The Transformer

Publishing an article inTheTransformerThe views and opinions expressed in thispublication do not necessarily reflect those ofNATO or its member nations. All articles areedited for content. To contact TheTransformer staff, call +1(757)747-3600.To obtain electronic copies of the newsletter,visit us on the web at http://www.act.nato.intor the PAO Wise page at http://pao.act.nato.int/portal.Deadline for submissions is mid-monthof each quarter.

Email: pao@act.nato.intPostal: Headquarters Supreme Allied

Commander TransformationPublic Affairs Office7857 Blandy Road, Suite100Norfolk,Virginia 23551

Telephone: +1(757)747-3600

The Transformer StaffChief of Public AffairsCapt.Jeff Bender, U.S. Navy

Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Mr. RoyThorvaldsen, Norwegian A-4

Public Affairs Leading Chief Petty OfficerChief Petty Officer Cheryl Elliott,U.S. Navy

Production Leading Petty OfficerPetty Officer1st Class Carla Burdt,U.S. Navy

Contributing Staff WritersPetty Officer1st Class Sarah Langdon, U.S. Navy

On the cover: Wayne Buck (left), Modelling andSimulation Analyst, Future Solutions and Modelling and Simulation Branch,explains Virtual World technology toGerman Army Major Major Michael Utz(right). Photo by U.S.Air Force Master Sergeant Chris Steffen.

Commander’s Corner - Charting the Right Course for Transformation 1

Deputy Commander’s Corner - DSACT Discusses Modelling and Simulation 2

ACT Uses M&S to Enhance Training, Capabilites 3

M&S Enhances Alliance Effectiveness, Efficiency 4

ACT Hosts 6th Annual Industry Day 5

MODSIM World and the Modern Operating Environment 6

Concept Development, Transformation Topic of Discussions at CD&E 7

Virtual Development Begins at HQ SACT 8

ACT Uses Virtual Worlds for Technology for Training 10

NATO Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence Discusses Technical Requirements 11

ACT Participates in Premiere Modelling and Simulation Conference 12

ACT Hosts 2009 Chiefs of Transformation Conference 13

NATO Warfare Development Group Hosts Technology Symposium 13

ACT’s C4I Branch Hosts TIDE Sprint 14

NATO Advanced Distributed Learning - Future Technologies 15

ACT Command Sergeant Major Takes Third in National Race 16

Table of Contents

1

Commander’s Corner

Charting the Right Course forTransformationEditorial by Supreme Allied Commander Transformation,French Air Force General Stephane Abrial

Winston Churchill once said: “There is nothing wrong withchange if it is in the right direction”. Our mandate at ACT is todiscern and promote transformation that truly improves our cur-rent and future security and translates into concrete and relevantachievements. This means evaluating today’s needs and constraintsas well as assessing future threats.

Today, charting the right course presents a significant chal-lenge. Defence budgets are under increased pressure, while at thesame time the objective level of potential threats shows no signof declining.

We must respond to this situation by being even more inno-vative, astute and realistic. In today’s challenge lies therefore anopportunity: one for continued, and indeed, reinvigorated trans-formation. That is the course ACT is setting upon: better bringinginnovation to bear within real-world constraints, notably bybuilding upon what already exists.

The first field where this vision applies is in establishing amore efficient network linking ACT and its national counterparts.Whether in training, lessons learned or capability development,there is a great avenue for progress in better sharing, dissemi-nating and leveraging the excellent resources that are availableand the tremendous work that is done in these national transfor-mational institutions. Unnecessary segmentation or duplicationare luxuries we can no longer afford.

It is much in this spirit that ACT intends to more deliberatelyassume a role it has already been playing to a large extent, that ofNATO’s think tank on military matters. This enterprise too mustbe deeply infused with networking. The Multiple Futures Projecthas been a template of how to bring together the very best analysisfrom across the Alliance in fields that are bound to impact futuremilitary commitments.

Evaluating this impact will inform another vital area ofACT’s work, capability development, where our approach isstrongly infused with the vision of taking what we already have asthe starting point. As we find ways for innovation to accompanyour forces in their evolution, we will seek solutions rooted inpragmatism, ensuring first of all that existing capabilities are

leveraged efficiently, with a strong emphasis oninteroperability both in existing and emerging pro-grams. The new NATO Defence Planning Processwill bring an improved framework for us to carrythis vision forward.

The same common sense applies to our rela-tionships with our close partners, whether nationsor organizations. Many nations outside NATO aretruly allies and brothers-in-arms, with their soldiersand ours serving side-by-side in current operations,and undoubtedly in future ones. It makes sense, forexample, to further shared training, lessons learnedand interoperability standards with them.Likewise, strengthening our links with those inter-national organizations that count among our closestpartners on the field is bound to make our opera-tions more efficient.

Finally, we will be focussing our attention onfacilitating the application of a comprehensiveapproach in operations. In today’s conflicts, mili-tary force alone cannot achieve success, but neither

can success be obtained without a military involvement. In closecoordination with other stakeholders within NATO, ACT can playa decisive role as a catalyst, promoting ways for all players, civilianor military, to interact more effectively. Building on lessonslearned from current operations and fully using the possibilitiesoffered by the new Operations Planning Process developed withSHAPE, we will examine what initiatives can be launched to thisend in the coming months.

Is this an ambitious agenda that we are embracing? Yes, cer-tainly. But the men and women of ACT owe our nations and ourforces nothing less. We know we can count on the help of many, inthe nations as well as serving within NATO, to make our goal ofmeasurably increased efficiency in operations a reality. I am sureChurchill would have deemed such change to be “in the rightdirection”.

2 The Transformer

Editorial by Deputy Supreme AlliedCommander Tranformation, ItalianNavy Adm. Luciano Zappata

It is a pleasure to introduce thisissue of The Transformer dedicated toModelling & Simulation (M&S). Morethan two years ago, in fact, in thismagazine, I described my perspective oftransformation and how M&S couldsupport the transformational efforts of NATO and Nations.

Since then, ACT has developed some important work, but alot more has to be done. It is not only a matter of resources, andwe all know how scarce they are in these times, but it is also a mat-ter of mindset. M&S is high on the agenda of decision-makersbecause of the benefits it provides to improve interoperability,reduce costs, mitigate risks, improve the quality of products mak-ing them closer to the needs of the users, and help reduce the timeto field capabilities.

M&S spans transversally across the different domains ofcapability development, education and training, and lessonslearned. As a result of these interdependencies, it is difficult tobuild a coherent framework for the use of M&S and increase theawareness of its great potential. The culture and mindset is, there-fore, quite important and I am confident that this issue of theTransformer will help staff and decision-makers alike realize howM&S can help us improve the way we make use of limitedresources, by avoiding duplication and redundancies, and improv-ing the overall quality.

Let me summarise my view on how we can best use M&S andthe value added that it can bring to our transformational endeavours.

First, I would like to stress that in M&S, as in most otherareas of transformation, we cannot do this work by ourselves.We need to network with nations and partners, industry and aca-demia as much as possible, in order to leverage on their know-howand enhance the exchange of information and mutual expertise.The initiative to establish an M&S Center of Excellence (COE)heads exactly in this direction and it will support ACT and NATOproviding subject matter expertise in concept development andexperimentation, interoperability and education and trainingprocesses. I am convinced, however, that the real value added ofthis COE will be its contribution to network ACT and NATOwith national resources, both in the military and the academia/industry environment.

The collaboration with academia and industry, in fact, is afundamental theme that we have strived to develop. ACT has devel-oped the “Framework for Collaborative Interaction” (FFCI)initiative with the objective of enabling collaborative work withacademia and industry, to leverage the expertise that each community

brings to the transformational efforts. Improved collaborationwith industry in the development of requirements, solution concepts,and technology demonstrations will contribute, in particular, toimprove interoperability and to accelerate the fielding of opera-tional capabilities.

