To our NCS Community,
Many of you may be already monitoring the Army Transformation initiatives that have been widely discussed in various forums and in the news media. I want to say that the National Center for Simulation supports the Army and Department of Defense initiatives to reshape our military, find efficiencies, fine-tune our acquisition processes, and eliminate unnecessary spending. In this update I want to provide information about potential impacts on the MS&T organizations and missions.
As you may have seen from media reports, the Department of the Army is considering reorganizing some organizations including its PEOs (Program Executive Offices) and realigning how they are organized. Of note, in a recent media report, is the possibility of realigning and potentially eliminating PEO STRI. PEO STRI is one of the foundational and critical elements of Team Orlando, and their mission directly impacts the growth and ecosystem of the MS&T industry.
I want to let you know that the National Center for Simulation is actively working to provide information to decision-makers to ensure they have an industry perspective about the importance of the PEO STRI mission, the value of the collaborative Team Orlando body, and the growth and necessity for the MS&T industrial base that partners to deliver essential test, training and training support to our warfighters. We are also highlighting the innovative culture that has been built within our industry where evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, digital engineering technology, and cyber expertise is contributing to developing and fielding sophisticated simulation systems to serve all our military services including the Space Force. All of these strengths, not to mention the State of Florida’s (through UCF) cumulative investment of $150 million to create modern and cost effective office and collaboration space for the military (primarily Army), have established an outstanding collection of federal talent and resources, a top-notch educational partner in UCF, and a strong industrial base to support the Army Transformation initiatives.
For the last five years, NCS has focused on developing and nurturing relationships with leaders in the federal government and with Congressional representatives all across Florida and in strategic offices throughout the country. Our relationship with local, regional, and state officials including the Florida Defense Support Commission and the Florida Defense Alliance have never been better. We have the backing of the industry and Central Florida business community; and have created strategic partnerships with organizations like the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) for such a time as this.
In our public outreach, NCS is sharing the PEO STRI and Team Orlando story on multiple fronts with a purpose of ensuring that decision-makers understand the significant impact PEO STRI, NAWCTSD and the other military services have on ensuring warfighter readiness. The MS&T industry has always been about creating efficiencies and delivering high impact testing and training simulations. Our story is not new, but it is ever-changing as the environment and technologies evolve to allow better and more effective solutions. We continue to expand our industry base and foster a culture of growth that supports our long-standing MS&T companies as well as new companies that are entering the space to support this mission.
Over the past month, we have developed information papers, wrote letters, provided impact statements, done a podcast, elevated the message on our social media channels, held briefings to key leaders, spoke at events, conducted media interviews, met with multiple stakeholders, briefed the Metro Orlando Defense Task Force, the Florida Defense Alliance, and the Florida Defense Support Commission. Most recently we visited Capitol Hill with the Orlando Economic Partnership to share the importance, and the impact PEO STRI and Team Orlando has on our MS&T industry and most importantly, the warfighter! During this trip, we briefed our two senators – Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, and several members of the House of Representatives. This most recent outreach follows our February Capitol Connection trip where 21 NCS industry and academia MS&T leaders traveled to Washington, DC and met with 27 Congressional offices to emphasize the importance of MS&T and Team Orlando. Finally, we are also proud to sponsor the NTSA Capitol Hill M&S Expo on July 10. The timing for this event is opportunistic and I urge our NCS members to support this event with a strong presence on Capitol Hill.
We have met with community leaders and our strategic partner organization, NTSA, to identify opportunities and coordinate to inform and influence positive outcomes that align with the Department of Defense transformation initiatives. I sent a letter to the entire Florida Congressional delegation and NTSA President VADM (Ret) Sean Buck penned a letter to the M&S Congressional Caucus. Finally, a bi-partisan letter of support from the Central Florida Congressional delegation and some at-large Florida House members, was recently sent to the Army leadership. The letter was co-sponsored by Reps. Darren Soto and Cory Mills and we thank them for their leadership and support. (All 3 letters are attached to this email.) I can also assure you that both Florida senators are providing a strong backing to our efforts and have directly inquired to Army leadership. I would like to thank our team at Gray Robinson’s DC office. Blair, Tom, and Josh have done an outstanding job coordinating the Congressional outreach for us. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me.
Going forward, we will maintain our proactive efforts to influence the growth and continued success of the MS&T industry and the core components of Team Orlando. We will provide additional updates in the future as we receive more information that impacts our industry, and urge each of you to share information with us that you deem important.
I remain faithfully committed to the mission of the National Center for Simulation and look forward to seeing you all at TSIS as we support NTSA at this important event. Please reach out if you have questions or want to schedule time with us during TSIS.
Best regards,
George E. Cheros
President & CEO
