defense] stated, “We sought to develop a decision-making methodology that would require minimal training for Decision-Making Framework subject matter experts to use in making an initial assessment, so when considering facThe framework assumes that tasks are tors we sought to include the most relevant, going to be trained to a level sufficient for rather than all possible, factors. We chose a individual or team proficiency, as established simplified approach with a high, but not perby the service. Using the training method sefect, level of accuracy rather than a complex lected and that tasks deemed appropriate for www.MT2-kmi.com

virtual can be wholly taught through technology, with no live instructor input other than a human-in-the-loop for administrative procedures. The rating procedure requires that a subject matter expert and training analyst develop a consensus rating for each factor. The result may be plotted in a radar chart format. In general, tasks that are rated lower on each factor are candidates for instruction through virtual training while those high on each factor are candidates for live training, but there are gray areas.

The radar chart in the figure, a multivariate plot of rating values, presents a notional view of the framework for individual tasks.

An L-V (live-virtual) threshold line, based on the current capabilities of training technologies commercially available, is depicted with a dashed line. Generally, individual tasks falling inside the dashed box are strong candidates for virtual training and those falling outside the box probably should be trained live. In the sample rating, the plot falls inside the box, suggesting a virtual method is viable for that task. A similar chart can be rendered for collective tasks. Of course, costs, safety factors and other considerations drive any final decision, so the result reflects only the raw capabilities of a virtual method for a given task.

The framework developed in the study is preliminary, and the services are invited to provide feedback. For further information on the study or the tool, contact Carl Rosengrant in the OSD Training and Readiness Strategy Directorate, carl.rosengrant.ctr@osd.mil. O Christina Curnow is the principal at ICF International.

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Brian O’Shea at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

MT2 18.4 | 9

Simulators provide high fidelity technology and lower costs.

By Danielle Cralle MT2 Correspondent

Due to ongoing advances in technology, virtual training simulation continues to offer more and more realistic benefits to its users, but it seems that amongst users, cost benefits still reign supreme.

The budget pressure that the Department of Defense is under has dictated that more and more training needs to be done virtually, in order to save money, said Chris Stellwag, director of marketing and communications for CAE in Tampa, Fla. 10 | MT2 18.4

In fact, despite the numerous benefits of simulation training, due to the current budgeting issue, cost is a driving force in the increased use of virtual simulation, said Jeff Dugard, training systems manager of the Navy’s Air Traffic Control and Landing Signal Officer Program in Orlando, Fla. Simulation is cheaper than live training, and it seems that software producers are developing a wider range of simulations with cost saving in mind.

In an effort to save even more money, several manufacturers are now taking old simulators from 10 or 15 years ago and refurbishing them, said Jim Williams, director of business development at AVT Simulation in Orlando. That’s even cheaper than building a new simulator, he said.

Simulation and software solutions company Presagis currently offers a synthetic environment generator that aims to generate a fairly detailed environment that is cheaper and quicker than the www.MT2-kmi.com

detailed satellite imagery traditionally used.

“This tool replaces that tool,” said Nickolus Plowden, product marketing manager for Presagis, in Montreal.

Traditionally when developing the physical environment for a simulation, much of it came from satellite images, but those images are expensive and intensely time consuming. “You have to kind of stitch it together,” Plowden said.

The synthetic environment generator eliminates the need for satellite imagery all around, and instead focuses the detailed imagery on the locations where the action is happening, Plowden said.

For example, if a simulation includes a city in between where your plane takes off and where a bomb is being dropped, you wouldn’t have to pay for the images of the in-between city, it would be automatically fit in for you, using a technique called procedural modeling, he said.

Realism in a Virtual World

Examples of a bridge after an explosion using the Dynamic Synthetic Enviroment software. [Photo courtesy of CAE]

In addition, the company provides a first-person shooter experience. The Although the cost effectiveness of simusoldier operates an avatar lators is important, choosing that can run, jump and fire simulators that replicate a a weapon, Williams said. real-world environment is There’s even a medic who important as well. may come over and perform “The fidelity of the simutriage. lation is paramount,” Stell“The goal is to have a wag said. When you train in completely interactive enthe virtual world, if it’s not vironment that simulates as close to the real thing as combat,” Williams said. possible, it becomes negative A new product called Lutraining, he said.

Nickolus Plowden men, created by Disti, boasts As a result, military professionals utilize simulations nickolus.plowden@presagis.com an environment with such a high level of realism “it will that come closer and closer raise the bar even higher,” to mimicking the real world. said Scott Ariotti, director “We can do a lot in simuof global marketing at Disti lation that we couldn’t do in Corporation in Orlando. the past,” said Captain Steve “It’s almost as if you’re look“Snak” Nakagawa, coming at a video,” he said. manding officer of the Naval These technologies are Air Warfare Center Training so advanced that companies Systems Division and the can now offer highly realisNaval Support Activity in Ortic synthetic environments lando.

Scott Ariotti at a cheaper cost easier than Companies are also startthey could five or 10 years ing to use haptic feedback, a sariotti@disti.com ago, Stellwag said. technology that plays on an In fact simulation trainindividual’s sense of touch. ing has advanced so much that users may AVT Simulation has implemented a experience things that were never possible product that uses sensor devices to allow during on-the-job training. For instance, the user to feel when another avatar touchsome simulations offer the opportunity to es them, Williams said. www.MT2-kmi.com

perform emergency landings, something that isn’t possible during live on-the-job training, Nakagawa said.

Real-world Variables in a Virtual World As technology improves, vendors are working on capabilities that will allow the trainer to implement several random variables into the simulation experience, much like the variables that soldiers encounter while in the field.

The intention of any simulation program should be to make the virtual world as much like the actual world as possible, Stellwag said.

But the real world is always changing, and a major flaw in the simulation industry is that many virtual worlds, once created, become static, Stellwag said. To implement sudden changes, engineers would have to manually reprogram the software, a process that could take several days or weeks. More importantly, commanders have to make crucial decisions based on small, unexpected changes in the real world. For example, if it begins to rain during a mission, that changes how the soldier will navigate the roads, he said.

In response to this problem, CAE created a capability called the Dynamic Synthetic Environment. The suite of tools and simulation software offers several different MT2 18.4 | 11

variables that can be easily implemented Simulation Training at any time. Importantly, changes to the Extending its Reach synthetic environment are done in real time, and without advance Operator training has preparation or human interbeen extensively covered, vention. “This is the kind of especially for flight simulatechnology required to truly tors, Ariotti said. But in the make a virtual environment past seven years, maintainthat realistically simulates ers have begun to utilize the real world,” Stellwag virtual simulators to train, said. he said.

The program allows Maintainers need to for environmental changes know how to debug and without engineers, thus savtroubleshoot, and gaming ing time, money and effort technology advancements Hermann Brassard while maximizing training have made virtualized mainand decision support oppor- hermann.brassard@presagis.com tenance training much tunities, Stellwag said. more affordable.

Developing and implementing DynamThere are things that maintainers must ic Terrain, a new product that adds greater physically touch in order to do their job, so realism and allows for modification of the the interactive aspect has to reflect that, virtual environment, is a focus, said HerAriotti said. As a result, Disti offers virtual mann Brassard, chief architect at Presagis. maintenance training services, which “use Doing so would allow trainers to simulate our rendering technology to deliver the special events that have an impact on the right solution,” Ariotti said. The training terrain, he said. even provides maintainers with a virtual For example, during training you may glove that reads different temperatures. be able to show a bridge being blown up, For example, if a maintainer needs to but that event wouldn’t affect your simuverify that a window defroster is worklation, Plowden said. The goal is to have ing, the trainee would be able to gauge the simulation update any changes in real the temperature during simulation. The time, meaning that as a result of the bridge maintainer puts a virtual hand on the being blown up, vehicles would have to windshield to see if it’s warm, and the fintake a detour. gertips will turn blue if it’s cold, and red if “It’s a capability we are in the process it’s hot, Ariotti said. of adding to our tools, [and] it will affect all This is what Ariotti describes as an of our products,” Brassard said. “elegant” solution that doesn’t require

additional hardware or cost for the customer.

