Modeling and Simulation Caucus

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What is modeling and simulation?
It's your child's video game - simulation uses combinations of sound, sight, and motion to make you feel you are experiencing an actual event. Modeling involves the complex computer models used to create these artificial environments. America's military uses simulators to train personnel from flying aircrafts to detection of improvised explosive devices.

How does M&S impact national defense and industries?
From doctors performing hands-on simulated surgeries, to homeland security models that account for details such as wind direction and construction sites, to transportation models that show projected traffic patterns in your hometown decades into the future, modeling and simulation is on the verge of breaking out of the defense industry and into the everyday lives of Americans. To read more, click here.

What is the purpose of the Caucus?
The Caucus will showcase M&S initiatives, promote the M&S industry, and will be a forum to understand the policy challenges facing this growing and versatile technology.

How can I join?
Members of Congress may join the Caucus by contacting Congressman Forbes' office at 202.225.6365. Click here to view a list of current members.

Where can I find a list of legislation impacting M&S?
You can access a list of M&S legislation here.

What events does the Caucus host?
The Modeling and Simulation Caucus hosts and co-hosts a number of events each year. For more information on these events, contact Congressman Forbes' office at 202.225.6365.

Upoming Events

Latest News - March 2009

4th Annual Modeling and Simulation Leadership Summit a Success

The 4^th Annual Modeling and Simulation Leadership Summit, hosted by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) and in cooperation with the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus, was held in Norfolk, Virginia on Monday, February 2, 2009. The M&S Leadership Summit brought together key leaders from government, industry, and academia to advise policy makers on issues related to the M&S industry. The annual summit provides key players within the M&S industry the opportunity to engage in a rare dialogue to facilitate the expansion of the M&S technology and business practices, and to develop M&S policy goals at the federal, state, and local level.

The 2009 Summit highlighted regional M&S initiatives across the country and focused on using M&S capabilities to accelerate national economic recovery, and re-establish our nation's scientific, technological and industrial leadership in the 21st Century. Opening the Summit and providing remarks to the participants were Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-02), M&S Caucus Member, and RADM Fred Lewis, President, National Training and Simulation Association. Congressman Randy Forbes (VA-04), M&S Caucus Founder and Chairman, and Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), M&S Caucus Member, served on a Congressional panel and discussed M&S policy and legislation at the federal level. The Summit also included four regional panels - Northeast/Atlantic Region, Southeast/SouthCentral Region, Southwest & Midwest Region, and Far West Region. Each panel highlighted successful regional initiatives and key policy issues they believed to be significant in furthering M&S technology.

For more information on the M&S Leadership Summit, visit the NTSA Web site at http://www.trainingsystems.org/events/index.cfm.

Forbes, Kennedy Introduce M&S Legislation to Reduce Health Care Costs

Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (RI-01) have reintroduced bipartisan legislation to increase the use of medical modeling and simulation (M&S) across the United States. The Enhancing SIMULATION (Safety in Medicine Utilizing Leading Advanced Simulation Technologies to Improve Outcomes Now) Act of 2009, H.R. 855, would improve the quality of health care in the United States by reducing medical error and cutting health care costs.

“Today we stand at a critical juncture in health care as we face significantly increasing health care costs. The use of medical modeling and simulation provides doctors the ability to practice new and sophisticated techniques, with considerable cost benefits to patients and to our nation as a whole,” said Forbes. “The Enhancing SIMULATION Act helps to bring our health care industry into the 21st century through the use of technology, and creates the potential to increase doctor skill and proficiency, save money, and most importantly, save lives.”

Hospitals that have already been funded under a U.S. Department of Defense medical simulation trial program saw their clinical error rate decrease from 30 percent to almost four percent, which, when applied across the United States, could reduce medical error costs by up to $17 billion.

The Enhancing SIMULATION Act would provide measurable benefits to patients by improving patient safety, consumers and taxpayers by lowering costs, communities by the creation of more high-tech jobs, and physicians and insurers by lowering malpractice rates and claims. Specifically the bill would:

Create medical modeling and simulation Centers of Excellence across America to provide leadership and research into advancing the field;
Establish medical M&S grants for academic and professional organizations;
Promote innovation in medical M&S within the Department of Health & Human Services; and,
Establish a coordinating council for federal government collaboration on medical M&S efforts.

The Enhancing SIMULATION Act was originally introduced by Congressman Forbes and Congressman Kennedy in the 110^th Congress as H.R. 4321. It has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where it awaits further action.

Virtual Flag 09-2 Exercise Provides Realistic Simulated Combat Training

How does the Air Force prepare to fly, fight and win? Live training is irreplaceable, but what if we also had a virtual training world? An environment to train, test and develop tactics in air, space and cyberspace ... while reducing risks? What if there was a way to bring the best military leaders together in a 21st century-virtual joint operating environment to help them train for today's fight?

