PEO STRI Capitol Hill Demonstration Announced

The program executive office for simulation, training and instrumentation (PEO STRI) announced its 2009 Capitol Hill Demonstration, where members of congress and their office and committee staffs have an opportunity to experience interactive simulations and training devices.

This year’s demonstration will be conducted for members of congress and their staffs on February 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Senate Dirksen Auditorium and on February 5 between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in the House Rayburn Foyer.

Previous events have attracted more than 700 senators, representatives and their staffs. This year, PEO STRI will again be exhibiting products from the live, virtual and constructive training domains. Approximately 40 PEO STRI representatives will help conduct hands-on demonstrations on technologies used to increase the training readiness of service men and women, and prepare them to deploy in harm’s way.

Products scheduled for display include:

The Cave
Organization Represented: U.S. Army Research, Development and and Engineering Command (RDECOM)
Representatives: Tami Griffith, Jeff Mills

The Cave is a virtual interactive environment in which RDECOM is developing the technology to allow users to feel immersed in a virtual 3-D environment. The technology that will be demonstrated is the ability to interact with the environment using one's body and/or Wii remotes. In addition, RDECOM will describe research into how virtual worlds can be used for training, education, collaboration and outreach. In the short-term, the technology will improve the virtual experience; in the long-term it will improve the ability to use intelligent tutors and to promote discovery learning. As the technology is currently still in the exploration stage of the research, there are no systems fielded and no soldiers have been trained on the system so far.

Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC)
PM Represented: PM CATT
Representatives: Lieutenant Colonel Dave Thompson

These combat casualty care instruction facilities are the U.S. Army’s standardized medical training program. MSTCs are intended to reduce the died-of-wounds rate on the battlefield by providing soldiers with the skills to save wounded warfighters in combat. Through this instruction and on a medical human mannequin, soldiers can learn how to treat the three most preventable combat deaths: a collapsed lung, a blocked airway and blood loss. They can also practice intubations, tracheotomies, delivering babies, inserting catheters, applying splints, treating chest wounds and inserting IVs. Soldiers are evaluated on a computer that monitors the mannequins' condition. Since the mannequins are physiologically based, their survivability is dependent upon what the soldier does or does not do. Nearly all soldiers undergo this training before they deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan because the combat arms warfighter is usually the first responder since he or she is there at the point of injury. As a result, it is very important for non-medical soldiers to learn these lifesaving methods.

Construction Equipment Virtual Trainer (CEVT) - Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX)
PM Represented: PM CAT
Representatives: Major Tim McGrew and Luis Cruz-Torres

The Construction Equipment Virtual Trainer (CEVT) - Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX) Level I simulator trains students on the principles of operating construction equipment prior to getting in the actual construction equipment. It is based on the commercially available John Deere (Model 200D) excavator operator training system (EOTS), customized for the U.S. Army. This low scale virtual simulator is suitable to train the basic maneuver and operating principles of the John Deere Model 230LCR hydraulic excavator such as maneuvering and earthmoving, placement for trenching, parking, digging and loading. The training will increase operator awareness and confidence, provide the ability to train during inclement weather and reduce equipment damage and soldier injuries.

Currently, 30 hydraulic excavator simulators have been fielded to Fort Leonard Wood. The integration of the HYEX simulator into the training strategy will start by the 2nd quarter of 2009, which will train between 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers. The contractor is Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, Texas.

Intelligence Electronic Warfare Tactical Proficiency Trainer Human Intelligence Control Cell (IEWTPT HCC)
PM Represented: PM ConSim
Representatives: Lieutenant Colonel Keith Flail

The IEWTPT HCC is a tactical questioning training device that offers military intelligence units sustainment training in strategic examination skills for situations when an interpreter is required. The HCC, an auxiliary component of the IEWTPT, allows soldiers to converse with non-English speaking avatars through a third-party. The trainee can ask any question via speech to a text engine on specific topics. The virtual translator provides an English-to-Arabic translation of a question. The avatar responds in Arabic, and then the translator provides the answer in English. At that point, the soldier and the avatars engage in conversation in which the soldier is instructed to gather the desired information through tactical questioning.

The important aspect is not the difference of languages, but rather the relationship with the translator and the foreign-speaking subject. The technology permits the soldier to collect human intelligence through free-flowing conversation from a life-size virtual human projected on a portable screen. The soldier’s performance is monitored and recorded and he or she undergoes an after-action review to determine if the correct questions were posed to gather all the possible intelligence.

Number of systems fielded: Currently 10, over 200 by the end of FY15. Locations: Fort Huachuca, AZ, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Lewis, Wash.

Prime Contractor: General Dynamics, C4 Systems in AZ and FL

Approximate number of soldiers/warfighters trained on the system: hundreds, exact number TBD

Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) Individual Weapon Systems (IWS)
PM Represented: PM TRADE
Representatives: George Herrington

The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) Individual Weapon Systems (IWS) is a tactical engagement simulation system (TESS) that replicates direct fire training capability for the individual soldier within the U.S. Army. It provides real-time casualty effects necessary for tactical engagement training in a direct fire force-on-force training scenario. IWS systems provide greater fidelity, are smaller, lighter and more transparent to the individual soldier than the Legacy MILES systems being replaced. It also provides an after action review (AAR) system for training assessment for non-instrumented environment or systems are instrumentable to provide a combat training center (CTC)-like AAR for collective training.

Currently the MILES IWS program is on contract to field eight installations that include National Training Center (NTC), Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Schofield Barracks, Korea, and Fort Riley. To date, over 10,000 systems have been fielded to the U.S. Army and Navy with another 15,000 systems to be delivered in the next two years. The contractor for this effort is Cubic Defense Applications, based out of San Diego. The company also operates in Fla., Ill, Ks., La., N.Y., Tenn., Va. and Wash.

Homestation Instrumentation Training System (HITS)
PM Represented: PM TRADE
Representatives: George Herrington

The HITS allows commanders to train at homestation to sustain a higher level of proficiency, prepare for deployments and reconstitute their units. The HITS supports live collective maneuver training for platoon through battalion units. By integrating with future and legacy tactical engagement simulation (TES), the HITS provides position location and weapons effects data for battle tracking and the after action review (AAR). HITS is the live domain for live-virtual-constructive training integration across the full spectrum of operations up to secret classification. HITS consists of light deployable components that may scale to meet the user's needs.

The HITS system is currently in the engineering manufacturing development and demonstration phase of the acquisition cycle. Riptide Software Solution located in Florida is developing the software and interfaces which will be provided as GFE/GFI for the HITS production contract competition. After production, HITS will be fielded at 17 Homestations locations throughout the United States and overseas.

IMO Model
PM Represented: PM ITTS
Representatives: Kathleen Lopez

The Project Manager for Instrumentation, Targets and Threat Simulators (PM ITTS) diorama is a dome encased display with four audio visual displays and small minature plastic models that represent major PM ITTS projects. The audio visual portion of the display describes the vision and mission of PM ITTS and describes its major projects. PM ITTS directs the research, development, design, acquisition, fielding, modification and capability accounting of major instrumentation, targets and threat simulators required for developmental and operational test and evaluation and training.

There is no training involved. The contractor that built the diorama is AAS based in Ft. Myers, Fla.

MT2 looks forward to attending the 2009 demonstration and meeting with our Capitol Hill readers.

Marty Kauchak, Editor