Aside from maintenance training, there’s another advantage to simulation that doesn’t get enough attention, and that’s proficiency training, Dugard said.

Most simulation focuses on initial training, but proficiency is widely overlooked.

Most military personnel need a certain amount of training hours in order to maintain their proficiency, and most simulation platforms allow trainers to build both basic and advanced scenarios to accommodate the proficiency requirement, Dugard said.

Simulation allows military professionals with qualifications the same training opportunities as those going through initial training.

Maintaining air traffic control proficiency with a reduction in real-life aircraft flight hours is becoming a real challenge.

Utilizing a simulator is a way to ensure ATC personnel maintain the skill level required to ensure that a safe, orderly and expeditious movement of naval aircraft is maintained, Dugard said.

Ongoing training is “critical for every job that we have in the Navy,” Nakagawa said.

Is On-the-job Training Still Needed?

Despite the continued advances in technology that make simulation more and more realistic, on-the-job training is still necessary to some extent.

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Live training offers some things that can’t be done through simulation, Nakagawa said. You can’t simulate the feeling of flying in an aircraft, he said. Still, there are some things that simulation can accomplish, such as emergency landings, that live training can’t.

As it pertains to air traffic control, despite the virtual simulation there’s still a need for supplemental on-the-job training, Dugard said. “The simulators do a great job of supplementing and speeding up the onthe-job process.” Although they are very close in some functions, simulation can’t totally replace on-the-job training, he said.

The Benefits of Simulation On-the-job training can become quite expensive, as soldiers are often trained on state-of-the-art, pricey equipment.

“One hour in a simulator is roughly a tenth of the cost of a live training,” Stellwag said.

Another way that simulation saves money is by accomplishing more training in less time, Ariotti said.

Many students juggle school and work, so their training time is limited. Training students with simulation software allows them to forgo the previous hassles of on the job training and make the most out of their time.

Previously, training officials may have utilized a mockup of a physical training ground, which could only be used by a certain number of students, Ariotti said. In

An example of an Afghan village provided by Presagis’s synthetic environment generator. [Photo courtesy of Presagis]

order to accommodate the extra students that needed to be trained, it would be necessary to build another mock up, which takes time. “With software, you just get another copy,” he said.

Simulation training produces workready soldiers, which saves the government money by eliminating the number of extra crewmembers needed to supplement those going through on-the-job training, Williams said.

For example, one of the Navy’s newest littoral combat ships currently boasts

a crew of 50, which is down from a crew of 200, due to simulation training, Williams said.

“I’d say for air traffic control, we’ve projected the numbers to be a 10 to 15 percent reduction in on-the-job training,” Dugard said of the results from the new tower simulators. O For more information, contact MT2 Editor Brian O’Shea at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

TRAINING & SIMULATION Wegmann USA, Inc., Training & Simulation mailto: simulation@wegmannusa.com Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, Training & Simulation mailto: info@kmwsim.com

DATA PACKETS China Customer Support Center for Simulator Parts L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) recently announced that its Crawley, U.K.-based operation has opened a customer support center in China that will provide existing and new customers with quick access to simulator spare parts and logistics services. Support center personnel, who will be based in Beijing, China, will make regular visits to customer locations to ensure

that L-3 Link’s RealitySeven, C2000X and C2000 simulator platforms are effectively meeting pilot training requirements at airlines and training centers throughout the country.

“When L-3 acquired our civil fixed wing training and simulation business in August 2012, we immediately identified China as a key growth market for the company,” said Lenny Genna, president of L-3 Link. “Since then, we have made a significant investment in spare parts, logistics support and additional staff in China that will enable us to provide the level of simulator reliability and reduced life-cycle costs expected by our numerous in-country customers.”

In support of L-3 Link’s Chinese customers—which include Boeing Shanghai Aviation Flight Training Co. Ltd., Hainan

Airlines, Hua-Ou Aviation Training Center, Kunming Aviation Safety Training Co., Shanghai Eastern Flight Training Co., Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Spring Airlines—customer support center personnel will make a number of free visits each year to provide technical support and consultations regarding cost-effective methods to upgrade fielded training devices. By operating a spares depot in China, L-3 Link will be able to quickly deliver simulator parts required to ensure that devices maintain a high degree of pilot training availability.

Due in part to its commitment to establish a customer support center for China, L-3 Link received an award from Sichuan Airlines in February 2013 to build a RealitySeven A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) to Airbus standard 1.8. The A320 FFS will be delivered in November 2013. This will be the third A320 FFS that L-3 Link will have delivered to Sichuan Airlines.

Lu Bing; lu.bing@l-3com.com

Cultural Awareness Training for Marine Corps A newly built well near a village may be seen as a source of clean water, but not as a sign of goodwill. Its location, closer to one ethnic group, alienates the other. The livelihood of those who carried water to the village has evaporated.

For Marines, such cultural considerations must be weighed every day in their interactions.

Building positive relationships with local populations is fundamental to counterinsurgency and other operations. But how can Marines, particularly those who’ve never been abroad, be quickly trained to decipher and understand foreign cultures—to make the right decisions while avoiding the wrong ones?

To address that challenge, Aptima, which applies expertise in how humans think, learn and behave, is developing CAMO, the Cultural Awareness for Military Operations system. CAMO is computer-based, interactive training software that prepares Marines to understand and engage with the cultures they’re suddenly immersed in, no matter where they’re deployed. Under development for the Office of Naval Research, CAMO is being designed to better train Marines to successfully navigate the human terrain in their diverse operations around the world, from peacekeeping to disaster relief.

14 | MT2 18.4

“Marines are finding themselves in a wider range of missions, where they’re often exposed to more than one culture in a single deployment.

Many of these non-combat-related missions bring them into direct contact with locals,” said Alexander Walker, Ph.D., Aptima’s principal investigator for CAMO. “To expect Marines to swim in those waters, so to speak, and operate in very different socio-cultural settings requires complex reasoning skills, and the ability to recognize and apply principles, rather than narrowly defined rules or procedures.”

CAMO is designed to augment the Marine Corps’ classroom-based instruction in Operational Culture: General, and is currently in the process of undergoing an evaluation that will compare its effectiveness to that classroom instruction.

The software, based on the latest in scientific learning theory, facilitates deep understanding of principles and their application in real world situations.

A departure from traditional lecture-based instruction, CAMO’s interactive format encourages trainees to explore the subject matter, engage in deliberate problem-solving scenarios, and benefit from the rationale of expert feedback during exercises. “The goal of building cultural fluency isn’t to prescribe a specific action for

every situation, but to learn how to understand the environment you’re in and the questions to ask … from how to identify the power structure and dominant group, whether tribal or ethnic, to the underlying economic, belief, and other systems,” said Sterling Wiggins, a member of Aptima’s CAMO team.

CAMO’s curriculum aligns with the six content areas developed for general cultural training by the Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning: applying operational culture; non-verbal communication; communicating with an interpreter; using tactical language; interacting with a foreign population; and recognizing culture.

CAMO uses case-study-based scenarios anchored in relevant and realistic situations.

Marines are presented with several problem scenarios that appear different on the surface, but that share a common principle. For example, where to locate a military exercise that’s caused past hostilities is juxtaposed against where to rebuild a demolished school. CAMO uses a combination of images, mouse-overs and text reveals, providing realism and engagement without the expense of fully immersive gaming or simulation.

Alexander Walker; awalker@aptima.com www.MT2-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Head-Mounted Display for Virtual Incident Management Training Vstep, an international developer of simulators and virtual training, recently announced that its RescueSim virtual incident management training platform is to be fully compatible with the nextgeneration Oculus Rift Head Mounted Displays, making full immersion 3-D virtual training possible for its users and opening up new training possibilities for emergency services.