You may have noticed that I have mentioned the word inter-operability already several times in this article. In the current oper-ational scenario, multinational coalitions interact at the tacticallevel on the field much more than in the past cold war era, posingsignificant challenges. The asymmetry of technological capabili-ties, training and readiness of forces among Allies and partners isresponsible for the emergence of interoperability problems, whichimpact on the effectiveness in the field. Improving interoperabilityallows a more efficient use of resources eliminating redundanciesand duplications.We can improve interoperability without the needof developing new technologies. We need to make a better use ofwhat is available today within nations at the military and industrylevel. Firstly, we have to define a standard-based environmentthrough the development of common roadmaps, open standards,common interfaces and open architectures. This framework cansupport the development capability process, the concept develop-ment and experimentation, test and evaluation of systems/modelsand architectures. Secondly, we need to develop a sound test andverification environment, integrating open standards and architec-tures into a common framework. This will allow driving the incor-poration of interoperability into future capabilities from the outsetof their planning. Collaboration with industry on these themescould help us a lot.

M&S can provide practical contributions and solutions tosolve these problems. I am a supporter of the creation of a distrib-uted environment where nations can plug-in to conduct testsagainst validated reference facilities. This distributed environmentwould allow the networking of national resources and could sup-port simultaneously different services and activities, such as train-ing, experimentation, validation of concepts, and other testing.In this regard, the initiative of networking the battlelabs aims atdeveloping a persistent, robust and secure environment where it ispossible to replicate scenarios and plug and play models and sys-tems. We need to take stock of national battlelabs and referencesystems and define practical tools and mechanisms to networkcentres and facilities. Let me highlight, however, that this networkwould not be limited to the physical networking. It has to beintended also as a social networking environment that wouldfacilitate the information sharing and the development of multi-national capabilities in order to achieve greater efficiency andshorten the time needed to field new capabilities.

The enabling of cooperation in technology and the definition

Deputy Commander’s Corner

DSACT Discusses Modelling and Simulation

(continued page11)

3

ACT Uses M&S to Enhance Training, CapabilitiesByWayne Buck,Modelling and Simulation Analyst,Future Solutions and Modelling and Simulation Branch

Policy development and requirements capturing for model-ling and simulation (M&S) may sound like terms used to describethe responsibilities of sedate and mouldering staff settled deepwithin the bowels of Headquarters, Supreme Allied CommanderTransformation (HQ SACT). Wrong. Working with M&S policyand requirements is an exciting and constantly changing field thatchallenges those who are in it. The M&S Section of the FutureSolutions and Modelling and Simulation Branch rides the bleed-ing edge of technology while trying to find solutions to the latestpolicy needs.

The capstone policy document for ACT is the ACT M&SVision signed off in January 2009. The vision is very clear in itsaim “to exploit modelling and simulation to enable NATO trans-formation wherever it can enhance capability, increase interoper-ability, save resources or reduce risk in the ACT application areasof training, support to operations, defence planning and capabil-ity development.”

It is the only high-level document that recognises ACT as aprominent M&S stakeholder and guides decisions and actionswithin ACT for an efficient governance, development and employ-ment of M&S across the application areas. To be clear, the sectionis constantly looking for M&S technology and processes toexploit for the benefit of ACT and NATO as a whole.

Many NATO Nations are now exploiting or planning toexploit commercial games technology and techniques for militarytraining and analysis. There are clear advantages in this approachin that such games are very accessible and relatively economicalwhen compared to more traditional military simulations and thecost of their development and maintenance. The exploitation ofcommercial technologies and appropriate use of open standardscan provide efficiencies and increased benefits for defenceapplications.

The M&S Section has been very active in identifying thosetechnologies having the greatest near-term potential and under-standing the future trends and developments in those technologiesthat have potential to meet future defence requirements. Throughleadership during multinational conferences and workshops suchas MODSIM World and MSG-078 and through proof of conceptdemonstrations, HQ SACT is exploring the future.

A recent proof of concept demonstration involves the virtu-al world NATO NEXUS funded by HQ SACT and produced byEngineering and Computer Simulations (ECS) of Orlando,Florida. The NATO Virtual World consists of a learner-focused3D environment linked together to allow users to interact witheach other through avatars. Users from one agency or Nation caninteract with users located across the globe through virtualworlds and classrooms. The virtual world platform delivers col-laborative 3D environments and applications that integrate withan organization’s existing technology infrastructure using com-mon architectures, interfaces and specifications. Nexus will providea comprehensive environment for integrating new technology,tools and information and will enable NATO Virtual Worlds toreach large numbers of people quickly, allow for the rapid tailor-ing of scenarios, and provide simulated experiences that transferinto critical thinking skills and higher levels of performance.

The Snow Leopard Project, which aims to provide a distrib-uted training capability, could be one of the first beneficiaries ofvirtual worlds. The Snow Leopard pillar of advanced distributedlearning is used to give individual instruction to persons needingcourses. Imagine how much more powerful that coursework couldbe if given in a realistic but simulated environment. For example,if the course were teaching SOPs used within an operational envi-ronment, the coursework could be given by intelligent avatars inthe simulated Joint Operating Centre surrounded by avatars, mapboards and documents representing the real situation.

Another Snow Leopard pillar is the simulation VirtualBattlespace 2 from Bohemia Interactive. This simulation is rapidlymaking inroads as the de facto virtual simulation standard andHQ SACT is closely following its progress through enterprisewide licensing and executive level discussion. To take full benefit ofsimulation, human behaviour must be much better representedthan is currently done to develop virtual simulations and virtualworlds properly. The M&S Section has sponsored studies withlocal industry and done significant staff work to ensure that theyare familiar with the state of the art in the field of human behav-iour representation. This research will enable them to best formu-late a general framework that should guide the development ofhuman behaviour models for NATO military simulations.

ACT did not exist in 1998 when the North Atlantic Councilsigned off on the initial NATO M&S Master Plan. During the

Members of MSG-078, Exploiting Commercial Games and Technologies,meet at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center in Suffolk,USA to discuss current trends and the future of games. Several partici-pants also attended remotely through the virtual world Second Life mak-ing this Allied Command Transformation’s first mixed reality event.

(continued page 4)

4 The Transformer

significant subject matter expert support and was pivotal in help-ing with an M&S requirements workshop held during the annualConcept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) conference.This workshop produced a tentative program of work for theCOE to discuss during its MOU negotiations.

We are convinced that M&S is a force multiplier and that itwill enhance ACT and NATO’s training and decision-makingabilities. In this issue of The Transformer you will find but a snap-shot of the work that the M&S Section is involved in.

ACT Uses MODSIM (continued from page 3)

last five years, the ACT relationship with other NATO bodies hasbecome much clearer and has allowed ACT to become a key playerin the Master Plan update now going on with the Nations.

Another key player in the Master Plan update is the NATOM&S Centre of Excellence (COE). Sponsored by Italy and basedin Rome, the M&S COE is currently preparing for its first MOUconference, scheduled for March 2010. The M&S Section is providing

M&S Enhances Alliance Effectiveness, EfficiencyBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt

In a time of shrinking and defence budgets and increased pres-sure for Alliance cohesion, Allied Command Transformation’s (ACT)Future Capabilities, Research, & Technology (FCRT) Subdivision isusing modelling and simulation to provide more efficient training.

ACT’s efforts in this area were detailed by French Navy RearAdm. Christian Canova, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff forFutures, Capabilities, Research & Technology (FCRT), Exercises &Assessment (DACOS JEEA) at the Exploiting Commercial Gamesand Technology for Military Use Workshop held on September 22-24 at the Virginia Modelling, Analysis & Simulation Center inSuffolk,Virginia.

