The theme for the 2008 I/ITSEC exhibition and conference, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, is “learn, train, win.” An underlying theme, however, might be labeled “change.” The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a more dynamic industry that responds rapidly to urgent training needs emerging from lessons learned on the battlefield. And more than ever, training and simulation reach across what used to be stovepiped domains.

Dan Gardner, director, readiness and training, policy and programs at the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, believes the changes the industry has seen over the past year have been dramatic.

“We have taken our training transformation programs and expanded them significantly, from the four services to the interagency, intergovernmental and international levels. We used to talk about ‘whole of DoD,’ then ‘whole of government’ — now we’re really talking about ‘whole of nation.’ We need to train with everyone involved in any way in our ultimate objective — it really is a national resource,” he said.

This theme of expansion beyond traditional boundaries will be clear to visitors at this year’s I/ITSEC in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 1-4.

Jim Wall of the Texas Center for Applied Technology at Texas A&M University is this year’s conference program chairman.

“We are emphasizing medical modeling and simulation with two special events — a demonstration of the technology and a panel for practitioners on the evolving requirements — building on a very successful first foray into the subject at last year’s conference,” he said. “The primary thrust is to ensure we get everybody involved in supporting our uniformed colleagues — adding academic folks to the mix in a bigger way really helps with that objective.”

Another topic is likely to be how the industry will change in the light of a new U.S. administration and the global financial crisis.

“The issues of the defense budget, a new administration and the inevitable changes they will bring will be high on everybody’s agenda,” said Rear Adm. (Ret.) Fred Lewis, president of the National Training & Simulation Association which organizes the show. “I am very confident of the outlook for the future of our industry. Look at the high quality of the technical papers and presentations on this year’s program — then you’ll realize how robust the industry is and how well positioned it is to develop and grow.”

I/ITSEC 2008 will feature 187,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than 500 companies. Conference chair Don Currie from L-3 Link Simulation and Training is confident it will deliver. “We have over 140 technical papers, 22 tutorials and many special events. Although there has always been involvement from the academic community in the past, this year, we’re placing more of an emphasis on this aspect, integrating academia more directly into the spirit of the conference,” he said.

This year’s conference lead service is the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).

Among hot themes across the exhibit hall will be training aids and simulations for the urban battlefield as well as training devices for the multinational F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Here’s a glance at some of the new technologies that will be on display:

AAI Corp. will showcase its new family of training aids, devices, simulators and simulations (TADSS), which was selected to support training for Army National Guard units operating the RQ-7 Shadow tactical unmanned system. Also on show will be the company’s work on the aircraft systems maintenance trainer under development for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Alion Science & Technology will feature technologies aimed at improving mission readiness and experimentation. They include Web-based, decision support/course-of-action analysis systems that can predict how infectious diseases might spread and their effect on military forces and missions, and provide recommendations for the best response plan. There also will be demonstrations of simulations for man-machine interface development, research and testing.

Antycip Simulation will focus on the changing needs of software users and greater requirements for open standards, as well as new projector technologies.

BAE Systems will show a reconfigurable, versatile training environment it is developing for the Royal Navy, as well as its Terrier mission trainer, which includes components of the Terrier vehicle training system, the first simulator to use synthetic digging with motion feedback. It will also demonstrate its VoRTEX software suite that underpins virtual reality trainers.

Barco will exhibit its liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) projector systems, including the first two-projector 20-megapixel simulation system. The company will debut its LX-5 10-megapixel projector in a two-channel configuration. The company also will demonstrate stimulated night vision goggle-compatible display technologies on the SIM 7 and the SIM 5W projector systems.

Boeing will demonstrate technologies for live, virtual and constructive training. Among these will be the Project Alpine proof-of-concept demonstration, which in November showed how a live F-15E aircraft could be connected to a facsimile of the Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) Network. A number of Apache helicopter trainers will demonstrate other DMO capabilities, including linking a Joint Tactical Air Controller technology demonstrator to an Apache Longbow Multi-Purpose Display Trainer. Boeing’s Integrated Situational Awareness System — a cellular communications network that provides GPS tracking, voice communications, and text messaging to dismounted/ground forces — also will be shown. The company will display an Intelligent Tutoring System for decision-making skills training.

CAE will feature its Common Database (CDB), Synthetic Environment Core (SE Core) Database Virtual Environment Development (DVED), its True Environment system for air traffic control simulation and its Tactical Airborne Crew Electronic Warfare Trainer. The company also will display its Medallion-6000 image generator with new Sony LCoS projectors. Medallion-6000 image generators will drive visual demonstrations at the Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and Barco booths.

