INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: SAIC
Beverly Seay
Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager
Strategies, Simulation and Training Business Unit
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)
Q: You led the development of composable, reusable systems and the synthetic environment for the constructive domain. How are you innovating for tomorrow?
A: We began in the constructive domain with software-based systems and are evolving today into component-based systems. Heterogeneously developed components are becoming common for systems that use service-oriented modalities. Componentbased service-oriented systems [SOS] are increasing flexibility, reducing time to market, and enabling rapid response to evolving warfighter needs.
We are expanding component-based SOS to hardware systems with SAIC’s Common Driver Trainer [CDT] product line, and across multiple legacy systems with the Synthetic Environment Core [SECore] program, the U.S. Army’s common virtual environment initiative to link virtual training simulation devices into an integrated, interoperable training system.
Q: Under your leadership, SAIC has built a full spectrum portfolio of live, virtual and constructive [LVC] domain solutions. What’s next on the horizon?
A: Our acquisition of Icon Systems, the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System [MILES] and One Tactical Engagement Simulation System [OneTESS] product developer gives SAIC a strong presence in all three domains: live, virtual and constructive. SAIC is the prime contractor on One Semi-Automated Force [One-SAF], and the Boeing/SAIC team is the lead systems integrator for FCS working to speed delivery of crucial network-centric capabilities to the current force.
Having developed systems that simulate the physical domains, we are now extending models into the operational environment to include the nonphysical aspects of cyber, such as radio communications information exchange, and psychosocial aspects, such as human behavior and thought.
Q: You developed and patented the Customer Life Cycle Architecture [CLCA]. How does this provide an advantage for customers?
A: The CLCA encompasses the full life cycle of customer engagement, from initial needs analysis and the development and testing of policy and doctrine, to building systems, training, and mission planning, and integrating results into future processes. We have a patent pending on our CLCA architecture.
Our customers benefit from the CLCA by having a dedicated contractor across the full life cycle of a need, from concept to deployed solution. The use of the CLCA minimizes loss of continuity in approaches, expertise and solutions that could result in reduced operational capability and increased costs associated with the use of different contractors.
Q: You drove the launch of SAIC’s Integrated Simulation Center [ISC] in Orlando. Tell us about its mission and technology.
A: We opened the Integrated Simulation Center in Orlando, Fla., to respond to customer needs for solutions that cross traditional LVC lanes and the traditional and emerging warfighting domains. The ISC demonstrates our core technical competencies in modeling and LVC simulation, systems engineering and integration, and total, end-to-end training solutions and tailoring of offerings for crosscutting use. The ISC provides customers with the testbed environment to develop and experiment with differing concepts that support local and distributed use cases.
Q: In this fast-changing national security and threat environment, how is SAIC applying M&S in cyberspace and, in particular, training the warfighter to support the mission?
A: Cyber is an emerging war fighting domain with a shortage of models that portray actions and effects of courses of actions in cyber space and their resulting implications in the physical domain. SAIC’s work on the communication effects server integrates a cyber model with our OneSAF combat model, to provide more realistic training and experimentation for the warfighter in the physical domain.
Q: Briefly describe how SAIC’s training services and products portfolio has responded to support other asymmetric missions.
A: The evolution of our portfolio mirrors the challenges faced by our customers. Nowhere is the evolvement to emerging operational demands more apparent than in SAIC’s work on OneSAF and at the Battle Command Training Center [BCTC] in Fort Lewis, Wash. At the BCTC, the Army’s Center of Excellence for Army Battle Command Systems training for Stryker combat brigades, Stryker brigades’ missions now support stability and sustainment operations, and intelligence planning processes in addition to the original force and force missions. In working with PEO STRI, the OneSAF program and end users, we have implemented a large number of nontraditional opponent and civilian models such as insurgents, improvised explosive devices, crowds and humanitarian relief in OneSAF to provide the warfighter with an up-to-date picture of what they will encounter in the real world.
Q: Please tell us how SAIC gains efficiencies in M&S through its use in training, space and missile defense, and other programs.
A: Every new domain and program provides the opportunity to explore new processes and techniques within that domain. We are continually expanding our experience base and knowledge of modeling tools to bring new approaches from different paradigms, such as use of process flow models to optimize resource allocation, and dynamic rescheduling to accommodate dynamic planning and replanning tasks, to gain new insights and deliver new capabilities to our customers. ♦
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