ACT is using modelling and simulation to develop differentinitiatives in distance learning and training.

“The Alliance currently faces a big challenge,”said Canova.“Wewant more interoperable staff to deploy to be properly training atthe Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) and Joint Warfare Centre

(JWC). But, it is a big burden for some Nations to send their troopsto two or more months of training. Nations prefer to train theirpeople at home, using new modelling and simulation technologyfor training and education.”

Another of FCRTs project, Snow Leopard, puts into actionSecretary General Rasmussen’s call, made earlier this month, forNATO do more with existing resources. “We developed a systemcalled Snow Leopard, which is used to federate existing trainingwithin the Nations,” said Canova. “National defence budgets areshrinking, and it’s difficult to tell a Nation with an establishedtraining system that they need to get rid of a system because we aredeveloping a new one. This is not acceptable.”

The NATO Modelling and Simulation Group workshops sharenational experiences, explore commercial games and technologies,seek to understand best practices, and identify barriers to furtherexploitation and seek ways these barriers might be overcome.

As part of the goal of exploiting commercial technologies,the distributed portion of the meeting will be held in the virtualworld Second Life.

French Navy RearAdm. Christian

Canova, DeputyAssistant Chief ofStaff for Futures,

Capabilities,Research &

Technology (FCRT)speaks to attendees

of the ExploitingCommercial Gamesand Technology for

Military UseWorkshop September

22 at the VirginiaModelling, Analysis

& Simulation Centrein Suffolk, Virginia.

5

ACT Hosts 6th Annual IndustryDayBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sarah R.Langdon

NATO is moving forward into the future with innovativetechniques and has taken an aggressive stance on how to get thejob done. At the heart of the research, planning and conceptualwork is Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

To prepare the Alliance for the future, ACT has developed atwo-way collaborative relationship between the world’s indus-tries and NATO.

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French AirForce General Stephane Abrial, hosted Industry Day 2009October 8-9 at the Ronald Reagan Building and InternationalTrade Center in Washington, D.C.

“Industry has a unique awareness and experience and wewant to ensure that we use this proficiency to the best of our ability,”said Abrial in his opening speech. “Vision and innovation run inthe very fabric of this Industry Day.”

“On one hand, ACT needs to share with industry its percep-tion of the future, centred on the need for efficient and interopera-ble forces,” said Abrial. “In return, industry – and not only defenceindustry – should tell us if technology is already available to matchour vision; or if it has to be developed specifically, and if so whatwould be the risks, the timeframe – and of course the costs.”

The two-day conference, themed “Working together toimprove interoperability,”was the sixth one to be held and the firstto be hosted in the United States. One of the key points of theconference, Abrial said, is the importance of understandinginteroperability and its significance to the Alliance.

“Another misperception may be that interoperability meansuniformity,” he said. “But actually, it means bridging the gap, notfilling it. In the past, interoperability may have been mostly a con-cern for the higher echelon of the chain of command, but todaythe need for interoperability is an everyday reality at all echelonsincluding at the lowest tactical level.”

Framework for InteractionDuring the conference, industry leaders from organisations

such as MBDA – a European missile developer and manufacturer,Microsoft Corporation, Dell Corporation, Northrop Grummanand the Department of Defence, were asked how they wouldanticipate, mitigate and avoid interoperability problems, andwhich collaborative efforts could help tackle interoperabilitychallenges early in the military capability development cycle. Thebasis for this relationship between industry and NATO is gov-erned by the Framework for Collaborative Interaction (FFCI), aproject initiated at Industry Day 2008 and implemented for thefirst time at the 2009 conference.

“I think the result [of the FFCI] is both exciting and innova-tive; a framework for bringing us together around real-worldpilot-cases. The spirit behind it is transverse, horizontal and col-laborative,” Abrial explained. “We know many relevant solutions

to our problems already out there and together we need to do abetter job in spotting and applying them.”

“We need to be open to new ways of working together and Ibelieve the framework for collaborative interaction can help us goforward in that respect,”he said.

Industry Day has provided a working forum for NATO andindustry to talk about new initiatives, concepts, products andmethodology which would benefit both parties.

“ACT needs to share with industry its perception of the futurecentred on the need for efficient and interoperable forces,” said Abrial.

“Industry, alongside the NATO Research and TechnologyOrganisation (RTO) will also have a role to play at various stagesof this process,” said Abrial.“Your input will be essential notonly during the identification of capability requirements but alsoin the analysis of alternative approaches to resolving shortfalls.”

In closing, Abrial emphasized the importance of a constantand reciprocal dialogue now and in the future.

Importance of Dialogue “We need to open to new ways of working together and I

believe the Framework for Collaborative Interaction can help us goforward in that respect,” he said.“We need to be open in sharing ourassessments, our ideas, our concerns – and I believe Industry Dayprovides a great forum for doing that, in this room and outside.”

Additionally, Abrial discussed ACT development efforts andthe progress that has been made over the past year and set the scenefor four sessions to follow.

The plenary sessions delved deeper into collaborative effortswith discussions including “Interoperability challenges and cur-rent efforts within the Alliance,” “ACT Capability Developmentefforts, priorities and interaction with industry,”“Perspectives androles of Nations and traditional defence industry with regard to

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) General StephaneAbrial, French Air Force (right) meets with Christian Breant, Research andTechnology Director at the European Defense Agency, during the AlliedCommand Transformation-sponsored Industry Day conference at theRonald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington,D.C., October 8. NATO photo by U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Mike Jones.

(continued page 12)

6 The Transformer

MODSIM World and the Modern Operating EnvironmentBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt

In the early morning light of Afghanistan’s HelmandProvince, a soldier is conducting patrols of a compound on theoutskirts of a remote village. Recent intelligence gathered reportsthe compound is being used by insurgents for planning andweapons storage. With his weapon drawn near, the soldier walkscarefully, investigating anything unusual. Shots are fired and hehas no time to think – he must react quickly. He swiftly draws hisweapon, aims and fires. Without warning, something unexpectedhappens: the screen goes blank and the simulation ends.

Situations such as this occur all too often in conflict. Soldiersare faced with circumstances during the simulation that traditionaltraining could never prepare them for.

To ensure troops in harm’s way are prepared for an array ofsituations, NATO is harnessing the technology of modeling andsimulation. The same technology used for the design of videogames is being used to create a realistic operating environmentallowing troops to see the threat and make the right decisions.

“21st Century Decision-Making: The Art of Modeling andSimulation”was the focus of the MODSIM World Conference andExpo 2009 held October 14-16 at the Virginia Beach ConventionCenter, Virginia Beach,Virginia.

MODSIM World is a unique, multi-disciplinary internationalconference and exposition for the exchange of modeling andsimulation knowledge, research and technology across industry,government and educational institutions.

Leadership and staff members from Allied CommandTransformation (ACT) participated in workshops and attendedlectures on new modeling and simulation technologies.

As NATO’s leading agent for change, ACT identifies, facili-tates and advocates the continuous improvement of capabilities inorder to maintain and enhance the military effectiveness of theAlliance.

“ACT is one of the leaders in modelling and simulationtechnology in NATO,” said Wayne Buck from ACT’s Future,Capabilities, Research and Technology Branch. “We run a programcalled Technology Watch, where we go out and seek technologiesthat will help improve the capability in the future. MODSIMWorld is the perfect place for us to find those technologies.”

With ACT being at the forefront of transformation withinthe Alliance, simulation is an effective way of identifying the out-come of situations from different decisions.

Speakers, presentations and demonstrations focused on usingmodeling and simulation tools and practices in decision-makingin the modern operating environment. Conference attendees weregiven the opportunity to network with other industry professionals.

