Photo By Donnie Ryan | Brig. Gen. Christine A. Beeler, the Program Executive Officer for the U. S. Army’s...... read more read more
The Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) demonstrated some of the U.S. Army’s latest training and simulation hardware and software during the 2024 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 2-6.
Sponsored annually by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), I/ITSEC typically draws a crowd of more than 18,000 attendees and exhibitors from more than 60 countries and is considered to be the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training conference. The theme of this year’s conference was “Assuring Deterrence through Integrated Training and Readiness – The Need is Now.”
The five-day event is comprised of professional workshops, a panel discussion with members of congress, paper reviews, a large commercial exhibit hall, military exhibits from all of the armed service branches, a gaming competition, a career fair, and STEM events for teachers and students.
“This was my first I/ITSEC and I really appreciated the open dialogue and collaboration across NTSA, the military services, other government organizations, industry, and academia. NTSA did an incredible job putting on the conference,” said Brig. Gen. Christine A. Beeler, the Program Executive Officer at PEO STRI. “Events like I/ITSEC provide us with the opportunity to engage with stakeholders, facilitate crucial discussions, and promote transparency. They allow us to communicate our current status and future direction effectively.”
Beeler said PEO STRI’s goal for this year’s I/ITSEC participation was to focus on the work surrounding the Army’s live and synthetic training systems to be used at home stations and combined training centers around the globe.
“This year we also highlighted our STRI Agile Acquisition Response (STAAR) Team, whose members are at the front end of trying to find technology that we can pull into the process today that helps move training capabilities forward,” said Beeler. “At I/ITSEC, the STAAR Team displayed the items we are continuing to develop, which is the direct fire, counter-defilade, directed energy, and all of those other types of weapons that we haven’t really been able to replicate in the past through simulation.’”
Beeler stressed I/ITSEC is not only a chance to showcase PEO STRI and Army modeling and simulation technology, but also an important opportunity to network with industry and find products and technology to be utilized in support of the warfighter and overall national defense.
“Warfighters should know that PEO STRI will deliver the training devices that they need,” Beeler said. “But to be agile and responsive, we need their feedback through our Solider touchpoints to ensure we provide Soldier-center designs that are continuously improved.”
Beeler also highlighted PEO STRI’s participation in the NTSA-sponsored career fair that took place the third day of the conference. Representatives from nearly 20 companies and government agencies were on hand to collect resumes and recruit new personnel for current and future positions.
“We invest in our people, but always need to refresh the talent pipeline” Beeler said. “We are looking for folks to come and join the team; we will provide meaningful, and intellectually challenging work that supports National Defense. We will invest in their development, because we want them to thrive professionally and personally as much as we want the organization to succeed.”
One of the featured Army panels at this year’s I/ITSEC was the Army Senior Enlisted Panel on “Operational Readiness: Leveraging Simulations for Training and Mission Rehearsal. Sgt. Maj. Tom Dow, PEO STRI’s senior enlisted leader, moderated the panel that featured command sergeant majors currently assigned to the Army’s Test and Evaluation Command, Combat Capabilities Development Command, Training Support Center, and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) (ASA(ALT)) staff.
“The feedback from combat-tested senior NCOs like those on the panel has always been valuable to the training and development of the latest generation of Army Soldiers,” said Dow. “These seasoned Army leaders know today’s youngest Warfighters grow up surrounded by constantly changing technology, leading them to be more willing to accept digital simulation. But we have to reinforce to them that simulation doesn’t replace live training, it augments it to allow for more reps and sets.”
Dow said the panel’s 90-minute discussion highlighted a variety of senior enlisted perspectives from some of the Army’s top enlisted leaders on when and where to use simulators and simulations in the Army training pipeline.
“We spent a lot of time discussing when and where to put this type of training to get the most return on our investment and increase readiness,” Dow said. “We also talked about the important of building Soldier touchpoints into the development process to make sure the end user is able to provide feedback on a product early in the acquisition process. This input is crucial to getting the design and function correct before fielding.”
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, PEO STRI is one of 12 program executive offices under the ASA(ALT) and is the U.S. Army’s acquisition lead in delivering unmatched testing, training, and information operations to enhance operational readiness in support of national defense. The PEO STRI workforce is comprised of more than 1,200 highly skilled and diverse active duty, civilian, and contract personnel who work with high-caliber Army partners to enhance operational readiness and support the Army’s modernization efforts while accelerating today’s training to defeat tomorrow’s threats.
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2024 12:09 |
| Story ID: | 486997 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 360 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, PEO STRI Showcases Latest Simulation Technology at I/ITSEC 24, by Donnie Ryan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