RescueSim is a virtual incident management simulator created by simulator developer Vstep and is being used worldwide by governments and emergency services to train incidents in a safe and realistic 3-D virtual environment. RescueSim allows training of any incident and has additional specialized modules allowing realistic training of industrial, port, underground, airport, railroad, onboard and offshore incidents.

The Oculus Rift head mounted display (HMD) is a next-generation lightweight wearable solution displaying the virtual 3-D world in a 110-degree angle across the wearer’s field of view and creating

the illusion of being completely immersed in the virtual world. Due to its high-quality display and durable low-weight construction, the Oculus Rift offers a much more realistic experience without any of the user discomfort of legacy HMD solutions.

The Oculus Rift HMD is worn by the RescueSim user and uses advanced motion sensors that are responsive to the user’s cranium, allowing them to look around in the selected 3-D RescueSim environment by actual movement of the head.

RescueSim users wearing the HMD will find themselves fully immersed in the action as the incident is taking place all around them.

Pjotr van Schothorst, Vstep director, said, “Vstep has always taken the lead in introducing new innovations. By integrating virtual training through a head mounted display, RescueSim offers its customers a new level of immersion during training of incidents. The HMD training guarantees complete immersion in the incident scenario, as users physically look around and interact with

Speech Recognition Related Patent Adacel recently announced that the company has been granted a United States patent for an invention related to the company’s work in speech recognition technology.

The patent “System and Method for Training an Acoustic Model with Reduced Feature Space Variation” by inventor Chang-Qing Shu of Orlando, Fla., has been cleared and issued to Adael Systems Inc. The patent issued effective October 30, 2012, will remain in effect for 20 years.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved system and method for training an acoustic model to enhance recognition capabilities. The Adacel invention reduces feature space variation associated with specific text elements by training an acoustic model with a phoneme set, dictionary and transcription set configured to better distinguish the specific text elements and at least some specific associated phonemes.

“This is the first of several recent patent applications that Adacel has pending,” said Seth Brown, Adacel chief executive officer. “We remain committed to improving our speech recognition capabilities to enhance simulation training and operational capabilities for our customers.”

Adacel employs speech recognition technology within their line of ATC simulators and training devices, voice input control systems including the cockpit recognition system for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Aermacchi M-346 Master, as well as third party applications.

Tom Evers; tevers@adacel.com

www.MT2-kmi.com

their surroundings. The wide range of RescueSim incident scenarios and the high realism required by emergency services for effective virtual training are a perfect fit for the enhanced HMD functionality of RescueSim. The introduction of the nextgeneration HMD training is another example of the continuous innovation of our products as we provide customers with the best virtual training and simulator solutions available. ” Following RescueSim’s HLA integration and VBS2 interoperability, the introduction of virtual training using next-generation Head Mounted Displays is the latest in a selection of new features readying RescueSim for the future of simulation.

In line with the successful integration of HMD with RescueSim, Vstep will also integrate HMD training possibilities using the Oculus Rift with all of its other core training products, including its crowd management simulator and its Nautis maritime simulators.

Frank Dolmans; frank@vstep.nl

Law Enforcement Motorcycle Trainers Attendees from around the world came to the 2013 International Skidcar Conference to learn about modern use of Skidcar. But they also got to be the first audience to see the new Skidbike live. During the official one-day debut event, over 30 professional riders had the opportunity to take Skidbike for a test drive. From these riding professionals came a multitude of positive responses.

Dane Pitarresi, president of Skidcar System Inc., the North American distributor of Skidbike, said, “We’ve put so much energy and focus into developing what we hoped would strike a chord with motorcycle professionals and rider trainers. We knew we had a hit, but never anticipated it being a home run from the start.” He added, “One attendee wrote to us after the debut, ‘[Skidbike] does a terrific job of emulating a front wheel skid caused by over-braking or lack of traction. It also provides a safe means of teaching techniques to recover from an unexpected front wheel skid.’”

Lisa Pitarresi, vice president, said, “We expect to begin taking orders, delivering product, and doing on-site training by the third quarter of this year.”

Dane Pitarresi; dane@skidcar.com MT2 18.2 | 15

Readiness Director

Q& A

Providing Oversight of Military Training Readiness and Capability Modernization

Frank C. DiGiovanni Director Training Readiness and Strategy Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense [Readiness]

Frank C. DiGiovanni serves as director, Training Readiness and Strategy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense [Readiness]. His responsibilities include policy and oversight of military training readiness and capability modernization, the department’s $4.3 billion Combatant Commander Exercise Engagement and Training Transformation, and the sustainment of military training ranges. DiGiovanni oversees the development of live, virtual and constructive training standards and architectures, advanced distributed learning initiatives, the creation of a “virtual world” training capability, service institutional training, service advanced digital training instrumentation, and multi-level security training architectures. He serves as the senior DoD training member on the Modeling and Simulation Steering Committee and is the U.S. national coordinator for DoD training policies impacting NATO and Partnership for Peace training. DiGiovanni leads the DoD Licensing and Credentialing Working Group and provides analysis capabilities supporting DoD mission readiness. He oversees efforts and policies associated with sustaining DoD’s access to its land, air and sea training space and for developing policy, procedures, strategic communication and the research agenda associated with energy infrastructure and its impact on the ability of the department to conduct readiness training activities.

explore emerging training technologies in order to highlight their potential and buy down developmental risk for the services. TRS ensures training strategies are incorporated early in weapon system acquisition and leads the White House-directed professional licensing and credentialing of servicemembers, and the director of TRS serves as the national co-chair of the NATO Training Group.

Q: What are the roles and responsibilities of Training Readiness and Strategy [TRS] to ensure readiness of total force and U.S. forces?

Q: What are the top four challenges TRS will face in 2013? Are there any new programs or initiatives to be implemented at TRS?

A: TRS has a fairly broad portfolio, which revolves mainly around military training and education. First, we develop policy and oversee all phases of military training and education from service accession to job skills training as servicemembers begin the transition process from the military. We serve as the resource sponsor for the [approximately] $800 million-a-year Combatant Commander Exercise Engagement and Training Transformation [CE2T2] program and conduct advanced distributed learning research and development for the entire federal government. We develop policy that enables the Department of Defense’s continued access to live land, air and maritime training resources, through stewardship and continuous assessment and mitigation of mission compatibility conflicts. We

A: First, we remained committed to: ensuring readiness through training for current operations; continuing the advisory mission in Afghanistan; supporting Global Security Force Assistance [SFA]; and building partner capacity efforts.

As the United States’ combat role in Afghan transitions, our main effort is focused on advising the Afghan military and police and assisting with Afghan-focused, mission-enabling training. To this end, TRS formulates service training policy, provides oversight and consolidates best practices. For example, TRS operates the seven-week Ministry of Defense Advisor [MoDA] pre-deployment training course. Held in Washington, D.C., and in Muscatatuck/ Camp Atterbury, Ind., the MoDA course has graduated more than

16 | MT2 18.4

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200 senior civilian advisors who deploy to Afghanistan to help build the self-sufficiency of Afghan security forces. Course graduates have been extremely successful in theater, and have lauded it as ‘the best training ever received’ and as the ‘gold standard of advisor training.’

TRS also conducts services’ assessments aimed at measuring their ability to prepare forces in response to combatant commanders’ requirements for SFA. With collaboration from all the stakeholders, TRS instituted a performance measure to assess whether the services provide focused training for SFA. DoD regularly provides this assessment to Congress. This oversight measure has already spurred greater awareness and due diligence on the part of the services to train deploying forces in SFA tasks.