“We have two main uses for modeling and simulation,”saidBuck. “The first, that we are very successful at, we use to train warfighters. At the operational level in places such as Stavanger,

Norway, and Bydgoszcz, Poland, we already use simulators totrain war fighters that go out into places such as Afghanistan andKosovo.”

“The second place we use modeling and simulation is inanalysis of both capability development and in operations,”saidBuck. “Two years ago we ran a joint experiment in Afghanistanwith U.S. Joint Forces Command in course of action analysis. Weused a very large simulation and the commander of theInternational Security Assistance Force liked it so much we arenow developing our own system in NATO and we’ll probablyexploit commercial technologies to help us build it.”

Speaking at the 2008 MODSIM World, Deputy SupremeAllied Commander Transformation (DSACT) Italian NavyAdmiral Luciano Zappata explained that modeling and simula-tion is a high priority in the agenda of decision-makers becauseof its ability to improve the way NATO does business today.

“M&S is getting the attention of leadership for the greatbenefits it can provide to NATO combined and joint forces inorder to improve interoperability and capabilities, contribute totraining efforts, develop planning and decision support tools, testand develop doctrine, and validate concepts through experimen-tation,” said Zappata. “Risk mitigation, improvement of quality

Rink - Jan Blank demonstrates Baseline for Rapid IterativeTransformational Experimentation (BRITE) at the 2009 MODSIM WorldConference and Expo October 15. BRITE is a set of web-based commandand control services, which can be used in a stand-alone mode or on a net-work to provide a fully integrated set of services to aid in decision-making.NATO photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt.

(continued page10)

7

Concept Development,Transformation Topic of Discussions at CD&EBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and United StatesJoint Forces Command (USJFCOM), in conjunction with theItalian Defence General Staff (IDGS) hosted the 9th annualConcept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) ConferenceNovember 17-19 in Rome.

“I think that such a conference is actually a great opportuni-ty to share lessons learned, best practices and improve partnershipnetworking on CD&E,” said French Navy Rear Admiral ChristianCanova, Deputy Assistance Chief of Staff Future Capabilities,Research and Technology (FCRT) and Joint Experimentation andAssessment (JEA). “This is why we, ACT and USJFCOM as co-sponsors, have set up an ambitious programme designed to provideas many opportunities as possible for both formal and informalinteraction.”

The conference, themed “Addressing Current Demands andPreparing for Future Challenges,” brought together attendeesfrom fields including CD&E, Research and Technology,Command and Control, Doctrine Development, MilitaryTransformation, Battle Laboratories, Centers of Excellence,academia, the Defence Industry and non-military organisationscontributing to CD&E.

“This vibrant, eternal city of Rome provides the perfect set-ting for an event of this importance,” said U.S. Navy RearAdmiral Dan Davenport, Director, Joint Concept Developmentand Experimentation (J9) at USJFCOM. “We’re delighted to havemore than 250 attendees from 30 Nations across the globe, allwith a common purpose of applying the science and art of conceptdevelopment and experimentation to provide meaningful andrelevant solutions to our joint and coalition war fighters.

With a shared focus and all this talent and wealth of experi-ence as a foundation, U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATOACT, as co-sponsors of this conference, are determined to makethe best use of this unique opportunity to apply this impressivecollection of experience, perspective and expertise to accomplishmeaningful results.”

During his keynote address, Italian Navy Admiral LucianoZappata, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation,explained the influence of concept development on transformation.

“Concept Development and Experimentation is one of thetools that drives NATO’s transformation by enabling structuraldevelopment of creative and innovative ideas into viable solutionsfor capability development,” said Zappata.

According to Zappata, the role of concept development is toprovide an intellectual foundation on transformational ideas to allowNations to discuss, agree and then develop Alliance capabilities.

“Experimentation aims at exploring proposed solutions pro-viding levels of information and insight not normally available

from traditional means,”said Zappata. “ACT is NATO’s leadingagent for change which entails driving, facilitating and advocat-ing continous improvement of Alliance capabilities. It is a missionthat involves interaction and practical cooperation with Nations,partners and international organizations.”

NATO’s Chairman of the Military Committee, Italian NavyAdm. Giampaolo Di Paola, in his keynote address, explained thatfor NATO to remain a viable and essential organization, theAlliance must use emerging technologies and concept develop-ments to meet emerging demands.

“There is a recognition that we can not be any longer theNATO it has been,” said Di Paola. “The threat is no longer thesame. For as much as we would like to think that it is the same, the

threat is not the same. Therefore, NATO has to try to charter it’s own way if we want to continue to be relevant.”

Workshop discussions included Countering Hybrid Threats,Deterring Non-State Actors, Security Force Assistance andStrategic Communications.

“This year’s conference is fundamentally different than inprevious years in that it is designed to achieve specific outcomes,”said Davenport. “We planned the conference to spend much moretime and effort focused on the challenges that were identified asthe subject of four workshops that span two and half days.

These workshops are purposefully designed to deliverinsights and recommendations for clearly defined problems thatface NATO and U.S. forces now and in the future.”

The structured approach used for each workshop included abaseline assessment, gap analysis and solution development fol-lowed by documenting the findings and recommendations anddefining a collective way ahead. This approach has been successfullyapplied to CD&E in the past.

Left: French Navy Admiral Christian Canova speaks to attendees of the2009 Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) Conference inRome November 17. Right: NATO’s Chairman of the Military CommitteeItalian Navy Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola speaks to attendees of the 2009Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) Conference in RomeNovember 17. Photos by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt.

(continued page 8)

8 The Transformer

Virtual Development Begins at HQ SACTBy Wayne Buck, HQ SACT Modelling and Simulation Section

Allied Command Transformation is investigating technologies that may be used to augment or replace existing technologiesfor education and training as well as capability development. One of the investigative streams is in virtual worlds. ACT has placedEngineering Computer Simulations of Orlando, USA under contract to develop two worlds. The world featured here is a representa-tion of how the new HQ SACT and National Liaison Representatives buildings will look when construction is complete in 2010/2011.To the right and below are the entrance and foyer area of NH-31. Below are screenshots of some of the existing conference rooms. Theseconference rooms have been constructed in detail so that when staff use them virtually for meetings the surroundings will feel familiar.Any questions concerning these worlds should be directed to Wayne Buck at buck@act.nato.int.

Topics of Discussions (continued from page 7)

The Countering Hybrid Threats Workshop, an outcome ofthe ACT Multiple Futures Project and a USJFCOM joint opera-tion endeavor, studies that a key future security challenge will bethe Alliance’s ability to face hybrid threats in which determinedadversaries use conventional, irregular, terrorist and criminalelements in mixed modes of operation. Nations will need tounderstand the hybrid threat environment and define a coherentmilitary strategy and identify the capabilities to counter it.

The workshop aimed to refine and expand challenges ofhybrid threats, begin risk evaluation, identify capability require-ments and identify policy and strategy implications. Workshopleaders hoped to gain an improved understanding and conceptualmodel of hybrid threats, identify limitations of current policy,

strategy and operational framework and capability gaps thatshould be considered and then move toward an agreement onterms and definition related to hybrid threats.

Deterring non-state actors focused on finding alternativecapabilities to deter or dissuade non-state actors who pursue theirobjectives regardless of cost and are not deterred by the threatof retaliation.

Attendees explored the use of deterrence concepts in modernwar fighting, the scope of deterrence problems associated withnon-state actors within a comprehensive approach, how and whennon-state actors might be deterred and the combination of directand indirect approaches to achieving deterrence objectives.

From lessons learned in previous operations, coalition com-manders have stated that there is a lack of understanding of whatconstitutes Security Force Assistance (SFA). The SFA Workshop

Above: Berlin Conference Room Below: Ottawa Conference Room Above: London Conference Room Below: Oslo Conference Room

9

examined the role of the military contribution to SFA as it relatesto a broader coalition of security sector assistance efforts and fur-ther worked to synchronize SFA efforts with a broader SecuritySector Reform (SSR).

