Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Founder and Co-chairman        
Congressman Solomon Ortiz, Co-chairman

January 2008
 

2008 M&S Caucus Leadership Summit

Education: Enabling Modeling and Simulation as a National Critical Technology

Westin Hotel, Virginia Beach Town Center
Monday, February 11, 2008

The 3rd Annual M&S Leadership Summit,  sponsored by the National Training Systems Association (NTSA),  will take place on February 11, 2008 at the Westin Hotel, Virginia Beach Town Center. The focus of this year's Summit is education, and the theme is "Education: Enabling Modeling and Simulation, a National Critical Technology.”

The Summit promises to be a watershed event for the M&S Industry, which is the only M&S conference devoted to federal public policy. The Summit will host leaders from government, industry, academia, and Congress, including representatives from the White House and the Brookings Institution to address the level of utilization and sophistication of M&S within their domains, and will include a series of panels to facilitate group discussion. Members of the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus have been invited to make remarks.

To view a provisional agenda for the Summit, click here.

Rep. Scott Introduces Bill to Enhance the Study of Modeling and Simulation

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) has introduced H.R. 4165, a bill that would provide grants to encourage and enhance the study of modeling and simulation at institutions of higher education. Currently, a limited number of institutions of higher education have Modeling and Simulation programs, including undergraduate and graduate degree programs. This competitive grant program will provide a critical source of funding for colleges and universities that want to expand and improve their Modeling and Simulation programs. The grant will also provide important seed money for colleges and universities that do not have a program to establish a Modeling and Simulation program. Members of the M&S Caucus who have co-sponsored this legislation are Chairman Rep. Randy Forbes (VA-04), co-Chairman Rep. Solomon Ortiz (TX-27), Rep. Thelma Drake (VA-02), Rep. Tom Feeney (FL-24), and Rep. Ric Keller (FL-08).

The grant program will be authorized at $5 million and have three main components:

1) The establishment of a task force at the Department of Education to raise awareness of and further define the study of M&S. The goal of the taskforce will be to support the development of the M&S field, including helping to define the study of M&S (such as the content of M&S classes and programs), identify best practices, and develop a body of knowledge about the study of M&S.

 
2) Create grants for higher education institutions to develop new M&S degree programs.  In order to qualify for the grant, institutions would have to show that they have commitment and support from the administration, designated faculty (either part-time or full-time) for M&S programs, and a specific, detailed plan to use the funds to improve their current M&S program. These grants would last for 2-3 years and have a level of funding between $750,000 - $1 million depending on the institution’s proposal. Institutions would be permitted to reapply for the grant depending on a showing of successful outcomes from the first or preceding grants. This portion of the program would be authorized at $10 million.

3) Create grants for higher education institutions to further develop existing M&S degree programs. These grants would last for 4 years and range between $750,000 - $1 million; the institution would have to provide 25% matching funds for the grant, which could be waived by the Secretary with a showing of financial hardship. Institutions would be permitted to reapply for the grant depending on a showing of successful outcomes from the first or preceding grants. This portion of the program would be authorized at $20 million.

A key component to the overall grant program will be an emphasis on increasing collaboration between both new and existing M&S programs.

The Congressional M&S Caucus Welcomes New Members

The Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus recently welcomed Rep. Zack Wamp and Rep. Joe Sestak as the newest members of the Caucus. Rep. Wamp serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of Appropriations and represents the 3rd District of Tennessee. Click here to visit Rep. Wamp's website. Rep. Sestak is a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Education and Labor Committee, and Committee on Small Business. Click here to visit Rep. Sestak's website.

M&S Noted as an Important Approach for Test and Evaluation

Modeling and simulation has recently been recognized as a vital approach for Department of Defense Test and Evaluation (T&E). In a memo sent to the Secretaries of the military departments and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from John J. Young, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics, Secretary Young noted that T&E should be conducted in a continuum of live, virtual, and constructive system and operational environments in an effort to realize the benefits of M&S.

The memo follows a DoD report to Congress in which modeling and simulation was listed as a tool to exploit in addition to traditional test and evaluation approaches. The following is an excerpt from the report:.

"Test and Evaluation should exploit the benefits of appropriate Modeling and Simulation (M&S). M&S has a role in test planning, determination of readiness to test (pretest predictions), and evaluation.