TRS works with partners in the services and industry to improve training and simulation for SFA and BPC. These tasks require a mixture of traditional and nontraditional A non-commissioned mans the turret of a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle simulator at the Tactical Vehicle Simulation Center at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps/by Lance Cpl. Uriel Avendano] skill sets. Whereas simulation for highintensity conflict seems relatively well-unservices. TRS guidance and the CE2T2 program enable the services derstood, simulation for “soft skills” has lagged behind. This is an to train for the joint fight. We not only fund the training, but we emerging challenge for the traditional defense industry—to branch are actively engaged in the planning, guidance and development of out into the social sciences to address training for these soft skills. joint exercises. Joint training is imperative for the success of our Secondly, we are exploring how best to maximize limited reforces, and it requires constant practice and continuous emphasis sources as we shape and monitor force readiness and structure the from all levels of command. transition to the new National Defense Strategy priorities in the Third, we constantly refine our training efforts to ensure our post-9/11 environment. forces train like they would fight in a real-world operation. To that Given the current fiscal environment, vigilantly monitoring serend, we are exploring training capabilities with a ‘mixed’ or ‘blendvice and joint training regimens, and identifying any threats to mised’ reality environment—immersive simulations that create hypersion readiness is essential. This includes monitoring: training task realistic training environments: training to adaptivity. completeness; effectiveness of training accomplished at the service The TRS’s virtual world framework [VWF] allows trainers to large force exercise venues; weapon system maintenance rates; the quickly and simply create virtual collaborative environments. effects of service training stand downs due to sequestration; and VWF, a browser-based collaborative simulation environment, enthe ability of the combatant commanders to conduct exercises and ables myriad contributors to create a shared immersive space by engagements in order to assess the readiness of the force to conduct harnessing the power of crowdsourcing, human imagination and operational plans. In parallel, we are helping structure joint trainsocial collaboration under the umbrella of an open source business ing and exercises in the post-9/11 environment to ensure they are model. The VWF leverages emerging standards, zero install design consistent with the national strategy. The primary mechanism for and emerging web technologies to establish a powerful yet simpleaccomplishing this objective is the CE2T2 program. CE2T2 is the to-use platform that is future-proof and scalable. The VWF is a fast, primary source of funds for major joint, combined exercises like lightweight, web-based architecture for creating collaborative virAustere Challenge 2012, an annual ballistic missile defense exertual spaces that offers a high degree of customizability and will be cise with Israel. We’ve also aligned exercise funds to support the available to the warfighter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department’s rebalance to Asia-Pacific, including exercises with the key functionality of VWF is that users can create their own content, Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in support of the Prolifwhich allows them to capture and preserve experiences gained dureration Security Initiative. Through joint, combined exercises, the ing the last 12 years of conflict, ultimately preserving their legacy United States visibly demonstrates partnership with our security for future generations of warfighters. It is also designed to keep oppartners across the globe. erational skills honed and teach foundational level programming Likewise, joint training solidifies relationships between the skills that could have post-military service utility for VWF content services. Joint operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and developers. The VWF software is available on www.github.com. around the world are built upon the foundation of joint training.

We are committed to providing the most realistic, immersive The services’ large-force training includes Nellis Air Force Base, Las simulation possible, specifically for infantry and other personnel Vegas; Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., and the National Training Center, who operate outside vehicles. We constantly ask ourselves, ‘How Fort Irwin, Calif. The CE2T2 program conscientiously funds each can we best simulate walking through mud, running up stairs service’s participation in the training and exercises of the other www.MT2-kmi.com

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or trudging through a dense forest—complete with vines, fallen branches and thorn bushes? How can we reproduce the sights and sounds of a crowded meeting room or a bustling bazaar with enough fidelity and detail? How do you train for adaptivity?’ Currently, we believe these considerations can be achieved through mixed or blended-reality simulation through the overlaying of virtual content into the live training environment. This overlay creates a hyper-realistic training environment that simply may not be feasibly replicated entirely in the live environment. Blended reality also facilitates operational decision-making training, improves cognition and fosters adaptive strategies to anticipated changes in the environment.

Lastly, we are committed to growing and developing training for the professional cyber workforce. We need to train and grow a workforce that can address today’s and the future’s cyber threat.

To that end, my office is developing policies, providing oversight, and creating a government cyber training pilot to address the demand in the department for foundational cyber engineering expertise. The January 2012 defense strategic guidance emphasized the mission to operate freely in cyberspace, and the recent National Defense Authorization Acts have emphasized cyber defense, highlighting Congressional interest in this growing area of national defense. Additionally the cyberthreat has been assessed by the intelligence community as the number-one threat to national security.

Q: How does TRS issue guidance, provide advice, make recommendations and conduct analyses on Department of Defense training?

A: First, TRS issues training guidance through DoD directives and instructions. DoD Directive 1322.18 ‘Military Training’ is our capstone document. I anticipated that we may soon amplify this directive with an implementing instruction. The department has directives or instructions on advanced distributed learning, urban training, enabling access to the live training/test domain and military education. We also just released DoD Instruction 1322.28, ‘Realistic Military Training [RMT] Off Federal Real Property,’ which provides risk mitigation guidance for military units that are training on either private land or non-federal public land. Every two to three years, to guide the evolution and revolution in training, we develop and publish a strategic plan for DoD training which is approved by the deputy secretary of defense. In its policy function, TRS represents the training community at the Department of Defense level in areas such as the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Security Force Assistance, Irregular Warfare, Cyber, Sustainable Ranges Initiative, Modeling and Simulation, NATO, Interagency Training and Education, and the DoD Licensing and Credentialing Task Force.

Additionally, through our resource sponsorship of the CE2T2 program, we are able to analyze services’ joint tactical training and combatant commander exercises and engagement alignment with the National Defense Strategy, theater campaign plans, the chairman’s high-interest training items, the program goals and objectives for the deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness, and the strategic plan for training. Responsibility for this analysis falls on TRS’s Joint Assessment and Enabling Capability, with whom the services and combatant commands develop and submit measures of effectiveness for joint training and exercises.

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Finally, TRS reviews and analyzes major defense acquisition programs [MDAPs] and other large programs to ensure there is a rigorous integration of training capabilities development during the acquisition process. Due in part to TRS’s advocacy, training was recently added to the Joint Staff’s Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System as a key performance parameter for MDAPs. This action has greatly assisted TRS’s ability to review MDAP programs for training implications.

Q: How does TRS’s role differ during peacetime operations?

A: TRS’s policy and oversight roles are enduring, and while those functions never change, we often redirect our focus based on the missions our forces are tasked to complete. During contingencies, our focus is on training for current operations, yet we still keep our eye on training for other national defense priorities. In peacetime, we focus on anticipated full-spectrum operations based on priorities outlined in the national defense strategy.

Q: Considering sequestration, declining defense budgets, and the return of forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, how could simulation affect the training of U.S. forces?

A: Simulation helps provide cost-effective and realistic training for our forces, particularly when fiscal resources are limited and demand from non-defense sectors for live training assets such as land, air, maritime and frequency spectrum capabilities is increasing. Additionally, the use of simulators helps prolong the life of operational weapon systems and moves higher-fidelity training to home stations. However, the use of simulation must be tempered with understanding and addressing: the cost of producing, sustaining and maintaining the currency of simulation capabilities; the physical rigors of live training that are hard to replicate in a simulated environment; and the end-to-end functionality of live weapon systems.

Q: How does TRS promulgate training policies and programs so that U.S. forces remain current in an era where warfare and technology evolve quickly?

A: TRS prizes anticipation, adaptation and innovation. Alan Kay, the pioneer of personal computing, was once asked how he predicted technological innovations. In response, he accurately said, “I didn’t; the best way to predict the future is to create it.” In TRS, we create the future by promulgating training policies that help shape DoD. Internally, TRS continuously senses the environment, assesses the Department of Defense’s strategic vector and adjusts course when necessary. We strive not only to be on the cutting edge but a little bit ahead of it!