Identification of the role in the military SFA as a contributionto security sector assistance efforts was the desired outcome of theworkshop. Additionally, attendees identified key planning consider-ations, potential coordination mechanisms and planning frame-works to better synchronize civil-military security sector assistance.

The final workshop, Strategic Communication, focused onthe Alliance’s communication abilities. In particular, lessonslearned have found that coalition partners lack a capability tosynchronize military operations with the disciplines of publicdiplomacy, public affairs, information operations and psycholog-ical operations to achieve strategic effects.

During the workshop, attendees discussed the guidelines andmethods for achieving coordinated operations within a coalitionthrough synchronization of themes and messages across eachdiscipline, including consideration of constraints imposed bynational policy.

The conference concluded Thursday with a findings, insightsand recommendations brief and closing remarks by AdmiralCanova, Admiral Davenport and host nation representativeItalian Army Brigadier General Mario Ruggiero, Director ofItalian Centre for Defence Innovation.

Briefings provided during the conference can be found at theCD&E web portal at http://cde.act.nato.int/portal. The portal ispassword protected. To enroll in the NATO CD&E portal, usethe link http://id.act.nato.int/arf/cde.

Above: The Flag Plaza and Entrance to HQ SACT (NH-31) Below: The Foyer of HQ SACT (NH-31)

10 The Transformer

ACT Uses Virtual Worlds forTechnology forTrainingBy Wayne Buck, HQ SACT Modelling and Simulation Section

“Allied Command Transformation is investigating technolo-gies that could be used to augment or replace existing technolo-gies for education and training of NATO staff,” said RADMChristian Canova, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff of the FutureCapabilities and Research and Technology sub-division. “One ofthe investigative streams that we are involved in is in virtualworlds.” Canova was present as HQ SACT unveiled this technolo-gy at the annual Concept Development and ExperimentationConference. The virtual world’s exhibit attracted a significantamount of interest and enthu-siasm.

Earlier in 2009, HQ SACTsolicited industry to build a vir-tual world using the scenario of ageneric headquarters compoundfor a NATO operation whichwould be similar to current oper-ations e.g. the InternationalSecurity Assistance Force. Thescenario put particular empha-sis on depicting a generic JointOperating Centre where opera-tions are planned and conducted.

The winning bidder has built the compound and included is agame called a “Virtual World Scavenger Hunt”which has trainingobjectives for staff officer augmentees.

Virtual worlds are gaining greater acceptance in the work-place as they promote intra- and inter-organizational instruc-tion, collaboration and productivity. The combining of thesetechnologies with 3D virtual world technology will bring evengreater opportunities for organizational effectiveness by extend-ing the application of these technologies in new ways throughoutorganizations while at the same time reducing the inhibitions tocollaboration posed by physical distance and time zones.

Within ACT, it is expectedthat the virtual worlds will beused to support several researchand practical efforts includinginvestigating enhancements tocurrent methods of preparingstaff for employment, acting asa meeting place, familiarisationtraining, emergency training,course of action analysis, aug-menting current simulations,and allowing conferences andworkshops to have distanceparticipation.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt conducts a “Virtual WorldScavenger Hunt” using virtual world technology during the 2009 ConceptDevelopment and Experimentation Conference in Rome recently.Photo by Wayne Buck.

“Virtual worlds are gaining greateracceptance in the workplace as they promote intra- and inter-organizationalinstruction, collaboration and productivity.The combining of these technologies with 3D virtual world technology willbring even greater opportunities for organizational effectiveness....”

MODSIM (continued from page 6)

of products, efficiency from the time and financial perspectiveof development and integration processes are some of thebenefits expected.”

Discussion tracks at MODSIM World 2009 included Defenseand Homeland Security, Education and Training, Engineering andTechnology, Health and Medicine, The Human Dimension, Trans-portation and Logistics, and Cross-Cutting Track: Serious Games.

The 21st Century global environment demands that militarydecision-makers consider the political, military, economic, social,infrastructure, and information environments and implicationswhen weighing the pros and cons of a particular course of action.

Simulations can help inform leaders of the impact particularactions could have upon a complex set of interrelated elements,making it a valuable resource within decision-making environments.

“The theme of this conference is all about decision-making,”said Buck. “We actually know we can assist decision-makers suchas ISAF’s commander with his decisions using this type of tech-nology because it is a well and proven technology.”

For more information about MODSIM World Conferenceand Expo visit www.modsimworld2009.com.

11

NATO Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence Discusses Technical Requirements

By Wayne Buck, HQ SACT Modelling and Simulation Section

“The Annual Concept Development and ExperimentationConference is a perfect venue for our work,” said Italian NavyRear Admiral Osvaldo Brogi as he opened the technical require-ments workshop for the NATO Modelling and Simulation Centreof Excellence (M&S COE).

Brogi is Deputy Director of the C4I and TransformationDepartment of the Italian Defence Joint Staff. His interest in theworkshop is more than just ceremonial. As the Flag Officer levelsponsor of the new COE his goal was to use the workshop to seek

the views of nations and agencies to determine the COE’sprogram of work for the upcoming years.

COEs are a particular responsibility of Allied CommandTransformation (ACT).

In 2003, the NATO Command Structure needed a way toensure that expertise in specific areas was retained even as NATOdownsized. Thus, COEs were born. There are presently18 COEs invarious stages of development.

The Italian hosted M&S COE will be co-located with theItalian Joint M&S Centre which is an integral part of the Italianmilitary Transformation Department. The Italian Centre iscurrently being built and staffed with help from industry.

“It is only natural that we would want to share this capabil-ity with NATO,” said Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Giacomozzi,Deputy Director of the centre. “We feel that an ACT sponsoredM&S COE is an excellent way to do this. It is a win-win situationfor all participating nations and NATO as a whole.”

The 36 attendees at the technical requirements workshopseemed to agree. With several nations represented along withindustry and academia, the workshop met its goal and produceda prioritised list of work to perform in its first three years.

The prioritised work list will be used as a point of discussionfor the first Memorandum of Understanding meeting being heldwith nations in March 2010.

HQ SACT supports COEs with administrative and accredita-tion information as well as subject matter expertise. The M&SSection of the ACT Future Capabilities and Research andTechnology sub-division has been providing the subject matterexpertise to prepare the COE.

Italian Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Giacomozzi, speaks at aworkshop November 16 outlining the requirements for the Modelling andSimulation Centre of Excellence. Photo by Wayne Buck.

DSACT Editorial (continued from page 2)

of an open-architecture interoperability, based on the M&S environment and the framework for collaboration I have described, will allow us to leverage on commercial technologies that aredeveloping at an amazing speed. In this field, social networking,collaborative, virtual world and game based environments allow ahigh degree of interaction and“entertainment”to users (especiallythe young and computer literate). The main applications that canbenefit from the use of these existing technologies are in the field ofeducation and training. We are now in the position to changemethodologies used to rehearse, for example, missions building abalanced mix of live and synthetic training. In fact, we need to beaware that simulation is only one building block in the overall mil-itary training process. It does not replace live training and exercises.The challenges include tactical-level multinational training for dif-ferent types of operations such as irregular warfare, medical andhumanitarian assistance, stabilization and reconstruction in col-laboration with non-military organizations. What ACT is doingwithin Snow Leopard and the establishment of a live, virtual and

constructive environment is moving in the right direction. Also,applications in advanced distributed learning using gamingtechnologies have great potential for future developments.

