Welcome to our July newsletter. I hope you are all having a terrific summer and are finding time to get some R&R and spend time with your families.
It was great to see everyone at the recent TSIS and to get updates from all the military leaders here in Central Florida. The MS&T ecosystem is strong, and modeling, simulation, and advanced synthetic training environments are essential to preparing the Joint Force to deter and defeat our adversaries in complex and contested operational environments.
Last year, we faced significant changes as the Army transformed and reorganized missions, and downsizing or eliminating PEO STRI was a real threat. That threat was diffused, and we have a lot of people and organizations to thank for going to bat, telling the story, and identifying the implications to the ecosystem – but most importantly to the warfighter.
We organized a select group to message the impact led by NCS leadership and a team of very knowledgeable and generous former military leaders. We integrated the messaging on this issue into our already active congressional advocacy program that has been in full swing for almost five years. In the lead-up to this Army issue, NCS executives and board members had educated more than 40 Congressional and Senate offices on the benefits of M&S and Team Orlando, so we had a major head start to rally support for this issue.
At this point, I must recognize Senator Rick Scott for his strong and unwavering support as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As governor, he approved the funding for the Partnership 4 and 5 buildings. Sen. Scott is vested in our future, and he made sure that everyone involved in these decisions had a full understanding of the importance of making the right decision to stabilize and grow Team Orlando’s military operation. I would also like to thank the newest member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Ashley Moody for her strong backing as well. Finally, we had two letters of support from our entire Florida House delegation and those carried a lot of weight.
Lastly, we are extremely fortunate to operate and thrive here in Central Florida. NCS and I have strong ties and long-term relationships with our local government, civic, and business leaders, and they have really stepped up to back our cause; I want to specifically thank the City of Orlando, Orange County, the Central Florida Research Park, and Seminole County for their outstanding support.
I would also like to recognize our long-term partnership with UCF and the Orlando Economic Partnership. Their partnership was and is critical as we solidify our MS&T operation today, while preparing for innovative growth into the future. In addition, thank you to Waymon and Frances Armstrong for your generous support! Everyone’s efforts have helped stabilize the industry and open up opportunities for growth in capability areas that have already taken root in Central Florida – areas like unmanned systems/drones, cyber, artificial intelligence and wargaming that contribute to excellence across our joint military forces.
Finally, we have worked diligently over the past 15 months to stabilize and solidify the Team Orlando mission. Now, it’s time to focus on growth and expansion. More to come in our next newsletter. Have a great summer!
I hope you enjoy this issue, and thanks to our team and Capital Communications for the great work you do to share our news.
I look forward to seeing all of you throughout the quarter!
George E. Cheros
President and CEO