As a hedge to the rapid evolution of warfare and technology, TRS has championed training focused on further developing individual and force adaptivity. Adaptation lies on the spectrum between prediction and reacting once an event has occurred.

Adaptation can be simply defined as “always questioning the norm.” However, such questioning does not always have to result in a change in strategy; staying the course can be a reasonable outcome. Adaptation elements consist of sensing the environment, analysis, developing appropriate concepts and courses of action, implementation as needed and post-action assessment. It also www.MT2-kmi.com

includes a counter-adaptation strategy to deny adversaries the ability to adapt to us. The Marine Corps, renowned for its operational agility, has recently implemented new training in its entry level and advanced training courses to strengthen its ability to be adaptive.

Q: How has advanced distributed learning evolved over the past two years and where do you see its use in the future?

A: Advanced distributed learning [ADL] is currently working several initiatives to include: prototyping using open-source development techniques, developing new distributed learning standards that leverage current and future technological innovations, development of common web services that many other applications can use with highly transparent and easy-to-deploy baseline open-source software, mobile applications and massive open online courses. We also are pioneering the concept of ‘transmedia learning,’ a twist on the entertainment industry’s ‘transmedia storytelling’ marketing strategy. Transmedia learning consists of the simultaneous use of different types of learning media, such as traditional distributed learning, social websites, blogs, tweets, YouTube videos, in-person meet-ups, Wikis, Google Images/Earth, etc. Just as transmedia storytelling provides the backstory and fills storyline gaps in a cinematic presentation, transmedia learning is designed to fill knowledge gaps, enrich the learning experience, and facilitate knowledge excursions for the learner, stimulated by the original content.

is distributed and collaborative learning is negotiated among learners and simulated PALs. The project is called the Next Generation Learner Imaginarium. The Imaginarium uses an open-source virtual environment with learners 10-18 years old to explore a sustainability science problem. In the Imaginarium, learners interact with a simulated PAL that currently incorporates aspects of both human and digital tutoring and games. The Imaginarium encourages systems thinking and attempts to elicit adaptive performance, or solving problems creatively [e.g., coping with ambiguity] and using effective interpersonal and nonverbal communication skills. To conduct this research, ADL is collaborating with local schools in Orlando—Walden Community School, Legacy Middle School and the Orlando Science Center.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add that I have not asked?

A: TRS assists the United States military sustain its training superiority. Given the all-volunteer force and continuous contingency operations during the last 12 years, we have one of the most capable and experienced forces in our country’s history. As we transition from operations in Afghanistan, we must keep our readiness honed and ensure those who follow learn from our experience, anticipate requirements and shape the future operating environment. Training in a hyper-realistic, technologically enabled ‘iron crucible’ will be the key to our success.O

Q: Are there any TRS programs or initiatives that you would like to describe in detail?

A: One of our strategic priorities is a long-term program called ‘Project Aristotle.’ It is one of the overarching programs for the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. Project Aristotle is an advanced personal learning research initiative geared to the next generation of learners. Long term, Project Aristotle will produce a 24/7 personal learning assistant that anticipates the needs of the learner and adapts the delivery of information based on the individual’s learning strengths, weaknesses, preferences and proficiency level.

Its interface will be transparent to the user [a wearable integrated device is envisioned], who will have access to both the world wide web and a social network of similar learners. Additionally, the system will have the capability to network locally with other Aristotle users when there is no Internet access. Aristotle will be designed to keep the learner as proficient as possible, neither regressing nor becoming overly reliant on its capabilities. Additionally, it will improve cognitive processes and train to adaptive behavior. It will enrich life experiences by encouraging the user to observe, learn and interact with the environment rather than focusing on self-absorbing ‘handheld’ technology. Finally, it will seek to turbo-charge learning by engaging as many senses as possible in the learning process.

Presently, ADL is conducting research and development for Aristotle technologies under a broad area announcement entitled the ‘Personal Assistant for Learning,’ or PAL. With the PAL research, ADL is interested in narrowing the gap between where best practices in intelligent tutoring end and best practices of human tutoring begin.

As part of our PAL research, ADL began collecting data for a project in 2013 that seeks to understand how cognition www.MT2-kmi.com

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Special Section: Serious Gaming

Solutions for the Future

A look at technologies for future implementation.

Serious gaming has been used to great effect in training the warfighter, and with significant advancements in technology, this training is becoming even more effective. In today’s austere budget environment Military Training Technology asked several leading companies about the serious gaming solutions they are offering the military to help meet training needs over the next five years.

Barlow Blake

Business Development Manager, Geospatial, IMI and Gaming AEgis Technologies bblake@aegistg.com During the past few years, AEgis Technologies has made a significant investment in research and development into gaming technology. Last year AEgis’ IR&D effort in serious gaming led to the debut of the award-winning game Combat ID. Combat ID is a serious game developed to showcase how a mobile-based solution could be used to train U.S. and allied warfighters in simulated combat environments.

AEgis’ Combat ID challenges the player to embark on a series of missions in various battlefield environments, correctly identify combat vehicles and then determine if they are friend or foe, with

Rear Admiral Gary R. Jones, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Vice President, Operations Manager Alion Science and Technology Advanced Modeling and Simulation Training Organization grjones@alionscience.com

According to the Institute of Medicine [IOM], up to 690,000 patients are affected by medical errors each year in the U.S. Up to 98,000 of them will die from those errors, making these medical mistakes the nation’s eighth leading cause of death. There are

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the ultimate goal of preventing or minimizing fratricide. Combat ID won the People’s Choice Award, which is considered the ‘Best of Show’ at the 2012 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge [SGS&C] held at the I/ITSEC conference.

Combat ID is a great example of how AEgis is using serious gaming to offer a realistic and relevant alternative to traditional training methods. In addition to being low cost, serious games like Combat ID are designed to be engaging and appealing to end users while offering education that will benefit the overall mission objective.

The game is available and accessible on personal computers and portable devices, making distribution and training large numbers of trainees relatively simple. Serious games like Combat ID allow the soldier to train almost anywhere, anytime using mobile devices.

AEgis is focused on producing serious games and game-based systems that will help

to increase operational readiness. Combat ID is an example of how to focus training toward a particular training objective, in this case the objective of improving accurate vehicle identification. Gaming technologies can be applied to any number of training challenges, including maintenance training, as a way to immerse the soldier in their training environment. By using gaming technology, the training we are developing today and in the future engages the soldiers with a familiar interface of the mobile or PC platform and allows them to take the training with them anywhere. Because of this portability, the soldier can stay current and continue training no matter where they are stationed.

Through the effective use of serious gaming methodology and portable distribution, AEgis strives to reduce the cost of training and at the same time increase its quality and availability.

many root causes, including human error, poor teamwork and ineffective communication; for the Navy, these causes are exacerbated by lengthy deployments and re-entry training. But studies from both the IOM and the Military Health System have concluded that most of these errors can be prevented by adopting patient safety protocols.

With the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, Alion is pursuing a cost-effective serious game solution that can help improve patient safety protocols. In partnership with Ideas Healthcare Team Training, and the University of Central Florida, Alion is developing the Safe Surgery Trainer [SST], a game-based trainer designed to address patient safety

protocols in the surgical theater. As a training game, SST will draw on key aspects of the science of learning such as readiness, exercise, effect and intensity. And it will embrace the two qualities that distinguish games from other forms of training: flow and simplicity.

‘Flow’ is a state of deep engagement— what players often mean when they say games are ‘fun.’ While in flow, players stay focused on the task at hand and time seems to distort, both slowing down and flying by, unnoticed. To promote flow, SST will provide clear goals, immediate feedback, minimal distractions and a level of challenge that is just right for the trainee. In addition to flow, SST’s second design goal is simplicity.

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Special Section: Serious Gaming

‘Simplicity’ means focusing on the core experience, presenting an intuitive interface, limiting choices and embracing the player’s perspective. A simple yet compelling interface keeps trainees focused on their goals, provides clear and immediate feedback, and

minimizes extraneous data and distractions.