Establishing a more effective network to connect withnational transformational work in the area of capability develop-ment and training is one of ACT first priorities. At the same time,improving interoperability is a must in the current operationalenvironment. Further developing our M&S efforts will helpincrease the interaction with nations building a physical andsocial network of NATO and national facilities. This will enhancethe quality of NATO and nations transformational efforts anddeepen our cooperation with partners. The involvement of indus-try and academia will allow a much more efficient use of resourcesavailable within the nations.

I am convinced that M&S is a reality that is increasingly find-ing a role within organizations who are willing to improve theirbusiness and decision-making processes. You will find valuableinformation for the development of your activities in this issue ofThe Transformer, as you discover how M&S can effectively help youachieve your objectives more effectively and efficiently.

12 The Transformer

ACT Participates in Premiere Modelling and Simulation ConferenceACT Public Affairs Office

German Air Force Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck,Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Trainer, and representativesfrom Allied Command Transformation (ACT), NATO’s Research& Technology Organisation (RTO) and NATO C3 Agency(NC3A) participated in the Interservice/Industry Training,Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) November 30-December 3 in Orlando, Florida.

I/ITSEC promotes cooperation among the armed services,industry, academia and various government agencies in pursuit ofimproved training and education programs, identification ofcommon training issues and development of multiservice programs.

ACT staff members demonstrated NATO’s AdvancedDistributed Learning (ADL) capability, NATO’s planned distrib-uted use of the Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) along with updatesfrom working groups led by the RTO and new products fromNC3A.

As well as operating the booth that allowed Nations and

industry to see what NATO is currently involved in and whereNATO is interested in going, staff had the opportunity to discusscurrent issues and attend education sessions and working groupmeetings with other Nations and industry.

One of the key focus areas at this year’s show is cultural train-ing to prepare troops for deployment into theatre. In keepingwith this theme, ACT has partnered with U.S. JFCOM to developonline and individual courses that immerse the student into asimulation where they can interact with local citizens and learncultural skills and language.

U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis, Commander ofUnited States Joint Forces Command and previous SupremeAllied Commander Transformation, gave the keynote address and

reminded the audience that in hislong career and all his battles, he hasalways fought alongside AlliedNations. He added that interoper-ability and shared resources is key tosuccessful training and operations.

Mattis challenged the industrymembers present to develop simula-tion tools of the same quality ascurrent aircraft and shipboard sim-ulators to benefit infantry andground operations.

ACT, through its Snow LeopardProject and the current VBS2 initia-tive, is developing simulation tools toaid forces in ground operations andCountering Improvised ExplosiveDevice (CIED) tactics.

Using mobile devices to trainOperational Mentoring & Liaisonteams (OMLTs) is also an area ACT isinvestigating. These devices could be

used for refresher training for coalition troops as well as primarytraining for the Afghan National Army where the course could betranslated into their native language and tailored for their use.

Viereck toured the show and discussed with industry theissues affecting NATO and viewed the latest capabilities and newareas of development.

German Air Force Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Trainer andmembers of Allied Command Transformation’s (ACT) Joint Education and Training Branch at theInterservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) November 30-December 3 in Orlando, Florida.

6th Annual Industrial Day (continued from page 5)

interoperability issues,” “Presentations of ACT FFCI Activitiesand Pilot Cases.”

The second day of the event was dedicated to parallel workingsessions where NATO and industry teams developed pathstowards solutions to different capability development problems

framed by pilot cases set out at the last Industry Day events. These paths will be a starting point for future collaboration and

incorporated a commitment for long-term involvement from industry.The conference concluded with the teams briefing their

results in a session chaired by Deputy Supreme Allied CommanderTransformation (DSACT) Italian Navy Admiral Luciano Zappataand moderated by retired Lt. General James Soligan.

ACT Hosts 2009 Chiefs of Transformation Conference By U.S.Army Captain Robin L.Ochoa

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) hosted the 2009NATO Chiefs of Transformation Conference December 15-16 atthe Sheraton Waterside in Norfolk,Virginia.

The theme of the conference, themed “One Transformation -Many Solutions,”provided a forum to discuss ACT’s vision and theAlliance’s understanding of transformation, ongoing NATOtransformation projects, influence of transformation on capabil-ity development and joint force training.

This year’s conference hosted 172 people including NATONations, Partnership for Peace countries (PfP) and non-NATOnations including Australia and Japan.

The conference aims to increase delivery of transformationalproducts through leverage of best practices from both NATOand partner Nations.

Five breakout sessions ranging from Modelling theComprehensive Approach to Defining Education and IndividualTraining Requirements were held where discussions took placewith Nations on the development of a model for NATOMilitary Contribution to the Comprehensive Approach.

“I sense a strong consensus in making NATO’s contributionto a comprehensive approach a reality to a much higher degreethan itis today,” said FrenchAir Force General Stephane Abrial,Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. “I will direct mybest efforts to provide support in making a flexible comprehensiveapproach, in a word, operational.”

Participants also discussed education and individual train-ing requirements, the preparation of personnel and forces towork and fight in a Counter Insurgency (COIN) environment,and the impact of the International Security Assistance Force

Commander’s (COMISAF) COIN guidance on NATO Educationand Individual Training.

These sessions allowed for a more detailed discussion ofemerging issues such as Countering Hybrid Threats where the aimis to gain an understanding of the hybrid environment and threatas well as refine policy, strategy limitations and required capabilities.

“In the field of training, I believe better synergies canbe achieved between the national and NATO networks,” saidAbrial. “This can take the form of more frequent exchanges,notably exercises, of sharing our respective lessons learned and oftaking standardization further.”

Other panels focused on enabling strategic communication,and defining capabilities or determining what the priority shortfallareas are and the minimum capability requirement derivation.

For more information on the 2009 Chiefs of TransformationConference, go to https://transnet.act.nato.int/WISE/Events/2009COTC0/2009 COTC.

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Air Force GeneralStephane Abrial answers questions during the Chiefs of TransformationConference December 16 in Norfolk, Virginia. Photo by U.S. Army Captain Robin Ochoa.

13

NATO Warfare Development Groups Hosts Technology SymposiumBy U.S. Navy Reserve Cmdr. Jeff Spivey,NATO Warfare Development Group

NATO Warfare Development Grouprecently hosted the 4th annual NATOInformation Technology (IT) TrainingSymposium at Naval Station Great Lakes.

More than 25 information technology(IT) professionals from multiple AlliedCommand Transformation U.S. NavyReserve units met to standardise informa-tion management procedures, enhancetheir professional knowledge, and establish

a network of resources to better supportNATO’s mission.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd ClassRobert Lewandowski of the NATOWarfare Development Group (NWDG)and an assistance professor at theUniversity of Notre Dame, led the meetingand created a series of unique informationexchange forums to pool the experience andknowledge of each attendee into a collabo-rative series of discussions and lectures.

Discussions included InformationSecurity and Classification, Exchange

Server, and Microsoft SharePoint. U.S. Navy Captain John Tokarewich,

commanding officer of NR NWDG, wel-comed all attendees and emphasized theimpact of critical information networks onNATO training exercises.

“The demand signal for IT expertisecontinues to grow,” said Tokarewich. “It isimperative that we maintain a ready groupof trained personnel, knowledgeable in theIT profession as well as in NATO systemsand policies.”

14 The Transformer

ACT’s C4I Branch Hosts TIDE SprintBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt

Approximately six years ago, the Technology forInformation, Decision and Execution Superiority (TIDE) initia-tives were launched at Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

The purpose of TIDE is to bring together engineers, scien-tists and managers from NATO’s information technology pro-grammes to improve interoperability and facilitate the transitionto a NATO Network Enabled Capability (NNEC) through abottom-up community driven approach.

“The original TIDE question was ‘How can we expect sys-tems to talk to each other if the people behind them have nevercommunicated?’” said Johan Goossens, Branch Head of ACT’sCommand, Control, Computer, Communication and Intelligence(C4I) Technology Coordination Branch.