Concurrent Computer Corp. will demonstrate commercial off-the-shelf PC-based image generation and simulation host systems, including the new ImaGen visual servers. Also on show will be NightStar advanced Linux tools for debugging, analysis and tuning multiprocessor environments, and the Simulation Workbench tool, which provides a framework for developing real time hardware-in-the-loop and man-in-the-loop simulations. Visitors will see live demonstrations of the ImaGen server.

InterSense will show its IS-900 and IS-1200 motion tracking systems, the former demonstrated on a flight simulator. The IS-1200 vision-inertial tracking system, which can be used for mobile, autonomous, large-area tracking will be on display as part of an augmented reality training simulation.

IP Video Systems will stage a series of demonstrations of real-time high-definition video streaming and recording of flight simulator and AWACS training screens for mission training and briefing/debriefing. The company’s newest product, the V2D XP-200 ultra-high-definition encoder/decoder, will be on display.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann will show its Table Top Trainer family. It is aimed at providing a cost-effective response to the demand for training for asymmetric warfare and nation-building missions. An entire integrated family of trainers, expandable to include computer generated forces and a wide range of digital terrain databases, the concept will be demonstrated using a Remote Weapon Station Trainer.

L-3 Link Simulation & Training will demonstrate its HD World modeling and simulation tools for urban environments.

Lockheed Martin will display its Live Fire Training Windows-based system for command, control and data retrieval for down-range targets and simulators and its Advanced Gunnery Training Systems for training individuals, crews and units. Other army training systems will include the Battlegroup Command and Control Trainer, the Warfighter Simulation system and training system for military operations in urban terrain. An F-35 JSF trainer will also displayed. Lockheed’s 3-D Learning Solutions unit will demonstrate Ultisim and Ultivis tool sets.

MetaVR will feature its newest release, the Virtual Reality Scene Generator 5.5 with night sky enhancements, increased resolution and new plug-ins to support distortion correction. The company also will demonstrate urban combat training scenarios with integrated 3-D character animation and vehicle convoys.

Microsoft will show its Microsoft ESP visual simulation software development platform.

NSC will launch a new version of its Operational Joint Combat Virtual Environment (Op JCOVE) and demonstrate a nonkinetic enhancement to the Joint Operational Command and Staff Training System. It also will demonstrate a combined virtual and constructive system for urban training that wraps a Command and Tactics Trainer around Op JCOVE.

NGrain will showcase its Virtual Task Trainers and unveil its Virtual Damage Assessment tool, which is being used by F-35 JSF program technicians to capture, record and track damage assessment information via 3-D models.

Pennant International Group will demonstrate its Synthetic Environment Procedural Trainer for training aircraft marshals and ground handlers. Also on show will be the PC-based Avionics Electrical System Emulator for Lynx helicopter maintenance engineers.

Plexsys will feature new capabilities geared toward command, control, communications, computer and intelligence training. Its Background Entity Generator can create up to 100,000 entities in the C4I battle space in real-time and is being developed as a training system for Joint STARS. Plexsys will partner with Zedasoft and IP Video Systems during the show to demonstrate live-virtual-constructive interoperability and a mission debriefing system.

Presagis will demonstrate new features of its Aeria modeling and simulation tool.

Raytheon’s exhibit will focus on homeland defense training and simulation, modeling and simulation for the cyber community and work it is doing for the U.S. Army’s training range under the Warrior Training Alliance, which is led by Raytheon in partnership with Computer Sciences Corp., General Dynamics Information Technology and MPRI.

Rockwell Collins will show an F-16 Modular Simulated Aircraft Maintenance Trainer and a Stryker Maintenance Trainer. A number of new displays will also be exhibited including the SimEye head-mounted display systems and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems. The company’s EPX family of image generators will be demonstrated along with the EPX Database Generation System and Environment Creation Tool.

Saab Training Systems will feature its new video-integrated exercise control facility and a deployable, trailer-mounted Combat Training Center, recently sold to the U.S. Marine Corps. It will launch a concept for wireless Personal Detection Devices for its live training products and show new Improvised Explosive Device simulations.

SmartTechnologies will debut three collaborative technologies that work with its interactive whiteboards and displays on up to 16 multiple screens so that teams can share information from different locations.

Thales Simulation & Training will have live demonstrations of its PC-based Open Simulation Architecture for Tactics and Instruction on Sonar (OSATIS) products for sonobuoy operator training. Another demonstration will feature a military flat screen trainer linked to an interactive pilot station in a tanker refueling scenario. And it will show a full mission training system now in service with vehicle crews of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. å