The result is a rich learning experience that is based on the sciences of both learning and flow.

SST will be usable by all members of a surgical team, making it a perfect tool to

promote patient safety and reduce medical errors across the Navy and the entire Military Health System. It uses low-cost, off-theshelf technologies, which can be used by servicemen from almost any known platform [Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the web].

Clint Little

and software training as well as teach critical thinking skills, mission rehearsals and TTPs. Our custom solutions utilize digitally recreated environments, equipment and conditions while incorporating “virtual coaches” input to guide students through a codified syllabus. They greatly reduce training costs while minimizing the impact of training equipment shortages. Our blended products can be delivered via the Internet, a web portal or a classified or unclassified LAN, providing units and individual soldiers with an advanced distributed learning program accessible worldwide.

The Janus Serious Games Technology [SGT] platform provides a highly flexible, adaptable, kinetic and non-kinetic presentation layer that is software engine-independent and allows for the rapid development and deployment of single and multiplayer based scenarios. The platform provides a foundation of common game capabilities that can easily be

customized to meet any client need. Our SGT platform includes the SGT Tool Suite, a host of tools for managing various aspects of content such as student accounts/permissions, exercise scenarios, non-player characters’ behaviors, conversation and much more. With the SGT Tool Suite, content creators have the power to build and customize their scenarios and characters to meet their specific training requirements.

Many of our federal clients, including the Department of Defense, have greatly increased their training capacity, student knowledge retention and effectiveness by integrating Janus virtual training tools into their programs. For example, organizations will often provide their members one of our products to train on prior to new equipment training [NET] or the arrival of a mobile training team [MTT] to increase their level of knowledge and proficiency even before the official training begins. Our SGT enables the instructors to immediately begin training

Director of Serious Games Janus Research Group clint.little@janusresearch.com Today’s high operations tempo endured

by U.S. military units has had a significant and lasting impact on individual and collective training, as commanders, instructors and servicemembers struggle to find the time, resources and personnel to conduct quality training while keeping pace with the advancement of technology, equipment and tactics, techniques and procedures [TTPs].

Janus understands that while it is important to appreciate that technology is certainly part of any training challenge, it is technology which enables the solution.

Janus’ innovative and cutting-edge, virtual environment-based training allows units to efficiently conduct ‘system of systems’ hardware

Serious Gaming and IMI Solutions

to accomplish your training objectives.

Download Combat ID on iTunes and Android aegistg.com/combatid.htm www.MT2-kmi.com

aegistg.com

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Special Section: Serious Gaming

advanced concepts, TTPs and applications because the students have already gained a common benchmark of training confidence and experience. The NET or MTT’s program

of instruction time is thus made exponentially more valuable—and the virtual training can remain behind for sustainment training—any time, any place.

Janus’ virtual environment solutions enable our clients to have an effective and relative training solution that really does make a difference.

Jose Diaz

student can then practice the tasks on before performing on the physical equipment. This simulation provides the students a better understanding of the physical size and location of components without having to actually remove any parts.

In addition to AR, Kratos has developed blended training solutions that use a costeffective blend of computer-based training [CBT] and replicated physical controls all within an immersive virtual environment.

The combination provides the best of both worlds: an immersive physical, virtual and tactile environment that yields effective training and can be delivered at a fraction of the cost and fielding time of full fidelity trainers. With a simple software change, these devices are easily reconfigured to a variety of subsystems and platforms. These blended solutions provide a cost-effective bridge between CBT and full-scale training devices.

To help with today’s austere budget even further, Kratos is using the same software that is running the hardware devices that the military has used successfully through the past. To accomplish this, Kratos has developed a trainer application framework [TAF] system that allows use of previously deployed software across multiple platforms, whether it is for a hands-on trainer, virtual training or computer-based training. This reuse of simulation also allows for one quick upgrade to the software simulation that will upgrade all the trainers in the system.

As well as the TAF, Kratos has developed a virtual framework that allows porting in any simulation into a game virtual world and using a common set of controls and menus, which translates into faster development time for a virtual trainer as the only development needed is the modeling and animations of the components.

The Vipe Holodeck offers a high-fidelity immersive environment with a variety of mission-centric applications including simulation and training, mission rehearsal, and data visualization. It can support a variety of live, virtual and constructive simulation and training exercises, including non-kinetic and kinetic team training, cultural and language training, and support for ground, air and remote platform training. The trainer was designed using commercial off-the-shelf technologies with the goal of maximizing training effectiveness while reducing overall training costs.

Vipe is the answer for any customer searching for an efficient virtual training solution at a lower cost. The scenarios we create are accurate, and the storylines

and engagement of the user are real and immersive.

The Vipe Holodeck is lightweight and portable, allowing for quick use in any environment, simulation center, home station, onship or in-theater. This solution provides the trainer complete system and scenario control, as well as visibility of the trainees inside the Vipe Holodeck and a real-time view inside the virtual world. After action review capabilities through recording and playback of the complete training session result in more thorough training practices and mistake correction capabilities. Furthermore, Vipe Holodeck can be networked to provide multiplayer/multi-user visualization for state-of-the-art gaming, telepresence and simulation in addition to being integrated with external systems.

Senior Vice President Kratos Training Solutions jose.diaz@kratosdefense.com

In wake of new challenges in the market, industry must adapt. By developing training with advanced technology, we are able to produce high-fidelity training that reduces costs while increasing student throughput.

Kratos has developed training solutions that employ new technology such as augmented reality (AR). AR allows for a student to use a mobile device, such as a tablet, to virtually perform tasks on a physical piece of equipment. For example, if a student is learning how to remove a transmission from a UH-60, they can hold the tablet up to the physical equipment, which will identify the shape and overlay a 3-D graphic that the

Ryan Frost

Program Manager of Virtual Immersive Training Northrop Grumman Technical Services ryan.frost@ngc.com To ensure the continued success of our military customers, Northrop Grumman has made the commitment to provide innovative solutions that will meet the military’s training requirements now and in the future. We believe that serious gaming is crucial to meeting the critical training needs of the warfighter as budgets continue to decrease. To this end, Northrop Grumman has developed an immersive trainer that provides users affordable and effective training.

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Special Section: Serious Gaming

Robert A. Kurzawa

Vice President Sonalysts Inc. kurzawa@sonalysts.com

Sonalysts offers the military a unique blend of military training and serious game experience, state-of-the-art technology, outstanding past performance and ability to transition solutions into operational use. This capability has produced quantifiable military training and cost-avoidance value.

Sonalysts has been a pioneer of PC simulation technology since 1986 when we designed, developed and fielded the Navy’s first PC-based instructional simulation. We have also been producing PC games for the commercial entertainment market for 20 of those years. This unique experience has produced effective training and life cycle value for DoD customers across a spectrum of military training solutions that range from simple interactive multimedia (IMI)

Frank Kane

Founder & CEO Sundog Software LLC fkane@sundog-soft.com

Sundog Software’s whole model is to produce environmental effect technology that’s just as at home in AAA-quality video games as it is in military training simulators, and we price it the same for both markets—making it accessible even with shrinking military budgets. Our Triton Ocean SDK takes the same sort of 3-D water waves, spray and foam you’d see in top video games today, and goes one step further using real oceanographic models and simulation of specific Beaufort scales and Douglas Sea States to make it realistic enough for training purposes. Our SilverLining Sky, 3-D Cloud, and Weather SDK lends beautiful skies and clouds to

to serious games to intelligent tutoring solutions.

Sonalysts has developed, integrated and transitioned over 20 successful DoD “serious games” solutions during the past 17 years.

