FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - As part of continuing efforts to enhance its computer-based Games for Training efforts, the U.S. Army will bring together about 200 Army training developers, schoolhouse instructors and operators for a March event to share ideas and best practices on using Virtual BattleSpace 2 (VBS2) and other Army games for training.
The TRADOC Capability Manager (TCM) Gaming and the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) will host the second annual Army Games for Training User Conference March 21-23 in Orlando, Fla.
The event, which coincides with the Defense GameTech 2011 Conference, will offer a forum for leaders, Soldiers, training developers, trainers and operators to discuss and learn about VBS2, Command and Control Connectivity, Elect BiLat, Moral Combat, Tactical Language, UrbanSim, the MilGaming Portal and other Army gaming-related topics.
VBS2 is a commercial game-based training platform that blends a user-friendly, semi-immersive environment with scenario authoring tools, after-action review replay capabilities and a powerful development suite. To help train company and smaller units, the U.S. Army has fielded the first-person shooter-style software and hardware to more than 75 Active, Reserve and National Guard Battle Command Training Centers (BCTC), TRADOC institutions and other selected locations. Any unit or organization can download VBS2 free from the MilGaming website (https://milgaming.army.mil ). VBS2 provides a platform for training Soldiers on multiple individual and collective tasks and mission rehearsal.
Presenters at the March 21-23 conference will include representatives from the Maneuver and Fires Centers of Excellence; Center for the Army Profession and Ethics; BCTCs at Fort Bragg, Fort Stewart and U.S. Army Europe; and the 1/75th Battle Command Training Brigade. The speakers will discuss innovative ways to use VBS2 and other military gaming in operational units and at academic institutions. The conference also will include hands-on tutorials on scenario and terrain development and system interoperability as well as opportunities to exchange ideas and training insights.
Keynote speaker for the event will be Colonel Anthony Krogh, Director of the U.S. Army's National Simulation Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Colonel Krogh will discuss the future of Army gaming and how it will help Soldiers and leaders adapt to changing requirements and limited resources.
Registration for the Games for Training User Conference is open through Friday, March 18, at http://guest.cvent.com/d/fdqgqk. Anyone interested in using VBS2 to support training or gaming is invited to attend. Note: Contractors, industry representatives and foreign military representatives must be sponsored by PEO STRI or TCM Gaming. Additionally, individuals can register through the cvent.com website to view displaying slides and hear audio from general session presentations through Defense Connect Online.
The National Simulation Center is a subordinate of the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center-Training, which delivers training programs, products and services to leaders and units in support of Army readiness. Wherever Army training occurs, the Combined Arms Center-Training helps make it happen. To learn more about the Combined Arms Center-Training, visit http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cac-t/, www.facebook.com/usacactraining or www.twitter.com/usacactraining.
Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., the U.S. Army PEO STRI executes an annual budget of more than $3 billion. In addition to providing interoperable training and testing solutions and program management, PEO STRI provides life cycle support for the Army's most advanced training systems around the world. PEO STRI is dedicated to putting the power of simulation into the hands of our Warfighters.
Related Links:
Registration for the Games for Training User Conference (Open Through Friday, March 18)
The Combined Arms Center-Training on Facebook
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