March 21, 2025
I remember when I went to my my first Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) organized by the NATIONAL TRAINING & SIMULATION ASSOCIATION (NTSA) back in 2021. If you are not aware this group is largely focused on Department of Defense (DOD) simulation training. My first impression was that there were uniforms everywhere, representatives from every branch, and the acronyms were so dense they practically needed their own interpreter. What really stood out though, was the atmosphere. There was an undercurrent of shared purpose, as if every person in the room believed that if we harnessed simulation technology correctly, we could change the entire trajectory of readiness for both the military and public safety. I had gone in expecting to pick up a few training tips to bring home to my fire department. Instead, I discovered an entire community that believed in simulation for the same reason I did. The more realistic your training environment, the better chance you had to save lives.
That is why the recent announcement about canceling the 2025 Department of the Air Force Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Summit is such a disappointment. The email I received explained how the Secretary of Defense announced a cost efficiency initiative on February 26, which led to a suspension of Government Travel Charge Cards on March 5. That development essentially canceled the summit that was set for May 5. I understand that budgets and tough decisions are part of government life, but there is something about losing a forum that brings people together to share potentially life saving ideas that is very disappointing.
I am sure that the folks at the NTSA are unraveling all the careful planning. They are canceling registrations, shutting down exhibitor setups, and refunding sponsors. If you have never been to an event like this, it is hard to visualize how many details go into making it happen. There are rows of booths to showcase new technology and speakers who have poured their energy into pushing boundaries in simulation. Now all that disappears. I think about the ripple effect. A VR developer might have found a partner for a new simulator. A fire department might have discovered a cutting edge hazard avoidance protocol for high rise blazes. A military unit could have shared insights for large scale LVC (Live, Virtual, and Constructive) training. When these summits vanish, those opportunities vanish too.
Although I am not part of the DOD community, I have spent enough time in the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) world to understand how these events support the broader mission. Each service, including the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines, uses simulation to enhance training. It conserves money, it reduces wear and tear on gear, and it lets you train more people more often. That benefit depends on shared ideas, where people see what other groups are doing and discover ways to adapt or improve their own programs. My concern is that without gatherings like this, everyone will sink into their own silos. They will still train, but not necessarily with the widest range of ideas or the best new approaches.
When looking to cut cost and save money. It is natural to see event hosting and travel as easy targets for cuts. However, avoiding those costs can lead to higher costs in other areas. Live exercises, for instance, are expensive when you factor in fuel, maintenance, and logistics. They can also involve inherent risks that simulation often avoids. When you lose M&S collaboration, you run the risk of becoming stuck with pricier methods in the long run. It is like skipping routine upkeep on a rescue truck. You might save some money in the short term, but eventually, you will pay much more if things go wrong on the job.
Readiness is another issue. As a fire chief, I have seen how essential scenario based training can be when we face a genuine emergency. The same applies to warfighters. Nobody wants their first time confronting chaos to be an actual firefight. Simulation allows you to build that critical muscle memory, both mentally and physically, for when real situations spin out of control. If we scale that back, we might not notice it tomorrow, but over time a weaker training framework could be costly.
Peer adversaries, such as China and Russia, are pouring resources into advanced wargaming software, VR tools, and major combined arms simulations. If they keep ramping up while we are pulling back, we could find ourselves outpaced. One canceled summit will not turn the tide of a conflict, but a trend of under investing in M&S and ignoring collaboration can have long term effects on our overall readiness.
From the public safety angle, I know that the DoD is often a source of cutting edge simulation breakthroughs that trickle down to the rest of us. Fire service, police, EMS, and trauma medicine have all made use of technology that started in military labs. In my own department, we built a training platform called ARIES that was inspired by what we saw in DoD M&S settings. We can simulate intense crisis environments for firefighters, law enforcement, and EMS without the full risk or expense of live exercises. If the military cuts back on events like these, it can slow down the flow of fresh ideas to civilian agencies.
Law enforcement agencies have benefited from the same kind of VR training to handle active threats and de escalation tactics. The same is true for aviation and trauma medicine, where flight simulators and human patient simulators allow for safer practice. When summits do not happen, new ideas and technologies are delayed. Over time, that hurts readiness for everyone. I realize that we need to be smart about budgets, but it worries me when these summits are canceled. A short term cost cut can lead to bigger expenses and bigger risks if we find ourselves unprepared.
I see this affecting more than just the military. It affects everyone who relies on M&S to improve training. If we cut back year after year, we will not notice the immediate damage, but eventually we will see a decline in quality and collaboration. That might force us to spend more on older, less efficient methods or, worst of all, learn hard lessons during real events. The chain reaction also reaches local agencies throughout the United States and possibly around the world. That includes the paramedics who could have learned about new simulation methods, the police officers who could have tried the newest VR technology, and the incident commanders who could have learned about digital twins.
We need to let decision makers know that federally supported training conferences are important. They are vital spaces where experts and practitioners share knowledge that saves lives. Elected officials and agency leaders need to understand that the cost of these gatherings is actually a long term investment in safety, innovation, and better training outcomes. You do not have to serve in the military to benefit from a better prepared community.
If I could line up a conversation with people who control these budgets, I would walk them through the cost savings that come with simulation. I would point out how local departments stand on the front lines of emergency response and need every advantage that advanced training provides. The benefits are measurable in dollars, efficiency, and human lives. Sacrificing that for short term financial reasons can come back to hurt us in ways that far exceed the price of one summit.
If you have any influence over these decisions or even a platform to voice your opinion, please do it. These conferences are crucibles for new technology, new techniques, and new partnerships. Once you lose them, you lose the synergy that drives training to a higher level. It may not be a direct line on a budget spreadsheet, but it is a real cost all the same.