Philip Smart | Adelaide
The growing prominence of simulation in training and equipping Australia’s defence forces will be underlined when Federal Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne opens the 2017 Australian Simulation Congress at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on August 28.
Convened by simulation peak body Simulation Australasia, the annual four day congress attracts more than 800 delegates, with around 15 per cent from overseas. According to 2017 convenor Phil Swadling, visitors to this year’s conference will hear updates on the ADF’s position on simulation, and on future developments in both the ADF and industry.
The industry itself is running along in leaps and bounds across the world
“We have CDRE Allison Norris, Director General, Australian Defence Simulation and Training Centre, speaking on the joint perspective,” Swadling said. “And then we have a speaker from each of the services, Army, Navy and Air Force, talking about different aspects of the way that they see simulation in terms of preparing defence for its future.”
“The theme of the conference is innovation and people, focused on both aspects. If you don’t get the technology focusing on achieving what you need from your people, then it’s not going to be really effective. It’s not just the individual training simulation, it’s also about making capability decisions and selection of equipment. So it’s all about that big picture, where simulation can ensure that defence has the best possible preparation from both those perspectives to deal with whatever contingency they have to operate in.”
For Simulation Australasia Chair Dr. Mike Brennan, the 2017 conference comes at a pivotal time in Australia’s development of defence simulation.
“Defence has recognised this through its progression of JP9711 as a backbone and there’s significant investment identified in the Defence Investment Plan for simulation as a training tool and enabler,” he told ADM. “So it is recognised that investment and reinvestment in these technologies supporting the preparedness of defence is important at a critical time.
“The industry itself is running along in leaps and bounds across the world. This innovation is forged at the nexus of a number of normally disparate groups, including users, buyers, technologists, researcher/academics, policy makers, and not least, the companies that develop, market and sell modelling and simulation products and services. Simulation technology is developing rapidly with a life cycle that presents a challenge for defence industry and Defence as an owner of these technologies.”
“In 2007, the US House of Representatives passed House Resolution 487, declaring modelling and simulation a national critical technology. A similar current declaration for modelling and simulation, which covers serious gaming, and the underpinning elements of the digital economy would be a helpful start, consistent with government policy direction.”
The Congress agenda includes the SimYouth program, two half-day workshops in which year 10 and 11 STEM students will participate in a design thinking workshop based on problem solving using simulation.
Simulation Australasia also confirmed this week that NASA astronaut and renowned expert on the biological effects of air pressure changes, Michael L. Gernhardt, will be a keynote speaker. Gernhardt will detail experiences and insights gained in his initial career as a deep sea diver and later through more than 43 days in space, including four spacewalks.
More information on the conference can be found here.