AFAMS demonstrates competency-based training tools at TSIS

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer

 

The Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS) presented an in-depth overview of its enterprise digital learning architecture at the Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS), June 18.

 

TSIS is one of the key gatherings for the modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) community. Within Florida, it is second in scale only to the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).

 

The symposium serves as an annual forum for representatives from industry and the U.S. military to discuss training and simulation requirements. Officials from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force presented updates on current and future procurement needs. Topics included acquisition strategies, timelines and funding priorities.

 

The briefing featured remarks from Jason Austin, M&S systems engineer with the AFAMS eXplorations division, and Andrew Palla, engineer/SME, iPerformX in support of AFAMS.

 

Austin opened the session by discussing the status of the recently retired 19th Air Force Mobility Trainer (MT) simulator. Previously part of the Air Mobility fundamental course, the simulator was phased out in 2023 but remains available for potential reuse by other organizations.

 

“The main goal is to find ways to keep these systems in use,” Austin said. “There are 21 units available, and we are looking for U.S. government agencies or academic institutions that may be interested in adopting them.”

 

Austin said the simulators include full licenses, support three degrees of freedom and offer XR capabilities through multiple headsets. Instructor stations were approved for flight training purposes by Air Education Training & Command (AETC) in 2024.

 

“Three units were recently provided to the aerospace engineering department at Stevie Air Tech Road,” Austin said. “One is also available in Orlando and is intended to support collaborative efforts between industry and academia.”

 

Austin turned the briefing over to Palla, who discussed how the Air Force is developing scalable digital infrastructure to support next-generation training. He emphasized that capabilities once seen as aspirational are already being used in real-world operations.

 

“So much of what this M&S community often talks about, such as data-driven training, adaptive instruction and self-paced learning, that future is now,” Palla said. “These are no longer theoretical ideas. The Air Force has fielded systems that are actively delivering on those goals.”

 

Palla focused on lessons learned from enterprise-scale programs like Pilot Training Next, which leveraged extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI) and adaptive methodologies to address pilot production challenges. He said new teaching approaches are just as critical as the immersive technology.

 

“XR hardware gets all the attention, like the headsets and the simulators, but the real shift is in how we structure learning,” Palla said. “We’re using self-paced instruction, dynamic content adaptation and individualized learning paths based on adult learning principles.”

 

Palla said at the core of this transformation is a federated Training Management System that integrates disparate instructional platforms. The system provides a unified dashboard experience for students, instructors and leadership, enabling access to real-time data, schedules and instructional materials.

 

“It’s that single point of entry into everything,” Palla said. “For students, it’s their calendar, their syllabus, their feedback, all integrated. For instructors, it’s workload automation and oversight tools. For leadership, it’s enterprise visibility.”

 

One of the system’s defining features is competency-based training enabled by digital tracking. By mapping each training activity to a specific knowledge, skill or ability (KSA), Palla said the platform generates real-time insights into student progress and supports intelligent intervention.

 

“We can now observe not just completion, but comprehension,” Palla said. “If a student struggles with a concept in a sim or CBT, the system can flag it, recommend remediation and even push personalized content, all without waiting for a human instructor to intervene.”

 

Palla also highlighted how instructor workflow optimization has become a priority. With Air Force instructors already stretched thin, the digital architecture automates scheduling and administrative tasks so that instructional staff can focus on student engagement.

 

“Instructors were burning time doing manual scheduling, checking aircraft and classroom availability, matching qualifications,” Palla said. “Now the system does that behind the scenes. It knows the resources, the constraints, the student progression and it just generates an optimized plan.”

 

Data integration is foundational to the system. Telemetry from simulations, instructor evaluations and AI-assisted assessments are aggregated across training environments. This allows for a continuous feedback loop between learner performance and instructional design.

 

“Data is our fuel,” said Palla. “We’re pulling in raw sim telemetry, instructor notes and even biometric indicators, then using that to drive decisions, from curriculum adjustments to real-time coaching.”

 

Palla said one of the most innovative elements is the Air Force’s software development kit (SDK), which allows third-party vendors to securely integrate their training solutions without managing sensitive student data. The SDK enables plug-and-play functionality within the federated architecture.

 

“We can hand a vendor the SDK and they can plug their solution into the ecosystem,” he said. “They don’t see PII, but they can push performance data, which the system then attributes to the right student. It’s seamless and secure, and it removes huge cybersecurity barriers.”

 

This framework also enables sophisticated features like remote instruction, live telemetry monitoring and real-time performance feedback. Palla said it’s designed not only for today’s tools, but for future capabilities across air, space and cyber domains.

 

“We didn’t build this with a ‘maybe they’ll use it’ mentality,” Palla said. “This started with a mission-critical need to transform pilot training and every architectural decision was made to meet that demand. Now we have a foundation that can scale across the Air Force and beyond.”