Anytime. Anywhere.
REVOLUTIONIZING TRAINING FOR U.S. SOLDIERS.
We accelerate development of next-generation training.
Located in Orlando, Florida, the Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team is rapidly expanding the Army’s synthetic training environment and increasing distribution of simulations capabilities down to the company level. The STE will enable tough, iterative, dynamic, and realistic multi-echelon combined arms maneuver, mission rehearsal, and mission command collective training in support of multi-domain operations. STE CFT will deliver collective training, accessible at the point of need, to support operational, self-development, and institutional training for Soldiers. The STE will provide complex operational environment representations anytime and anywhere in the world, and it will allow units the repetitions necessary to accelerate individual skill and unit task proficiency for achieving and sustaining readiness.
Signature Modernization Efforts
As one of the eight Cross Functional Teams assigned to the Army Futures Command, the STE CFT is furthering the development of several Signature Modernization Efforts to propel the Army’s Collective Training Environment into the future.
One World Terrain
WHAT: Synthetic Training Environment Information System (STE IS)
WHY: To deliver global access to real-world 3D terrain to drive high fidelity simulation and training.
HOW: STE IS composed of One World Terrain (OWT), Training Simulation Software (TSS), and Training Management Tools (TMT), leveraging gaming technology to deliver realistic military simulations at the point of need. OWT provides a fully accessible, physics-based representation of the globe for operational as well as training applications.
Training Simulation Software
WHAT: Synthetic Training Environment Information System (STE IS)
WHY: To enable scalable, immersive, and realistic simulation and training.
HOW: STE IS composed of One World Terrain (OWT), Training Simulation Software (TSS), and Training Management Tools (TMT) leveraging gaming technology to deliver realistic military simulations at the point of need. Network accessible training scenarios and simulation training will be intuitive and easy to use, building upon each training repetition, and scalable from squad through Army service component command (ASCC).
Training Management Tool
WHAT: Synthetic Training Environment Information System (STE IS)
WHY: To provide the tools to plan, prepare, execute, and assess a holistic training solution.
HOW: A suite of tools, data sources, and workflows to effectively and efficiently perform a training exercise in Live, Virtual, and Constructive environments.
Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainers
WHAT: Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainers (RVCT) (Air and Ground)
WHY: Replaces current facility-based, high personnel overhead and hardware-based platforms
HOW: Air and ground platform virtual training capabilities will allow units to train and perform tasks to accomplish their collective mission in support of multi-domain operations. Allows units to train as they fight, enabled by the STE Information System (STE IS) to deliver training at the point of need, relying less on facilities and fixed infrastructure.
Soldier Virtual Trainer
WHAT: Soldier Virtual Trainers (SVT)
WHY: Reduced overhead, greater realism, and improved unit readiness and lethality through increased repetitions.
HOW: Informed by IVAS/SiVT, a virtual semi-immersive and immersive trainer that combines and integrates several individual Soldier and squad training capabilities: Weapon Skills Development (WSD), Joint Fires Training (JFT), and Use of Force (UoF), into a single capability that can be used simultaneously or individually.
Squad Immersive Trainer
WHAT: Squad Immersive Virtual Trainers (SiVT) / Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS)
WHY: Squads train, rehearse and fight with their equipment & weapons in a semi-immersive training system with advanced scenario generation, AI, and AAR capabilities to improve Soldier lethality and increase close-combat overmatch.
HOW: Soldier-enabled scenario creation tool for customization and execution integrated directly into the operationally worn IVAS Heads-up Display (HUD). Leverages STE Information System (STE IS) for mission planning, rehearsals and squad training. Enables “reps & sets” to acquire and master close-combat skills.
Live Training
WHAT: Live Training Modernization Strategy
WHY: Realistically simulate Multi-Domain Operations training from Soldier through Brigade Combat Team at home station, maneuver combat training centers, and deployed locations in live training environments.
HOW: A convergence of live and synthetic family of systems that is affordable, uses emerging technology, is interactive with legacy systems, and is implemented before divestment of current systems. It enables players in both live and synthetic training environments to see and interact with each other. Integrates Cross Functional Teams’ dual-use combat weapons and platforms (operational and training) and is optimized with non-system bridging to display outcomes of tactical engagements in a believable setting.
Constructive Trainer
WHAT: Next Generation Constructive Capability.
WHY: Provides a Next Generation Constructive (NGC) capability that provides Commanders and Staffs a synthetic environment digital representation of the dynamic operational environment and the military capabilities to support mission rehearsal and collective training at echelons above Brigade through ASCC.
HOW: NGC system will interface with the STE architecture providing the seamless exchange of content between live and simulated virtual and constructive environments. The capability will use the STE’s core cross-cutting capabilities (OWT, TSS and TMT), to represent a scalable, synthetic environment (e.g., Land, Maritime, Air, Space, and Cyber domains) with sufficient fidelity to accomplish up to theater-level training with Joint assets, Unified Action Partner effects and Coalition capabilities. The NGC adjudicates the interaction of Soldiers, Units, computer-generated forces (CGF), environmental effects, weather, weapons effects, and operations to ensure ‘fair fight’ outcomes across Live, virtual and constructive domains. The NGC will provide information to and receive information from the Training Simulation, Common Operating Environment (COE), Mission Command Information Systems (MCIS) and platforms. The NGC will facilitate mission command and collective training of all WfFs at Brigade and above level in accordance with Army published training strategies and models. In the larger context of the STE.
Our Secret Weapon: Soldier Centered Design.