Although serious games have been discussed at great length over the past five to 10 years, there really isn’t a single definition of the term. Our approach has been to assess each military customer’s training requirement in terms of the student, the required instructional design, the optimum delivery architecture, and what supporting training technologies are required to achieve training objectives. In that regard, we have a record of training and costvalue production with several serious game delivery architecture solutions. Our ASTAC ITA air control serious game solutions combined our Sonalysts Combat Simulations Dangerous Waters (DW) game technology with knowledgebased adaptive IMI and skill-based intelligent tutoring to dramatically reduce student attrition rates from 40 percent to 2 percent. Our Standard Space Trainer [SST] architecture has been

formally adopted as the single common training system for all Air Force space training, enabling the Air Force to achieve dramatic life cycle savings and overcome the challenges of costly stove-piped legacy training systems that used different hardware, operating systems, networking capabilities and proprietary software.

Today, Sonalysts has three core gamebased architectures—DW, SST and our new Simulation Engine II (SE II)—to satisfy military training requirements in concert with our toolbox of other training technologies. Discriminating capabilities common to all three serious game frameworks include advanced physics, DIS/HLA network protocol, powerful scenario generation, modifiable databases, multi-player mode, and the addition of a unique “multi-station” mode that enables team training. And our new SE II architecture is open, modular and includes a full 3-D tactical globe “game board” capable of supporting visualization from the seabed to space, across the sea, land, air, space and cyber military domains.

consumer flight simulators and games, as well as to training simulators that need realistic skies, volumetric clouds, precipitation and lighting for specific times, locations and weather conditions.

By catering to the needs of both the training and simulation markets, we end up with better products for both. Games that use our technology are physically accurate due to our training requirements, and training simulators are more immersive due to the graphics quality demanded by our gaming customers. It ends up being a symbiotic relationship.

We’re able to offer our 3-D water, sky and cloud effects at a much lower price than competing products made exclusively for the military training and simulation industry, since the game developer market is larger and also demands lower price points. A video game developer isn’t about to purchase an expensive dongle for every

copy they sell, so our license model is a flat, modest amount for royalty-free distribution with a single title or training program. That saves money for military training programs in the long run, and is also a whole lot simpler to maintain.

Our low-cost sky, cloud and ocean technology integrates well with free, open-source graphics frameworks such as OpenSceneGraph, Ogre and osgEarth. Our products also support the inexpensive Unity game engine, which is increasingly being used for simulation and training.

It’s possible today to create high-fidelity image generators capable of simulating the entire Earth without incurring any per-channel licensing costs.

Technology such as ours crossing over from the game development world, combined with the maturation of open-source frameworks, is making immersive training environments possible with very modest budgets. O

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Brian O’Shea at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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COMMAND PROFILE

Training Support Analysis and Integration Division Army Challenge: Make Systems Easy to Operate

By Randall Chalkley

Senior leaders across the Army agree that the Army needs to make new systems easier for soldiers to learn and operate. This article will explore the implications of that challenge and what can be done to address it.

Over the last dozen years, a tremendous number of systems were fielded to meet operational needs. These systems ranged broadly from weapons to radios and from computers to surveillance drones.

The push to provide operational solutions to the field quickly created systems that helped soldiers accomplish their missions. However, the effort also created challenges in the area of system trainability.

Trainability is the term used to describe soldiers’ ability to learn, operate, sustain and retain their knowledge of a system.

In fielding new systems, performance sometimes took precedence over trainability in system design, resulting in systems that had greater capability, but also put greater demands on the operator. The trainability problem was complicated by instruction often occurring in theater and outside of Army schools, creating a disconnect with existing training protocols.

Furthermore, some of the new systems did not synch with existing training aids, devices, simulators and simulations (TADSS).

The problem is often referred to as a lack of concurrency. The differences between system capabilities as modeled in training and the fielded versions of those same systems had obvious negative effects on the Army’s ability to train as we fight.

Current trends indicate that the pace of technological change will only make this problem more prevalent. Complex technology creates an upward spiral of expectation—the more a system does, the more possibilities it creates. With additional 24 | MT2 18.4

capabilities or a new system, training requirements must be re-evaluated and changed.

Meanwhile, our adversaries are continually discovering ways to use advanced technology to their own advantage. This only increases pressure on the Army to maintain a technological overmatch.

The Army oversees an extensive science and technology program to leverage leading-edge technologies and stay ahead of its adversaries. The Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) events and implementation of an agile process for capability development are examples of Army efforts to mitigate operational gaps through technological solutions.

The agile process focuses on streamlined acquisition of the Army’s required capabilities, using the NIEs to identify and integrate mission command related systems in an environment that allows rapid evaluation under realistic operational conditions.

Nevertheless, the challenge remains to make technological solutions easier for soldiers to master. The Department of Defense Design Criteria Standard for Human Engineering states: “Technology, if misapplied, will impose human performance requirements that cannot be satisfied. Many technologies are evolving rapidly; the human is not. The benefits of new technologies may not be realized if one fails to consider human capabilities and limitations.”

Indeed, while the Army has generally become adept at constructing training programs to meet new system requirements, it has come at a cost in terms of training proficiency, efficiency and sustainability.

One example of new equipment training that presented a trainability issue was the Network Integration Kit (NIK) that was evaluated at a recent NIE. To put the NIK into operation took 99 steps that had to be

done both sequentially and correctly. Failure in either area resulted in shutdown and required the soldier to start over. In retrospect, it appeared the training and capability developers were not connected at the hip in the NIK technology development phase.

The issue of trainability is not a new one.

The Department of Defense has promulgated rules, standards and policy guidance that attempt to improve system trainability. The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System Manual contains guidance for the drafting of training key performance parameters. It requires the identification of training requirements early in system development. In addition, the Manprint Program and military standard guidance help develop systems that can be easily trained to standard.

Yet, some systems are often either fielded or at an advanced stage of development before their training requirements or the systems’ effect on the overall training system are understood.

In practice, a system’s functional performance requirements are specified in greater detail during the capability development process than its training performance requirements. This ensures the system is well along the development path before specific training-related outcomes are considered.

The result too often is a system that meets technical and functional criteria but lacks trainability.

Shortcomings in trainability also create second- and third-order effects such as increased training costs and reduced time for collective training needed to attain unit proficiency in advanced war fighting tasks. The trainability problem is particularly acute for advanced mission command, intelligence and communications systems. They are not ergonomically challenging, but are harder www.MT2-kmi.com

to understand than legacy systems because of their complexity.

How can the Army address this challenge without giving up technological overmatch to our adversaries? The following are several steps that the Army training and capability development communities might consider to develop a system that better fits the soldier.

•

•

•

Establish a training force modernization proponent to advocate for integrating training and education into system modernization efforts across the Army and ensure concurrency between training support systems and those in the field.

Develop Armywide criteria to objectively measure system trainability based on sound research.

Address trainability in capability development documents to ensure

•

•

trainability is designed into the system from the earliest stages of the development process.

Use the NIE and similar efforts as risk management tools to identify and mitigate the negative effects of system complexity on trainability and integration.

Maintain resourcing of trainability during system development so that the capability is not traded against other competing requirements. For trainability to be implemented for systems, it has to have the priority to ensure it does not get lost when tough resourcing decisions are made.

Given the demonstrated problems, the challenge for the Army capability development community is to create the conditions wherein trainability is an integral part of system development from the earliest stages.

Enhancing the trainability of Army systems will improve soldier performance on increasingly technologically complex systems and result in more efficient and costeffective training. Most importantly, it is the end users of the system—the soldiers—who will benefit if the difficult work is done upfront. O Randall Chalkley is the chief of Plans and the Future Capabilities Office of the Training Support Analysis and Integration Division (TSAID), which is an element of the Combined Arms Center-Training, U.S. Army. TSAID’s mission is to manage the integration of training support across the Army, including current and future capability development.

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Brian O’Shea at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

R U O TH

12

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MT2 18.4 | 25

Simulation’s Role in Training and Education The thriving world of IST and what its future holds.

