Air Force leaders outline vision for modernized training, enterprise modeling and simulation at TSIS 2026

By Cassidy Mills, Senior Staff Writer

July 6, 2026

Air Force leaders discussed efforts to modernize military training and enterprise modeling and simulation during presentations at the Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS) 2026 on June 17, including plans to adopt new technologies and increase collaboration with industry to accelerate innovation and improve operational readiness.

Presented by National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA), 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.

Rodney Stevens, member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and program executive officer for the Training Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), highlighted the Air Force’s evolving approach to training acquisition, stressing that readiness begins with preparing Airmen to operate and sustain increasingly advanced weapon systems.

“Our motto for PEO Training is, ‘Air dominance begins here.’ Training is readiness,” Stevens said. “Everything we do is focused on preparing Airmen for the mission.”

Stevens said the Air Force created the Training Directorate to provide a centralized approach to developing and managing training systems across the service. Today, the organization oversees a broad portfolio supporting aircraft, simulators, ranges and training infrastructure while working closely with operational commands and international partners.

A central theme of Stevens’ presentation was the need to modernize training systems using open architectures, virtualization and agile software development practices. He noted traditional acquisition timelines are too slow to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats and changing weapon systems.

“Our adversaries are adapting faster than we are,” Stevens said. “We have to change culturally in how we acquire and deliver capability. That requires a shift in how we approach acquisition and how we partner with industry to deliver the best solutions.”

Stevens outlined three priorities guiding the directorate’s modernization efforts: adopting open system architectures, implementing digital materiel management and embracing agile software development. Together, he said these initiatives will enable the Air Force to integrate new technologies more quickly while increasing competition and reducing long-term sustainment costs.

He also described the Air Force’s long-term Training 2035 vision, which seeks to build an interconnected training ecosystem through standardized architectures and greater use of commercial technologies. One objective is virtualizing aircraft hardware within simulators, allowing software updates to be fielded much faster than current hardware-dependent approaches.

“Today, about 50 percent of our simulators are not concurrent with the aircraft they’re supporting,” Stevens said. “We have to change the way we build and modernize those systems.”

Stevens encouraged industry partners to collaborate with the Air Force as it develops common standards and roadmaps, noting innovation from both large and small businesses will play a critical role in meeting future training requirements.

Following Stevens’ presentation, Mark Stankiewicz, chief modeling and simulation officer (CMSO) and director of Enterprise Modeling and Simulation within Studies and Analysis (SAF/SA), discussed the Department of the Air Force’s efforts to unify modeling and simulation activities across the enterprise.

Stankiewicz explained the Air Force created the CMSO position to eliminate isolated “stovepiped” investments and establish a coordinated enterprise strategy spanning training, testing and analysis.

“The data is probably the most important piece we have available,” Stankiewicz said. “Our goal is to bring those communities together and create an ecosystem where they can share tools, architectures and data.”

Since the office’s establishment, the Air Force has focused on developing enterprise policy, governance, workforce development and standards to improve collaboration across organizations. Stankiewicz said his office is also updating the department’s modeling and simulation strategy to better align investments and capabilities.

A key priority is reducing duplication by creating shared enterprise services, including centralized model repositories, common licensing and high-performance computing resources. These initiatives are intended to lower costs while making modeling and simulation tools more accessible across the Department of the Air Force and the joint force.

“By building shared services like common model repositories and compute environments, we can reduce redundancy and improve access at scale,” Stankiewicz said. “This is about creating a true ecosystem where data, tools and infrastructure are discoverable and reusable across the Air Force and our joint partners.”

Stankiewicz also highlighted ongoing work to modernize enterprise software tools and improve interoperability between training, operational analysis and campaign modeling. By adopting common standards and governance structures, he said the Air Force hopes to accelerate decision-making while improving consistency across programs.

Workforce development remains another significant focus. While the Air Force has many experts in specialized modeling and simulation disciplines, Stankiewicz said the department is exploring new approaches to develop broader enterprise expertise-wide through partnerships with academia and other government organizations.

“We recognize the future of modeling and simulation depends on more than just specialized expertise in isolated pockets,” Stankiewicz said. “That’s why we’re investing in partnerships with academia, industry and other government organizations to broaden the talent pipeline.”

Both speakers emphasized that collaboration with industry will remain essential as the Air Force modernizes its training and modeling enterprise. Whether through open architectures, shared data environments or agile software development, they described a future built on faster innovation, greater interoperability and closer partnerships between government and industry.

As the Air Force continues implementing its Training 2035 and enterprise modeling initiatives, the officials said success will depend not only on new technologies but also on transforming acquisition processes and fostering an integrated ecosystem capable of delivering capabilities to the warfighter.