The STE CFT is partnering with industry, academia, and other government organizations to uncover technologies and concepts , obtain Soldier feedback, and build capabilities that meet Soldiers’ needs. If you have a solution that you think STE could use – or you want to show us what you’ve got – we’d love to learn more. Get started by sharing your idea using our concept submission portal. From there, a member of our technical team will review your submission and follow up with next steps.
Area of Interest
To develop these signature modernization efforts, we’re seeking leap-ahead technologies in the following areas. If you have something to show us, please connect with us through the Technology Integration Facility link below.
One World Terrain
Procedural generation of building exteriors and interiors
Surface Features
Building extrusions from existing data
Alternative Data Sources
Classification of feature data
Automated processing
Data & Networking
Replication of Cyber Offense, Defense, and Intelligence in the STE
Joint & Coalition access to STE and data
Data management, access, and analytics
Distributed planning, preparation, execution, and assessment
Deployable high-performance networking
Training Simulation Software
Global Scaling
Realistic Artificial Agents
Multi-Domain Battle (MDB) Representation
All-echelon Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information, Infrastructure, Physical Environment and Time (PMESII-PT)
Live Training Systems
Replication of direct and indirect fire effects
Sensing-Soldier & Weapon
Training Management Tool (TMT)
Intelligent Tutoring for Teams
Machine learning applications to support individual and collective training
Command Leadership
AR/VR
AR/VR effectiveness on terrain appreciation
Prevent/Reduce VR Sickness
Advanced position tracking for spatialization
Efficacy of Haptic control surfaces / user interface
Virtual/AR/VR training transfer for marksmanship and Joint Fires
Biometric effects of AR/VR immersion
Fear mitigation and subject response management
Command Leadership and Organization
Brig. Gen. William R. Glaser
Director, Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team
Brig. Gen. William R. Glaser is a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Armor from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1993. He served in various command and staff positions as a company grade officer in Germany, Macedonia, Fort Stewart, and as a Company Commander in the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Desert Spring in Kuwait in 2002 and the Liberation Phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
As a field grade officer, he returned to the 3rd Infantry Division to serve as the Chief of Simulations, Battle Command Officer, and G3 Chief of Operations while deployed to Operations Iraqi Freedom V. He also served as the primary advisor to the J3, Kuwait Armed Forces in the Office of Military Cooperation – Kuwait and then as the Director of TRADOC Project Office – OneSAF at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval War College, Brig. Gen. Glaser served as the USAREUR G37 Chief of Exercises, the Deputy Commanding Officer of 2d Cavalry Regiment, and the Director of the Joint Multinational Simulation Center, 7th Army Training Command in Germany. He was then centrally selected to serve as the Director, National Simulation Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and then returned to Germany to serve as the Chief of Staff of the 7th Army Training Command. His last assignment was as the Deputy Commanding Officer for the United States Army Cadet Command.
Divisions
HEADQUARTERS TEAM
The Headquarters Team includes the Director, the front office staff and advisors. The HQ Team is responsible for establishing and implementing the strategy for the cross functional team, which includes the vision, mission, and key enabling objectives necessary for developing the Army’s Future Collective Training Environment, the “Synthetic Training Environment” (STE). To contact the HQ Team please call (407) 384-5502.
STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS
The Strategic Engagements Cell (SEC) includes the director’s special staff for program planning, innovation, technology, resourcing and communications. The SEC is responsible for performing strategic, outward facing, functions to engage and inform key stakeholders in furtherance of the STE CFT mission. To contact the SEC please call (470) 384-5444.
ADMIN DIVISION
The Administrative Division includes the director’s human resource management team. The Administrative Division is responsible for manage the CFT’s human capital functions from recruiting, training, retention, evaluations, compensation, incentives, labor relations, safety and health, risk management, and transitions. To contact the ADMIN Division please call (407) 384-5501.
OPERATIONS AND INTEGRATION DIVISION
The Operations and Integration Division includes the day-to-day operational duties as well as long range planning and integration of efforts. The Operations and Integration Division is responsible for the development of requirements and their associated capability development documents as well as the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of CFT events. To contact the OPS Division please call (407) 384-5478.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (TECHDEV) DIVISION
The TECHDEV Division includes the science, technology, and engineering expertise necessary for the STE CFT to conduct strategic planning, market research, and technology assessments with a focus on leap-ahead technologies that will enhance Soldier collective training. Within the TECHDEV Division is the Technology Integration Facility (TIF). To contact the TECHDEV Division please call (407) 384-5554.
CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT (CAPDEV) AND INTEGRATION DIVISION
The CAPDEV Division includes the Requirements and Integration Division Teams. CAPDEV is responsible for the CFT’s requirements development, integration, and testing activities with the focal point being development of requirements and their associated capability development documents as well as the planning, preparation, and execution of capabilities across the Signature Efforts. To contact the CAPDEV and Integration Division please call (407) 384-3694.
Technology Integration Facility (TIF)
The TIF serves as a place for vendors to bring promising technology, allows us to offer feedback, and helps us quickly adopt and integrate capabilities that meet Synthetic Training Environment requirements. The TIF also guides future deployment of technologies by facilitating rigorous user testing and demonstration to inform engineers and leaders throughout the acquisition process.
Collaborate With Us
We are currently seeking industry & academic partners to support Army modernization. We invite you to submit your ideas, software designs, and hardware designs for testing in the TIF and potential partnership with the Army to accomplish the Synthetic Training mission!