By Terri Bernhardt

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) is a research institute that focuses on advancing human-centered modeling and simulation technology and increasing understanding of simulation’s role in training and education. IST sits in the heart of Orlando’s Research Park, globally known as the highest concentration of simulation- and training-related activities. IST’s primary focus is on human-in-the-loop simulation and modeling of human activity. With over 250 employees and a student-centered approach to learning, IST has cemented UCF as a center for academic excellence.

Additionally, IST supports graduate programs leading to master’s and doctoral level degrees in modeling and simulation (M&S) which are available to students of engineering, computer science, digital media, mathematics, psychology and other related disciplines.

IST works within different areas such as health care, security, team behavior, robotics, training and Crystal Maraj (MS, M&S Graduate Program, 2012) is shown conducting research on culture-based body language and more. “In one word, we are multidisciplinary,” stated other indicators of hostile intent. [Photo courtesy of Team Orlando] Randy Shumaker, Ph.D., the director of IST. “We are a very different kind of team that continues to build defense (50 percent), federal (30 percent), and industry and research on the expected and unexpected.” Shumaker, known in these parts foundations (20 percent). “I enjoy seeking the next area in which we as a highly respected leader and someone who has put M&S higher will grow,” Shumaker said. “It is exciting to go hunting for new areas education on the map, became IST’s director in 2002 and has and applications.” expanded the program into one of the largest, most diverse in the What will the future look like? According to Shumaker, there country. is a need for M&S in every field. “In the field of history we have “There is no doubt Dr. Shumaker’s technical knowledge, focus proven it,” he said. “We have also seen needs in psychology, politics, on research and organizational skills have propelled IST into a great transportation, nursing—there are many others I can think of that change agent,” said Peter Kincaid, Ph.D., graduate research professor could benefit from M&S. Health care is going to play a really big and associate director, M&S Graduate Program, UCF IST. role in M&S’s future,” he said. “We believe that more can be done Within the last five years, IST has been published in over 480 for patients such as doing more at home to help prevent having to publications with editors, co-editors or on review boards of over 51 see a physician.” Shumaker also stated that robotics and unmanned different publications. “Unless you want to confine yourself, you need vehicles will play an important role in the forthcoming years. to partner with other people,” Shumaker said. “Lots of departments There is no question IST will continue to improve M&S and within UCF and other nationwide programs offer research and diverwill lead the way to maintaining M&S graduate studies as a multisity. The human-centric piece is what we bring to the table.” functioning, distinct program. “There are many more paperweights Some of the unexpected people you wouldn’t normally see to come,” said Shumaker, referring to the IST tradition of presenting around an M&S program are historians, anthropologists, live actors each graduate with a memorable paperweight during a private from theater, and people with museum backgrounds. “Many don’t ceremony. “Morale is good and we want it to stay this way.” know we have an M.D. on staff who works in healthcare applications, Brian Goldiez, deputy director at IST, spoke about the future of but is also the president of the local AUVSI chapter,” said Shumaker. the program with much enthusiasm, “I love this place. One of the How do they get their funding? “Ninety percent of our funding is most interesting things about IST: It is like a halfway house. We from contracts and grants,” Shumaker said. “One secret is that our encourage people to grow and leave it up to them to make their own people are always a little hungry for the next opportunity, the next nest in a self-motivating way.” O application.” Their funding breakdown exists in three categories: 26 | MT2 18.4

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MT2 18.4 | 27

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Military Training Technology

U.S. Army Major General (Ret.) Jim Coggin Vice President Integrated Enterprise Training Solutions General Dynamics Information Technology A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in operations research from Georgia Institute of Technology, Coggin has extensive experience in military and business operations. During his time with General Dynamics IT, he has led the Integrated Enterprise Training Solutions Sector in providing training solutions and program support to the U.S. Army and other federal and state government agencies.

Q: Can you describe General Dynamics Information Technology’s history and evolution?

A: General Dynamics, a Fortune 100 company, has been serving the U.S. government for more than 50 years. Once primarily known for providing tanks, ships and submarines to the Department of Defense, today General Dynamics has become a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies to agencies across the U.S. government and to allied nations around the world.

General Dynamics Information Technology [IT] is one of four business units within General Dynamics’ Information Systems & Technology group. General Dynamics IT is a provider of mission-focused IT services, systems engineering, professional services, and simulation and training to customers in the defense, federal civilian government, health, homeland security, intelligence, state and local government, and commercial sectors.

Q: What are some of the key training and simulation services you provide?

A: We deliver cost-effective technology-based solutions that take training and readiness to new levels of capacity. We do this by leveraging live, virtual, constructive, gaming [LVCG] simulated training environments, which provide high-quality, mission-critical training support services and solutions across all training domains.

We support LVCG integrated training environments as well as mission command and 28 | MT2 18.4

station training capabilities and investing in innovative technologies that break out of the traditional approach to training. We are evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers and provide the best capabilities and solutions possible.

leader development training at all mission training complexes. This includes support we are providing commanders in achieving mission command training tasks from individual tasks through battle staff training.

In addition, we provide security assistance training through mobile training teams, exercise augmentation, special operations forces instructor training and full spectrum operations support.

Q: How are you positioned for the future within the military?

A: Home station training has become increasingly important as many combat brigades have only several months to transition out of deployment into their next assignment. We understand the challenge of establishing an overarching strategy that unifies all LVCG components and are leading the effort for integrated training environments through our enterprise training solutions.

We have extensive experience integrating technologies, equipment and environments into a single consolidated, end-to-end training solution and are bringing this knowledge to our customers to support this evolution from the blended training environment to a more mature integrated training environment.

Now more than ever it is imperative for industry to be a partner that understands the long-term vision and strategy of our military.

How can we continue to create efficiencies?

How can we help provide soldiers the edge they need with fewer resources?

These are questions being asked every day, and as a partner we are working to provide answers. We are focusing on low-cost, high-payoff solutions that maximize home

Q: What are some of the new training/simulation technologies General Dynamics IT is developing?

A: We are always looking for new ways to provide cost-effective, state-of-the-art simulation training solutions that help military and federal agencies face the challenge of shrinking budgets. Two ways in which we are meeting these challenges is through emergent integrated LVCG solutions being delivered at home station training and InForce, our tactical training instrumentation solution.

While military leadership agrees that developing a rigorous, realistic home station training program is critical, most struggle to implement it due to limited time, staff and financial resources. The General Dynamics InForce solution addresses these training challenges head on. It is a flexible, easy-to-install system that simulates realistic battlefield effects within existing training environments, and captures the exercise for thorough after-action review.

Q: How do customers benefit from General Dynamics IT’s varied resources and expertise?

A: General Dynamics IT has worked with government, military and commercial businesses for decades and has proven to be a strong, flexible partner for achieving both long- and short-term goals. Our focus has always been and continues to be on meeting our customers’ needs on time and within budget. As our customers’ goals and priorities shift, we shift and evolve to ensure we continue to meet their goals. This agility and focus on improvement is what our customers benefit from the most. O

james.coggin@gdit.com www.MT2-kmi.com

NEXTISSUE

August 2013 Vol. 18, Issue 5

America's Longest Established Simulation & Training Magazine

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Gen. Edward Rice Commander Air Education and Training Command

Special Section Advanced Distributed Learning Through advancements in ADL, a milestone has recently been reached with Experience API specification that allows software clients to read and write experiential data in the form of “statement” objects.

Features Helo Simulators Helicopters serve a number of roles in achieving mission success. Having pilots properly trained in a cost-effective manner is crucial.

LVC Training Live, virtual and constructive training plays a vital role in our military, and advancements in this technology are consistently being made.

Limited Visibility Not all battles are fought in broad daylight, and the warfighter needs to be able to complete their mission when visibility is less than optimal.

Command Profile

TRADOC

Insertion Order Deadline: July 22, 2013 • Ad Materials Deadline: July 29, 2013