One of the most important missions
of the U.S. Army is maintaining
readiness for war. This can only
be achieved by providing warfighters with
the most thorough and realistic training
possible. Raytheon is supporting this mission
through the Warfighter Field Operations
Customer Support (FOCUS) program,
providing the training support needed for
mission effectiveness.
The Raytheon-led Warrior Training Alliance
(WTA) team is supporting the Army through
the use of a unique set of information technology
tools created and deployed to deliver
the high level of responsive, efficient, flexible
and cost-effective services and support
the Army expects for its comprehensive
global training requirements under the
Warfighter FOCUS contract.
The landmark program is integrating three
previously separate training domains — live,
virtual and constructive — under one structure.
In May 2008, the team began delivering
integrated, turnkey, lifecycle training
services and support to warfighters at 500
U.S. Army locations worldwide. Major
teammates include Computer Sciences
Corporation, General Dynamics Information
Technology and MPRI. Raytheon manages
more than 100 teammates on the program.
ATLAS MIS
The core technology tool is the Automated
Toolset for Lifecycle Activities and Services
Management Information System (ATLAS
MIS). The enterprisewide, integrated ATLAS
MIS is an information, technology and
analysis toolkit that integrates program support
elements to predict customer needs,
sense potential problems and respond with
support and services that optimize operational
availability, response time, logistics
footprints and total ownership costs.
"ATLAS MIS is at the center of everything,"
said Mike Edwards, Raytheon Technical
Services Company LLC vice president and program manager for Warfighter FOCUS.
"It automates most of the key functions
and provides the Army customer with a
one-stop shopping tool, as well as a single,
easy-to-use portal to track all task orders
from initiation to completion."
ATLAS provides a commercially accepted,
open format, real-time, Web-based MIS
to collect, store and manage operations,
maintenance, financial, supply and
inventory data.
This information is necessary to enable the
WTA to meet every customer need for access,
analysis and review of data and reports
— any time, any place, worldwide. The
WTA has integrated solutions to match the
broad scope of Warfighter FOCUS needs,
from requirements management, enterprise
scheduling and resource management to
enterprise portfolio project management,
program planning and control, collaboration,
risk management, configuration
management and customer support.
Technology Power Advances in Training
Innovative applications of technology tools
and processes are being used by the WTA in
support of the Warfighter FOCUS mission in
all the following areas:
Cross-Training
MIS tools that facilitate the allocation of
cross-trained personnel in the correct labor
categories and skill mixes create a truly integrated
approach to training support for integrated
live, virtual and constructive
training. For example, WTA can draw from
its cross-trained pool of electronic technicians
and training analysts at Fort Hood,
Texas, to support both the Close Combat
Tactical Trainer and the Digital Multipurpose
Range Complex. Using cross-training to
expand the capabilities of the total resource
pool for training support at a given installation
enables cross-utilization and more
resource-leveled and cost-effective
integrated training support.
Integrated Training Support
Transforming from a domain-oriented to an
integrated training environment demands a
focused and proactive approach from the
service provider. Raytheon refined its
"Predict, Plan, Perform" methodology to
specifically address this compelling need.
The result is a unique Integrated Training
Support Tool (ITST) that complements the
information resident in the system to portray
when and where the forces will train,
and when the end user will require specific
training support systems. ITST gives the Program Executive Office Simulation,
Training and Instrumentation customer realtime
information on training resources
matched to actual requirements, while
offering an integrated live-virtual-constructive
training solution.
Cross-Domain Training
The integration of the three traditional
training domains in Warfighter FOCUS,
along with the MIS tools that facilitate and
control the integration, permit cross-domain
training in ways that have never before
been practicable.
Larry Retta, WTA deputy program manager
and vice president, Simulation & Training,
for teammate General Dynamics
Information Technology, described one
example of how this replaces previously
"stovepiped" activities with closely coordinated
and integrated training exercises that
save the government time and money, while
producing highly synchronized results.
"At the Fort Irwin's National Training Center,
we can now run constructive training simulations
simultaneously with live exercises of
the same type of engagement being conducted,"
Retta said. "It's all tied together.
We even train the observers and controllers
for the range exercises."
Mike Parmelee, WTA deputy program manager
and vice president of Federal Training
for CSC's Defense Division, emphasized the
flexibility of cross-domain training.
"We can just as easily revert to force-onforce
training or go forward to GWOT
(global war on terror). The WTA team has
the legacy experience to move smoothly
back and forth from traditional training to
cutting edge," Parmelee said.
Standardized Reporting
The Standardized Reporting Tool (STANREP),
a Web-based application, provides a consistent
means of capturing and reviewing
significant events in a training activity. Data
collected by STANREP can be used in afteraction
reviews by training participants and
trainers to make improvements and benefit
from lessons learned. This reporting tool has
been customized to be used only by the
Warfighter FOCUS customer, and it is just
one of a host of WTA tools the Army can
access for situational awareness and
recording of major training events for
post-event review.
 Gaming Technologies
WTA team members leverage the latest
technological advances being developed by
the commercial computer gaming industry.
"We examine every emerging game-related
technology," Retta said. "Even though we
are service providers, WTA has to be aware
of fresh technologies and best commercial
business practices that can be put to work
for the customer."
Retta cited as examples a recently
developed Vehicle Convoy Combat
Transportation gaming simulation and the
Distributed Battle Simulation Program, a
structured program that incorporates
training aids, devices, simulations and
simulators into unique live, virtual and
constructive training environments. Another
example Retta emphasizes is Military
Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT).
"MOUT facilities," he explained, "are fully
instrumented physical structures that closely
replicate the urban battlefield, providing
soldiers with realistic training practice prior
to combat, and improving their safety and
mission success."
Kristin Patterson Jones
kpjones@raytheon.com
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