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MT2 2009 Volume: 14 Issue: 6 (November/December)

Team Orlando:
Improving Human Performance Through Simulation

Ask just about any core member of Team Orlando and they will tell you that the individual mission and products/services they provide our warfighters are enhanced because of the strong alliance among Orlando’s military, government and industry cluster. But, this didn’t happen overnight. Beginning with a historic Navy (Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, or NAWCTSD) and Army (Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, or PEO STRI) partnership spanning almost 60 years, the group fostered a growing alliance to leverage technology and acquisitions aimed at improving human performance through simulation products.

The state of Florida joined the mix in the 1980s with the addition of its relatively new university (University of Central Florida, now the third largest university in the U.S.) and the establishment of the Institute for Simulation and Training. Other Army commands (Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM) STTC and Army Research Institute (ARI)); Marine Corps; Air Force; Coast Guard; USJFCOM’s Joint Development Integration Facility; Joint Advanced Distributed Learning Co Lab; Joint Training, Integration and Evaluation Center (JTIEC); the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; and finally the Defense Acquisition University joined the alliance over the last 30 years. Other key partners are liaisons to the core group including the National Center for Simulation, which represents a robust modeling, simulation and training industry base that supports the development and production of over $5 billion in simulation programs each year.

SO, HOW DOES IT WORK?

One of the most significant additions in the last 10 years is the Joint Training Integration and Evaluation Center (JTIEC). JTIEC coordinates training solutions and manages cross-cutting inter-service, joint and other government agency projects. They also serve as a facilitator to identify leveraging opportunities for the collocated military organizations and focus on strengthening relationships between the modeling and simulation community and training system developers. As part of their mission, JTIEC is the action arm of Team Orlando Board of Directors (BOD). Operating under its charter, the BOD meets monthly to discuss opportunities for collaboration and programs of interest to Team Orlando, and tasks JTIEC to execute decisions on its behalf.

In fact, the BOD was recently successful in adding a new team member—the Defense Acquisition University (DAU). Once DAU expressed an interest in the mission of the simulation organizations in Orlando, the board set out to facilitate the organization’s entrée to Team Orlando by listening to its goals and requirements, then scheduling appropriate meetings to enable it to make the best decision to meet its requirements. Through this process, DAU chose to establish and co-locate its new Orlando Teaching and Learning Lab with the Joint ADL Co-Lab in Central Florida Research Park in Orlando. Dan Gardner, director of Readiness and Training, Policy & Programs, Office of the Secretary of Defense, said, “The labs will be a testbed that will be instrumental in implementing advanced distributed learning technologies into education and training.”

OTHER MILITARY MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

But, members also maintain individual programs as well. The original partners NAWCTSD and PEO STRI are the largest, but each element is individually a leader in what it does. The Army’s RDECOM STTC and ARI commands support PEO STRI and others by providing valuable training and human performance related research.

The Marine Corps has been a long-time member of Team Orlando, but in 2001 the service expanded its presence by relocating its training system acquisition organization from Quantico to be near the thriving military simulation community. By standing up the Program Manager for Training Systems, the acquisition work force gained insight into training systems acquired by other services that might provide critical training opportunities for Marines. This proved to be a good move as the Marines partnered on several key programs such as the Combat Convoy Trainer.

The Air Force participation includes two organizations: the Air Force Agency for Modeling & Simulation, which provides integration for live, virtual and constructive simulation; and the Training Systems Product Group, responsible for supporting warfighter training through modeling and simulation.

Other members include Coast Guard and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Liaison organizations, such as the University of Central Florida/IST and the National Center for Simulation, represent academia and the vital industry base.

And the sum is more than the parts! As each organization accomplishes its mission, engineers, program managers, and project directors look for ways to leverage accomplishments and technological advances across Team Orlando. As the U.S. military becomes more and more integrated in joint operations, Team Orlando is poised to train as we fight by contributing joint solutions to a joint military in an economical way to improve training and human performance to help our warfighters be the best at what they do! ♦

For more information: http://www.teamorlando.org

For a complete list of member organizations: http://www.teamorlando.org/members/index.shtml

For Team Orlando historic timeline: http://www.teamorlando.org/about/timeline.shtml