TSIS 2025 Recap
The 2025 Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS) hosted one of the largest in person TSIS to date at the Rosen Center hotel in Orlando, Florida. The symposium provided attendees with the most up to date information on training and simulation procurement requirements from the Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, and ADL Initiative. 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.
Industry panels continue to showcase some of the community’s best experts across a wide variety of fields. This year, the panels included both industry and Government experts moderating and participating in the discussion. This led to some dynamic discussions between panel members as well as with the audience. They addressed challenges and opportunities faced by companies large and small with topics focused on military readiness through modernization, XR/AR/VR, AI/ML, and more. The panels provided some key insights and best practices that could help others shape how they move forward to implement some of these core components now and in the future.
Following the welcome and opening comments by the President of NTSA, VADM Sean Buck (Ret.), day one was dedicated to the Sea Services which opened with the Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS), USMC. Highlights included a kick-off with LtCol Marcial Garcia, Deputy Program Manager, Training Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command followed by the Product Managers for PM TRASYS.
Once again, the NTSA I/ITSEC Next Big Thing committee presented a panel to discuss not only what Next Big Thing is but also a discussion around emerging technology strategy for modeling and simulation (M&S). This dynamic discussion included a presentation from Ms. Sam Burns, Director, Oliver Wyman Aerospace, Defense, & Government Practice. She discussed how the modeling, simulation & training (MS&T) market is shifting and how its emerging CONOPS will enable and inform disruptive technologies.
The Navy followed in the afternoon with a keynote presentation from RADM Anthony Carullo, USN, Director, Warfare Development, N72, 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 Robert Betts, USN, who talked about the organization’s many accomplishments, organization responsibilities, and how to do business in the future. CAPT Betts was followed by six 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 from the President of NTSA, VADM Sean Buck (Ret.) who offered his thoughts and observations on day one. Kicking off the day of programming on day two was the Air Force represented by Mr. Jason Austin from the Explorations Division for the Air Force Agency for Modeling & Simulation (AFAMS) and Mr. Andrew Palla the Chief Growth Officer for iPerformX. They provided key insights into the Air Force’s Mid-Tier Training Device Adoption Opportunity as well as their transition focused on a technology-enabled, competency-based training approach.
The Air Force was followed by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative with a presentation by Mr. Brent Smith. The presentation provided an overview of ADL’s Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization (EDLM) and the DoD Learning Enclave. Mr. Smith provided the mission, vision, and purpose of the EDLM as well as useful information regarding the associated Learning Enclave.
The Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), BG Christine Beeler, kicked things off for the Army. Her comments laid the framework for Army training and the continued importance of relevant and realistic training from all domains with a focus on the Army Transformation Initiative to deliver warfighting capabilities, optimize the force structure, and eliminate waste and obsolete programs.
She was followed by personnel from the program offices for Synthetic Environment (PM SE), Cyber, Test & Training (PM CT2) and Training Devices (PM TRADE) as well as the Product Leads (PLs) for Enterprise Transformation & Integration (PL ETI), Training Aids, Devices, Simulators, & Simulations (PL TADSS), and International Program Office (PL IPO).
The Army completed their briefs with COL Lisbon Williams Director/Senior Contracting Official, Army Contracting Command (ACC) Orlando. He discussed ACC-Orlando’s mission and priorities and was accompanied by his Division Chiefs to help discuss their portfolio and answer questions from industry.
Day two wrapped up with a presentation by Mr. Joe Erickson from the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC). Mr. Erickson showcased the mission of the Training Directorate of PEO Training for the Air Force along with providing key acquisition opportunities through 2029 as they are known today.
TSIS 2025 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 MS&T. Through all these interactions and engagements, one thing was clear: We are all in this together, facing, and overcoming, the same challenges leading us to our unified goal of providing core capabilities to the warfighters for optimal readiness. We look forward to seeing where the next year takes us and catching up at TSIS 2026!