INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Technology Corporation
Dr. Bahman Atefi
Chairman and CEO
Alion Science and
Technology Corporation
Q: Who is Alion Science and Technology Corporation and what is its primary focus?
A: Alion develops and delivers advanced technology solutions that are based on our decades of engineering and operational expertise.We provide in-depth analysis, R&D, program and project management and engineering capabilities in focus areas that include modeling and simulation, naval architecture, systems engineering, chem/ bio defense, homeland security and IT and business process improvements. About 90 per cent of our work is for the DoD, and Alion also supports civilian agencies and commercial companies. Today, we have about 3,500 employees at offices, labs and customer sites worldwide.
Q: What is Alion’s background, especially when it comes to providing services for military training?
A: A great number of our employees are retired or former military personnel, both officers and front-line technical people. This gives us considerable insight into the needs of the DoD. Aliondeveloped solutions run the gamut from distance learning and training simulators to experimentation and wargaming support. Our predecessor, IIT Research Institute (IITRI) was founded 70 years ago, and earned a reputation for engineering innovation. In 2002, the employees bought most of the assets of IITRI to become Alion, and that dedication to producing better, more effective technologies continues.
Q: What services does Alion offer, in particular for Modeling and Simulation, Defense Operations and Information Technology?
A: M&S supports solutions across the company, including wargaming experiments, ship design, crew station design, logistics processes and financial modeling. One example is the Distributed Virtual Training Environment, in use by the Marine Corps, which provides an environment that lets teams of networked users train for situations such as urban combat or IED events. From a Defense Operations standpoint, Alion brings several key strengths to the table. As I mentioned before, many employees are former military personnel with first-hand knowledge of the DoD’s procedures and needs. Next is our acquisition and program management expertise. We have numerous examples of how we have helped reduce costs while keeping programs on schedule, such as our support to PEO SHIPS for AEGIS class destroyers. Also, Alion has developed unique decision-support tools, in use today by the Army and Air Force, to help improve readiness by allowing leaders to better visualize assets and resources. IT is a growing area for us. In addition to software development and network- related engineering, we have expanded into the area of management process improvements. This can range from deploying an SAP implementation to radically rethinking an organization’s workflow.
Q: Could you talk about success stories at Alion?
A: We’ve had numerous successes in the training and experimentation arena. We work very closely with JFCOM, for example, in the development and operation of joint experiments such as Urban Resolve and Noble Resolve. Another example is our support of the Air Force’s Space Power laboratory. Alion worked with the Air Force Space Command to build a stateof- the art M&S facility that trains Space Air Expeditionary Force students on the actual systems they will use in theater. Attendees are exposed to scenario-based, high fidelity wargame exercises to gain an understanding of planning and execution. In the case of the Warrior Skills Trainer, III Corps wanted to give personnel deploying to Iraq a sense of what it’s like to drive down a hazardous city street. Trainees sit in mock-ups of vehicles while various on-screen scenarios simulate the threats they may encounter. The goal is to help them learn how to react to these situations, which, hopefully, means fewer casualties once these troops are in the field.
Q: What sets Alion apart from your competitors?
A: First, our focus on high-end engineering, which means we can deliver solutions that perform in the field, not just under lab conditions. Second, we are employee-owned, which helps us retain the best and brightest while motivating everyone to perform to the fullest. Another motivator is our emphasis on innovation. Alion has an active internal IR&D program, where we fund new ideas that have the potential to solve customer problems. This helps remove much of the risk from a customer’s decision to employ the solution. ♦