"Evaluations should include a baseline comparison of current capabilities and should take into account all available data and information. Many opportunities exist for combining information: DT, OT, training data, test and field performance data of similar systems, M&S, and with Evolutionary Acquisition --- test and field performance of earlier versions of the same system. Combining information can be more beneficial for test design and for operational evaluation than in the case of traditional acquisitions." - Department of Defense Report to Congress on Policies and Practices for Test and Evaluation, July 2007, page 13.

Photo: An F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft from the "Salty Dogs" of Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three lands on the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Antwjuan Richards-Jamison.

Letter Requests Observation of M&S Tools in Air Force

Congressman Randy Forbes and Congressman Solomon Ortiz, co-Chairmen of the M&S Caucus, recently sent a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Honorable Michael Wynne, requesting his observation of the use of M&S tools in the operations and maintenance of the Air Force's aviation assets. The letter comes in response to a November 2, 2007 F-15c mishap that resulted in the loss of that aircraft, and increased concerns over the aging inventory of Air Force aircraft. Reps. Forbes and Ortiz believe M&S tools should be leveraged to maximize military readiness while the U.S. copes with sustaining and maintaining aging aircraft. To view a copy of the letter sent to Secretary Wynne, click here.

M&S Caucus Member Spotlight

Congressman Joe Sestak

Congressional District:  Pennsylvania - 7th District
 

Hometown:  Springfield, PA
 

Years in Congress:  1
 

Committee Assignments:  House Armed Services Committee, Education and Labor Committee, and Committee on Small Business
 

Government M&S in his district: Villanova University; Lockheed Martin; ASTM HQ in Conshohocken; Boeing, Modeling Simulation and Analysis Center (MSAC), Ridley Park, PA Boeing; IDS Analysis, Modeling, Simulation and Experimentation (AMSE) Group, Ridley Park, PA; Boeing, Phantom Works Modeling and Analysis Capability, Ridley Park, PA

To visit Rep. Sestak's website, go to http://sestak.house.gov/.

Upcoming Events

2008 Defense Modeling & Simulation Conference (DMSC)
March 10-14, 2008
International Plaza Resort & Spa, Orlando, FL
 

The Department of Defense's key event will bring Modeling and Simulation (M&S) professionals together to gain insights into ongoing policies, plans, and emerging technologies. The conference theme is "Modeling and Simulation: Roadmap to Success for 2020" and  will focus on an in-depth assessment of related issues that affect support to the Warfighter, as well as a technical exchange on cross-cutting M&S issues.

M&S Must Reads

Iran Encounter Grimly Echoes ’02 War Game
January 12, 2008
The New York Times
There is a reason American military officers express grim concern over the tactics used by Iranian sailors last weekend: a classified, $250 million war game in which small, agile speedboats swarmed a naval convoy to inflict devastating damage on more powerful warships. Click here to read more.

Strike Eagle training center opens in N.C.
January 9, 2008
AirForce Times
A new F-15E mission training center opened Dec. 21 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., a Boeing spokeswoman said Wednesday.The facility, which Boeing built and will operate for the Air Force, provides aircrews with high-fidelity training without the costs of using operational aircraft for training, according to the release. Click here to read more.

Columbus police go virtual
November 8, 2007
Government Computer News
The Columbus, Ohio, police plan to field virtual technology to combat terrorism as early as 2009. The department is working with Athens-based Ohio University to build accurate, interactive models of 30 high-profile city buildings and sites that are likely targets for terrorist attacks or other violent incidents. Click here to read more.

Army contractors compete for simulator-training deal
December 31, 2008

Orlando Sentinel
Fresh from the largest award in its history, Central Florida's simulation industry is mobilizing to compete for another mammoth deal in 2008. Click here to read more.

Report: Computer modeling sector showing signs of healthy growth
January 4, 2008

Virginian-Pilot
Computer modeling and simulation in Hampton Roads continues to grow, and workers are reaping the benefits, according to an economic report released Friday by Old Dominion University. Click here to read more.

If you have news articles on M&S that you would like to have featured in a future issue of the Modeling and Simulation Newsletter, please email them to the M&S Newsletter.

Modeling & Simulation e-newsletter

Join the Modeling and Simulation Caucus email newsletter list by signing up online at http://randyforbes.house.gov/mscaucus. In addition, you can stay informed by reading past issues online.

If your organization would like to be featured in a future issue of the Modeling and Simulation Government Highlight section, please email background information and photos to the M&S Newsletter.