There is such a place, and it exists in the Air Force's Virtual Flag exercise environment. At the 505th Command and Control Wing's Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland, AFB, N.M., the most recent Virtual Flag was held in February. The exercises are typically held four times per year. "We produce an environment where American and allied forces come together in a computer-generated, virtual combat arena to exercise every element of the profession of arms," said Col. Jack Shanahan, 505th CCW commander. "It's an environment where warfighters learn to fly, fight and wing, and senior leaders can practice command and control over the assets assigned to them."

"Virtual Flag is set up to allow forces to work together in highly-realistic and evolving scenarios. It's far more than just a computer simulation", Colonel Shanahan said. "The exercise provides combat forces training in every facet of operations, from mission briefings through execution, to comprehensive mission debriefings. At Virtual Flag, allied and joint participants work together, so they're ready to operate in the real world, he said."

For more information on Virtual Flag, visit the 505^th Command and Control Wing’s website.

If you would like to submit an article to be included in the M&S Caucus Newsletter, please email your article to the Caucus.

M&S Must See

OEM Previews Disaster Management Simulator

The Office of Emergency Management today previewed its Advance Disaster Management Simulator, which is designed to help emergency personnel train to work together at the scene of disasters. Click the video below to watch more.

To read the full article, click here.

If you have videos 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.

M&S Must Reads

DHS to Use More Simulations in Infrastructure Protection

by Jill R. Aitoro

February 23, 2009

Nextgov

The Homeland Security Department will rely more on simulations to test the integrity of critical infrastructure and key resources, according to a 175-page plan released last week. But one security specialist said the plan was thin on details. DHS will increase coordination with the science and technology community on requirements for the "development, maintenance and application of modeling capabilities," according to the National Infrastructure Protection Plan released on Feb. 19. To continue reading this article, click here.

Modeling Could Be Alternative to Credit Ratings

February 23, 2009

Hedge Funds Review

Ratings are subject to great criticism. Their failure to anticipate a number of events during the credit crisis of 2008 has profoundly damaged trust in and the credibility of agencies' ratings. This degree of disappointment is proportional to the extension of their usage and to the excessive faith put in them before the market turmoil. Although ratings are being stretched to their limits, professional investors and risk managers globally have put a blind faith on an ‘opinion' for a long time. To continue reading, click here.

US Embeds FCS Training in Vehicles

February 2009

NTSA Training Industry News
The U.S. Army is developing software that will allow soldiers to conduct virtual training missions

inside the combat vehicles they will use for real, service officials said. Early versions of the software, now under construction as part of phases two and three of the Future Combat Systems network, will be ready to deploy by 2011. To continue reading, click here.

UK Carrier Training

February 2009

NTSA Training Industry News
In early November, the U.K. Ministry of Defense concluded an11-day exercise that evaluated all aspects of air operations from the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers—a full six years before the vessel is scheduled to enter service. Using a full spectrum of synthetic training aids and mechanisms to simulate every aspect of the complex operations environment of an aircraft carrier, the mission system simulator developed by BAE Systems INSYTE for the aircraft carrier alliance enables planners to investigate how operations planning will need to evolve for what will be the largest vessels ever operated by the Royal Navy. To continue reading, click here.

Alion Operated Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center Wins Task Order Worth $1.9M

February 2009

Homeland Security Today

The Air National Guard has awarded a task order worth $1.9 million to The Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center (MSIAC), operated by Alion Science and Technology, McLean, Va., an employee-owned technology solutions company. Alion will provide modeling and simulation (M&S) support to manage the Air National Guard’s Expert Common Immersive Theater Environment (XCITE) software. The XCITE software powers the Air National Guard’s Distributed Training Operations Center (DTOC), providing interactive theater training environments for aircrew members and soldiers. To continue reading, click here.

Special Report: Training and Simulation

Government Computer News

Dr. John Parmentola is the Director for Research and Laboratory Management for the Army. In that capacity he directs lab management policy for all the Army laboratories, research development and engineering centers. His principle focus is on Army basic research and applied research programs. The basic research programs are very diverse, performed nationwide in universities and Army laboratories. Among the 21 labs and research development engineering centers Dr. Parmentola oversees are the Simulation and Training Technology Center, the Army Research Laboratory and the Army Research Institute. To continue reading, click here.

Simulation Flight

Government Computer News

An Army helicopter pilot makes a sharp maneuver to avoid enemy fire at night, in the pouring rain. Suddenly, he gets hit and smoke fills the cockpit. What does he do? How does he learn what to do in a split second, ingrained actions to take to save his crew? The answer: Graduate from the Army’s Flight School XXI, where a suite of flight simulators prepare a new generation of aviators for combat. Just outside the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, AL is the location of the Army’s Flight School XXI managed by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). To continue reading, click here.

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.

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