AFLCMC co-hosts simulation and training forum

  • Published
  • By AFLCMC Simulator Office

FAIRBORN, Ohio - In an effort to foster communication within the training community, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Simulator Program Office and the National Training & Simulation Association recently co-hosted a simulation and training forum at the Holiday Inn in Fairborn, Ohio.

The one day event brought together acquisition experts, operating commands and industry partners, for discussions about the simulation and training field.

Col. Philip Carpenter, Senior Materiel Leader for the Simulators Program Office, kicked off the event by highlighting the importance of simulators to the Air Force and talking about challenges and constraints.

“I appreciate everyone for coming out,” Carpenter said. “This mission is extremely important and our warfighters depend on all of us in this room to close any lethality and readiness gaps.  We need to keep the warfighter's bite sharp so those who find themselves in harm's way are always prepared.”

The event featured guest speaker Maj. Gen. Scott Smith, Director of Training and Readiness, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, who is responsible for policy, guidance and oversight of the Air Force's operational training readiness and reporting and aircrew management.

Smith talked about the importance of virtual training in ensuring readiness and preparing warfighters for future fights. During his talk, he urged industry and DOD to continue to work together to find solutions to common challenges.

Col. Brady Hauboldt, Deputy Program Executive Officer for the Agile Combat Support Directorate, which oversees the Simulators Program Office, also spoke at the forum, specifically about the importance of implementing innovation into the field.

“Building innovation has been one of my strong pushes over the last few years,” Hauboldt said. “It starts with critical thinking and analysis. We are here to think. We absolutely recognize that there is a lot of creative talent in this room and on your teams. We want those smart ideas and we’ve got to hear them if we are ever going to be able to implement them into our contracts and programs.”

The forum also included a panel of leaders from Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Global Strike Command and the Air National Guard who answered questions and talked about their long range requirements and mission impact.

The forum's afternoon session was comprised of several team updates including the emerging simulator concept dubbed Simulator Common Architecture Requirements and Standards (SCARS). SCARS is a sustainment initiative to incrementally establish a common open-systems architecture for Air Force simulators in order to improve cyber resilience, responsiveness, and minimize life cycle costs.

Additional topics that were discussed included the Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) training network and the Secure LVC Advanced Training Environment Advanced Technology Demonstration designed to increase aircrew readiness in a dense threat environment. 

The day concluded with an informative presentation from the Air Force Research Laboratory on pilot training initiatives.

The next forum is scheduled for May 7, 2019.