TSIS 2024 Recap
The 2024 Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS) bested last year’s record event and hosted the largest in person TSIS to date at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Orlando, Florida. In fact, this year’s symposium was the largest to date with over 1040 registrants. The symposium provided attendees the most up to date information on training and simulation procurement requirements from the Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, U.S. Army Development Command, and the Defense Health Agency. NDIA Central Florida Chapter and NDIA Women in Defense Central Florida, along with NTSA, co-hosted the annual conference to facilitate transparency for the services and to indicate long-term business development and strategic directions for industry.
The symposium continues to host industry panels led by experts across varying fields that address challenges and opportunities faced by companies large and small. This year’s panels focused on AI and cyber challenges across industry and how industry best practices can help shape how the Government implements these in the future.
Following the welcome and opening comments by the new President of NTSA, VADM Sean Buck (Ret.), day one was dedicated to the Sea Services which opened with the Program Manager Training Systems, USMC. Highlights included a kick-off with Mr. John Taylor, Deputy Program Manager, Training Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command followed by LtCol Rory Herman, Jr., Product Manager Range Training Systems.
This year the NTSA I/ITSEC Next Big Thing committee presented a panel to discuss the Acquisition Insights for Generative AI in Government Training and Simulation.
The Navy followed in the afternoon with a keynote presentation from RADM Michael Donnelley, USN, Director, Air Warfare Division, N98, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations who discussed some of the challenges and opportunities the Navy foresees in the future. He was followed by the Skipper of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) and NSA Orlando, CAPT Tim James, USN, who talked about the organization’s many accomplishments, organization responsibilities, and how to do business in the future. CAPT James was followed by seven key acquisition and R&D leaders from the NAWCTSD. They covered a broad range of programs and information that ranged from aviation to surface and subsurface training systems along with research and technology programs.
The second day started off with a welcome and opening from the President of NTSA, VADM Sean Buck (Ret.) who offered his thoughts and observations on Day 1. The Army organizations began with remarks from the Program Executive Officer, Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, Ms. Karen D. H. Saunders, SES. Her comments set the stage for Army Training and the continued importance of relevant and realistic training from all domains (cyber, live, virtual, and constructive).
She was followed by personnel from the program offices for Synthetic Environment (PM SE), Cyber, Test & Training (PM CT2), Training Devices (PM TRADE), Enterprise Transformation & Integration (PL ETI), Training Aids, Devices, Simulators, & Simulations (PL TADSS), and International Program Office (PL IPO). Further discussions and updates were provided in the afternoon by personnel from the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) Cross Functional Team (CFT) and One World Terrain team.
To wrap up the morning speakers, Mr. James Ward, Division Chief, Alpha Division, ACC-Orlando was joined on stage with several Branch Chiefs to provide insight on some of the Contracting Command’s on-going efforts to include a focus on Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs). The team of contracting experts not only provided key insights into their activities and use of OTAs but also fielded questions from attendees.
The Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) Program Manager, Medical Simulation and Training Program Management Office, Ms. Fabiola Stevens, provided an update and insights into future procurements for the DHA.
Once again, the U.S. Army Futures Command DEVCOM Soldier Center presented a panel of experts the described their respective research topics being pursued by the Simulation and Technology Training Center and fielded questions from attendees.
Returning this year was the U.S. Air Force being represented by Mr. Andrew Browning from the AF Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SPDE) accompanied by Lt Col Joseph Wright, PM AF Modeling Simulation and Support Services (AFMS3) AF Agency for M&S (AFAMS). They provided important updates to the future acquisition paths of highly anticipated projects and fielded questions from industry.
TSIS 2024 had many dynamic speakers and panelists from Government, Industry, and Academia that came together to deliver informative procurement updates and thought provoking discussions that included insights into the usage of AI within modelling, simulation, & training. We look forward to seeing everyone at TSIS 2025!