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| Rep. J. Randy Forbes speaks at the Second Annual Modeling and Simulation Caucus as Reps. Bobby Scott and Thelma Drake look on. (Click on this official photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan Axtell to get a high quality version.) |
Congressman calls command modeling and simulation hub
Congressional Modeling & Simulation Training Caucus Chairman Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) dubbed U.S. Joint Forces Command and its modeling and simulation efforts as the future of conflict resolution during the Second Annual Modeling & Simulation Leadership Summit.
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By Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan D. Axtell
USJFCOM Public Affairs
(CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Feb. 27, 2007) -- Congressional Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Training Caucus chairman, Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) praised U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and their efforts in the modeling and simulation (M&S) industry Monday.
After Forbes labeled M&S a national security priority in opening remarks during the Second Annual M&S Leadership Summit sponsored by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) here today, he spoke in an interview about the contributions of USJFCOM.
"USJFCOM is the hub of so many different things that are being driven today in modeling and simulation. I think, certainly, it has been an engine that has kept the private sector going, as well as the government sector in terms of building that architecture that we need in modeling and simulation to get us to where we need to be tomorrow," Forbes said.
"If you look at how it is tying in to future threats that we might have for the United States, USJFCOM has kind of been the bulwark of helping to create jointness in all of our services. I think that they are the prototype for how we do that for our agencies, and I think that's what our next big challenge is," said Forbes.
"When we're dealing with threats around the world, the only way we are able to totally use all of those resources and focus them, I believe, is with modeling and simulation. That's not just the resources we have militarily - we're moving in that direction now - but that's all the resources we have as a nation, whether that be grain sales or if it be what we can do with aide programs, or whether that's what we can do on a diplomatic front," Forbes said.
"We have to, one day, be able to marshal that in the same kind of joint endeavor that focuses those resources on every conflict that we'd be involved in, and join in with our allies in focusing our resources in the same way there," said Forbes.
"I think if there was no USJFCOM, I don't think we would have on the horizon the reasonable possibility of hoping that we could bring that kind of jointness to agencies," Forbes said.
"One of the things that we can do [with modeling and simulation] is we can literally look at tomorrow, and if we don't like it, we can erase it, and we can build another tomorrow that works out better, and we don't have to pay the cost in lives and money and things that we have to do [without modeling and simulation]," said Forbes.
David Ozolek, executive director of the Joint Futures Laboratory at USJFCOM, gave a real-world example of how modeling and simulation can help the warfighter get a glimpse at possible outcomes of current actions with systems that can look at all the dimensions of a problem, not just a military view.
"This is a huge break-through in taking modeling and simulation - cutting edge modeling and simulation - rapidly moving it through the experimentation and training communities, and into the warfighter support. And that's taking place in real time even as we speak," Ozolek said.
Despite its successes, Ozolek is quick to point out these multi-dimensional tools donot predict the future.
"It's an assessment tool that enables us to look at the implications, the potential implications of a course of action. It does not predict the future. It's not a Magic 8-Ball," said Ozolek.
His comments were consistent with the topics and feedback of the other summit participants, who spoke of generating better public awareness of what M&S is, what M&S is not, and what M&S has to offer.
M&S leaders from government, industry and academia heard speakers and offered suggestions on the broad topics of industrial development, business practice, professional development, and technology.
Within those broad topics, participants suggested that there was also a need for more government advocacy, market sector analysis, reuse of commercial and non-developmental items, reduction of redundancy as well as developing better standards, data and architectures.
Retired Navy Rear. Adm. Fred Lewis, president of the NTSA, thanked the participants for their input and said that his organization would work on several of the non-governmental items.
Forbes spoke positively about the future, as well as successes since the last summit.
"We've at least through the caucus and NTSA and Joint Forces Command and all these players coming together - have elevated the entire modeling and simulation industry to a point that it's never been before in a lot of critical ways: One: The president of the United States knows about it; Number two: his staff knows about it. How do I know? Because I've personally spoken to him, and his staff has done extensive follow-up with us about what's going on in the modeling and simulation industry. That's a huge step," Forbes said.
"The other thing that I think is important is that because of what's taking place, members of Congress are starting to understand a little bit better what modeling and simulation can do," said Forbes.
In his closing remarks with Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), and Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), Forbes proposed drafting a congressional resolution making modeling and simulation a critical national technology, which he said would be a "huge stepping stone," toward future action in the industry.
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