In order to facilitate communication and informationsharing, Goossen’s Technology Coordination Branch team hostedthe 14th TIDE Sprint October 26-30 in Virginia Beach,Virginia.

“The TIDE community comes together twice a year duringmeetings called sprints,” said Goossens. “The name ‘sprint’ waschosen to reflect the fact that we want people and their pro-grammes to rush together for one week and through intensedialogue, rapidly solve interoperability issues.”

The purpose of this semi-annual event is to create an envi-ronment that fosters collaboration and creativity across multiplecommunities of interest in NATO by providing a forum wherepeople can actively search for solutions to stated problems.

Approximately 115 participants from eight NATO commandsand agencies, two centres of excellence, 12 Nations and variousindustry representatives examined five areas of interest tracksincluding Technology, Maritime Situational Awareness,Enterprise Architecture, Operational Command and Control,and human factor’s integration.

“The ideas are grounded in a coalition of the willing peoplewho believe that if they come to these sprints, they will get backmore than they give,”said Goossens. “You go there and work on a

topic. And by being there, you get so much information fromeveryone around you. Many people leave there thinking ‘In oneweek I got more than I was able to do by myself in a month or two.’”

In the technology domain track, attendees discussed newstandards and a technology, examining what industry is going to havein the next year or so and how the Alliance can use these technologies.

Operational Command and Control examined how theAlliance can better assess exercises.

“When people conduct exercises or have been assigned to theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) we want to knowhow to better assess the situation and come up with better evalu-ations,”said Goossens. “We have to ask if the problems are withthe procedures or with the tools. The lessons learned is what weare really looking for.”

Attendees at the Human Factors Integration tracks focusedon how human factors can be better incorporated into capabilitydefinition and management.

“We have a technology track and a procedural track but thesetwo things tend to live independently,” said Goossens. “We havenever really looked at whether the technology we are using is theright technology. This is what the human factors do. They live onthat boundary between human activities and technical activitiesand find better ways to use that.”

Goossens continued, “When I look at this computer screen,does it tell me what I need to know in order to make better deci-sions? Is that screen synced with my human activities? It should bea bigger part of everything that we are doing but it’s an underde-veloped area because who do processes work in isolation and peo-ple who develop gadgets work in isolation. There is no one thatforces them together, and that is why the human factors track is sovital to developing more relevant capabilities.”

Another track which focussed on systems communicationwas Enterprise Architecture. Goossens explains why this track isneeded now more than ever before.

“When you build a house, you need an architect – someoneto build you a blueprint of your house,” he said. “It turns outwhen you build information systems, you also need an architect.If you don’t have one then you end up with a bunch of systemsthat can’t communicate with each other. That is why this enter-prising architecture track is looking at better ways of designingcomputer systems.”

When conducting a mission, each Nation has their own capa-bilities because each Nation has their own architect. This trackbrought together individual Nations and NATO to find out howsystems can be better developed to work together.

“When you deploy, everyone brings their own kit and you end up with a federation of capabilities,”said Goossens. “There isno king and no one will tell them what to do. It is important that

Johan Goossens, Branch Head of ACT’s Command, Control, Computer,Communication and Intelligence (C4I) Technology Coordination Branchspeaks to attendees at the 14th TIDE Sprint October 26-30 in VirginiaBeach,Virginia.

(continued page16)

15

NATO Advanced Distributed Learning – Future TechnologiesOnly a few years ago the Advanced Distributed Learning

(ADL) Section at Headquarters, Supreme Allied CommandTransformation (HQ SACT) started out with an empty slate and

a very ambitious goal - to set up a Learning Management System(LMS) within NATO to provide high quality “anytime-anywhere”learning to NATO, PfP and other associated countries. Takingthe regular conferences, most recently the annual NATO ADLForum (September 2009), as an opportunity to follow the progressof this endeavour and take stock, it can be safely said, that a lot hasbeen achieved and not only HQ SACT but many other members ofthe ADL community have surpassed the initial requirements.

However, what was advanced ‘yesterday’is seen as common-place today and in today’s rapidly changing world that’s probablymost true for all things related to (online) technologies. When thegoals for the NATO LMS were initially set, the main challengewas to ‘get people online’, to both provide students with up todate learning material and in turn supply the tutors and adminis-trators with accurate feedback on relevant data like learningprogress and course utilization.

Today people ‘twitter’or update their Facebook status fromthe unlikeliest places and dive into Virtual Worlds like Second Life(which is as Important as their First Life to some). While it neverwas a surprise, that the ‘younger generation’ have accepted themodern communication (Web 2.0, Web communities, ...) as partof their lifestyle, it is amazing that these days basically everyone is‘part of the web’. This is true to an extent, where our studentsexpect learning materials to be available regardless of an onlineconnection and at a level of detail and sophistication; we wouldn’thave dared dream about even just a year ago.

For our current projects, this sets challenges in three inter-dependent areas: Establishing/improving the integration of(temporarily) offline activities, providing content optimized formobile devices and providing an immersive learning experience.

The first challenge can be seen as an enabler for the other two.It is closely connected to future enhancement of the SCORM stan-dard.While it is an ongoing concern for distributing NATOcourses to students on ‘offline’ networks, e.g. national (military)networks with no or insufficient internet/NATO intranet connec-tions, this issue has to be (and is) addressed on a conceptional levelfirst. The other two challenges have a direct and immediate impacton our current course development.

Mobile devices have become an integral part of many peo-ple’s daily routine. The iPhone is probably the most popular, butthere are many similar devices with even an entry level cell phonehaving online capabilities. On a comparable level, the WWW is‘invading’ our living rooms in the guise of nettop and multime-dia computers. In contrast to the devices we currently cater for,they are often restricted both in terms of hardware (screen size,computing power, etc.) and software (no Flash player, legacysystems, etc.) capabilities.

The course could be available in the native language and beused at the students home or in class. Support to a OMLT(Operational Mentor and Liaison Team) could be an excellent usefor mobile devices.

As part of the Snow Leopard Project NATO has acquired“NATOVBS2”, a version of Bohemia Interactive’s‘Virtual BattleSpace 2’(VBS2) with a licensing system tailored to NATO’s needs.VBS2 has evolved from the ‘Operation Flashpoint’ and ‘ArmedAssault’computer games and is a highly professional training andsimulation platform in use by a number of NATO countries.While even the gaming version offer surprising fidelity, VBS2takes not only visual fidelity, but most importantly fidelity interms of interaction and effects, to a completely new level.

By definition it cannot replace real live training (and it is notintended to), but it can take trainees as close as they can get with-out actually being there.

With Mobile Devices and Virtual Worlds two fascinating newchallenges to ADL have emerged. The already existing tools andcapabilities invite us to advance and transform our services to con-tinuoulsy provide the best available learning anytime and anywhere.

16 The Transformer

TIDE Sprint (continued from page 14)

these architects work together to make sure each Nation’s systemscan communicate.”

“It’s not just about getting the electronics to talk to eachother, it is getting the people to talk to each other,”said Goossens.“Architecture is more than just connecting boxes – it’s connectingpeople. That is why at these TIDE Sprints, these tracks aren’t inde-pendent and you see a lot of people talking to each other.”

TIDE Sprints have proven to be more than just the sharing ofgood ideas. Initiatives have been developed and refined that nowbenefit the war fighter on the ground.

“This is definitely a bottom up initiative. Rather than forcethings from the leadership down, we get all the worker beestogether and synchronise and refine processes and technologies. Itis fine for someone to come to this sprint and say‘This process isnot working for me.’We encourage absolute openness. People tend tobe very honest when something isn’t working for them and we need tofind a solution. These sprints are great because people tend to get verycreative and can now go home with the collective knowledge of 110

people who volunteered information, products or sometimes just asmall piece of code or a document they’ve written.”

