President's Corner

A message from RADM James Robb, President, NTSA

Congratulations to all those who attended and to all those who worked hard, long and extremely efficiently to make I/ITSEC 2012 another highly successful event in a long series of such successes. This was my first experience with I/ITSEC as President of NTSA, and I am impressed by the high level of professional and technical excellence evident throughout the event. We continue to draw the absolute best from government, industry and academia, both domestic and international. Modeling and simulation technology is rapidly being recognized by many governments and national industries as a vital component to technological and scientific progress, and this awareness was evident at I/ITSEC 2012 with the presence of over 1900 delegates from 75 countries. Conscious of the interest of our constituents in exploring this growing international market, we are working hard to bring other nations and overseas corporations to Orlando to experience the world’s meeting place for modeling and simulation.

Thanks also to all those who persevered in the face of significant fiscal and policy challenges to attend. Your dedication and support to I/ITSEC as a “mission critical” event was truly inspiring and appreciated. I am pleased to report that, in spite of extremely late approvals, we only had a 15% decrease in government attendance, which I find quite remarkable given the overall situation. We know that 2013 promises to be another challenging year, and we are determined to build on last year’s efforts to ensure that I/ITSEC 2013 is another world class event. While some conferences are being severely effected by the current travel freeze and funding climate, attendance at the “must attend” events continues to be strong, and I/ITSEC stands at the top of most of these lists. We believe that there is a general realization that I/ITSEC represents a unique and irreplaceable value proposition. No other M&S event offers a similar combination of business-to-business, business-to-government, networking and educational opportunity on such a scale and concentration. As evidence of this widespread recognition, the exhibition floor for I/ITSEC 2013 is booking at a record pace. Hesitate in picking your spot at your own peril. Even at this comparatively early point in the planning phase, we are confident that I/ITSEC 2013 will rival or exceed any of those before it.

While I/ITSEC is the keystone, we also organize a number of complimentary events throughout the year, and we have just completed a very successful Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus event in Chesapeake, VA, highlighted by keynote addresses by Congressmen Randy Forbes, Bobby Scott and Scott Rigell. We also executed the second annual National Modeling and Simulation Coalition meeting on the second day, where a new slate of Policy Committee members was selected. Congratulations to this talented and diverse group that will take the NMSC to the next level. The NMSC is designed to build a strong cross-domain coalition that will bring modeling and simulation professionals together from across all practice areas in an organized framework to exchange information, best practices, and viewpoints. If you are not yet a member of the Coalition, you should strongly consider joining. You will obtain a broader perspective on your field and its future.

Upcoming is MODSIM World 2013, to be held in the Hampton Roads, VA area from 30 April to 2 May. MODSIM World’s purpose is to explore current trends in the industry and across the entire community of practice. This year’s areas of emphasis will be healthcare and medicine, homeland security, education and workforce development, engineering and applied science, information assurance and cyber security, as well as manufacturing and transportation. With such a topical and diverse schedule and a very promising roster of speakers, MODSIM World will make a solid contribution to further understanding of the spread of M&S applications. Space at MODSIM is limited, so act soon to reserve yours, and check out plans for MODSIM as they progress at www.trainingsystems.org. We will also be looking for you at ITEC which is in Rome later this year, in May.

While we would all prefer to be living in times of more robust prospects, I am extremely heartened by the vitality of the technology of which we are all a part. Modeling and simulation has by now so firmly established itself within the matrix of all science and research that there is no danger of fundamental disruption of its continued progress and development— regardless of economic and policy fluctuations. Of this I believe we can all be justifiably proud.

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