After a week of sprinting is complete and attendees walkaway with shared knowledge and insight, the group drifts.

“Between sprints there is a period affectionately called thedrift phase,” said Goossens. “In order to keep the community ofinterest going, online tools and forums are available to sustain theeffort at a lower level of intensity including social networking andblogging.”

Nations have started to show an interest in TIDE activitiesand today, many Nations use TIDE standards and products fornational purposes. Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal,Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States use TIDE standardsfor their National Common Operational Picture (COP) andMaritime Situational Awareness (MSA) projects.

“Operators desperately need improved tools and processes,and we must speed up delivery,”said Goossens. “The bottom line isthat we have to do a lot more with a lot less. We must find creativeways to achieve our goals.”

The next sprint will be held in spring 2010 in Europe.

ACTCommand Sergeant MajorTakesThird in National RaceBy U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sarah R.Langdon

Speak of Czech Republic Army Command Sergeant Major LudekKolesa, Allied Command Transformation’s Senior Enlisted Leader(SEL), throughout the ranks of NATO and you’ll find AlliedCommand Transformation’s senior enlisted leader is pretty well known.

But few may be aware, however, that Kolesa is not only a force onthe field of Transformation, but also a serious competitor in the worldof mountain biking, where he recently took third place overall in theU.S. Cup unification race – national mountain biking competitionwhich took place in California.

Participants must participate and qualify in a five-race series oneither the East or West coasts. The best 15 competitors from the Eastand West in every category then come together to compete in a finalcompetition. Kolesa participated in the Kenda Cup East races this pastsummer just for the joy of racing and withoutrealizing it, qualified for the unification race.

“I actually won the East Coast cup by coin-cidence because one of the races was inVirginia,” Kolesa said. “I liked it very much.There were pros racing there, so it was a chancefor me to observe some of the really big names.I decided to go for another race of that series soI did one in North Carolina and one up inVermont without realizing that it wasn’t just the professionals[qualifying], but I was also gaining points in my category.”

According to Kolesa he found out via the Internet that he hadwon the U.S. Kenda Cup East and qualified for the unification race.

He then traveled to San Dimas, California, near Los Angeles, tocompete in the 15-mile race in mid-September, where he succeed-ed again, this time taking the third place spot in his age in theoverall U.S. Cup 2009 standings.

Kolesa has always been involved in outdoor sports, he said.Beginning in the early 1980s, he pursued the challenging sports ofmountaineering and rock climbing, but it wasn’t until just a few yearsago that he found a new hobby and passion in the sport of competitivemountain biking.

“Just a few years ago, actually in 2006, I bought a new mountainbike, I started riding a bit and I liked it so much I significantly reducedmy other activities,” Kolesa said.

Kolesa’s new hobby began in the Czech Republic while working atthe Ministry of Defence. Although new to the sport, he found a way toincorporate his new love into his daily routine, logging many of his

early miles on the bike riding to and from work.Unfortunately, this soon came to an end whenthe number of injuries he received caught theattention of the command’s Chief of Defence.

“I had started commuting to my office onmy mountain bike,” he said. “I found the wayto my office going through different forestsand parks and avoiding the streets of Prague,for the most part.

“Eventually, I was banned from doing that,” Kolesa said. “First,I cracked my collar bone and then another time, I was hunted down bya big domestic dog that bit me. I still have the scar on my leg. The Chief

(continued next page)

17

of Defence told me - ‘you need to stop because [the next time] you willbe hit by lightning or a truck.’”

Despite the occasional injury, Kolesa’s love for the sport onlygrew. When he arrived in the States, he found a local club anddiscovered racing.

“Once I got here into the States, I found a club of mountain bikersand I started riding with them and building [my skills on] the mountainbike trails in the area here.They convinced me in the autumn of 2007to attend a local race here organisedby one of our club members.

“I did that, and I liked it verymuch,” he said. “I saw some bignames racing and I really gotinspired and fired up so I decided tobuy a new mountain bike. I startedracing regularly in 2008 in thebeginner’s category. I did prettywell and I really liked it.”

Last year Kolesa competed in 21races, including one in Germany andone in Canada. According to Kolesa,his racing has taken him all over theU.S., where he has explored terrain instates such as California, WestVirginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania,Delaware and Vermont. The racesmay have as many as several hun-dred racers competing in cate-gories based on skill level, age andgender. Kolesa now competes inthe Sport category.

“The [sport] races are twice as long as for the beginners, which forme is somewhere between 14 to 22 miles,” he said. “And it’s not alwaysriding. Sometimes the terrain is too steep, so I ‘hike a bike’as they say.

“I love the challenge, the adrenaline, the people and the nature,”Kolesa explained. “[Mountain biking] as you know, is usually out ofthe cities. Some of some races are inside the city, like Richmond or NewYork City, but otherwise it’s outside in places like the mountains ofPennsylvania.”

Kolesa not only bikes and races in the States, but also when hetravels. He also makes the effort to ride his bike even when he returnsto the U.S. from international trips, he said.

“My priority as soon as I’m back here is to get on the bike and dothe races despite the jetlag, [even if I’m] returning from somewhere onFriday evening and racing on Saturday or Sunday,” he said. “But I stillhave to overcome that laziness and keep in shape. I have done 19 racesso far this year, and I have never given up, despite horrible cramps, ortechnical difficulties with the bike. I haven’t given up a single race yet.”

Racing is a therapeutic way for Kolesa to recharge and relax whenhe’s not at work he explained.

“I think it helps me because sometimes you need the rest from yourjob and racing definitely clears my head,” Kolesa said. “I don’t thinkabout my work when I’m at the race, or preparing for the race or even

a bit after the race.”Kolesa said he feels that his participation in this sport contributes

in a positive way to his role as the senior NCO at ACT.“It’s also about staying in shape and looking like a role model for

the NCOs. It’s an important part of my work.”Frequent travel is a large part of his job, he said. Kolesa traveled

on temporary assignments away from ACT148 days last year alone.While the constant traveling can be tiring at times, Kolesa says he loves

his job and the work is important.“Working with the Nations on

their NCO Corps Transformationand changes and the NCODevelopment Program is a big pieceof my responsibility, in addition toattending international courses andevents of that nature,” Kolesa said. “Ithelps the Alliance, and it’s not just theMember Nations - it’s the Partnershipfor Peace Nations (PfP) too. We alsostarted collaborating with NATOContact Countries like Australia andNew Zealand last year and that’s thenew arena for cooperation.

The role of the NCO is evolv-ing, Kolesa said, moving from theleading troops and involvement intactical operations to influencingand playing a role in the think-tank like functions at the com-mand level of NATO’s organizations.

“It goes very much beyondwhat would be perceived as the traditional role and responsibili-ties of the NCOs because traditionally, NCOs and Senior EnlistedLeaders were tactical players and wore that hat,” Kolesaexplained.“But over the past five years or so this has changed sig-nificantly and it’s amazing how the international scene at the NCOlevel developed.”

According to Kolesa, the NCO role can best be summed up ina statement he heard from a few of his “Canadian buddies,”as heput it - “It has changed from leading the people to leading institutions.”

“I don’t just meet with other SELs. I meet with the troopsand go to operations in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq,”Kolesa said. “I may go to some FOB (Forward Operating Base)there – it’s not just the Nations at home, but the forward deployed[troops] in NATO operations.”

“It’s important for my work because that’s how I get inspired,”Kolesa said. “That’s where I get the input I need to work for theirfuture. One aspect of this is that you don’t see the everyday results. It’sa long-haul run. I’m harvesting what my predecessors started and Ihope I’m planting seeds for my successors to harvest.”

For Kolesa this means bridging cultural, military, and differencesin language, among others. It’s about getting them all on the samepage and aligning perceptions.