Defense professionals gather for DoD Virtual Hangar User Workshop

Mass Virtual recently hosted a workshop for the defense community that highlighted how immersive learning is transforming. Defense professionals from across the services gathered in Orlando, Fla., for the 2025 DoD Virtual Hangar User Workshop. Joined by industry vendors, it was a testament to the growing momentum and vital role of immersive learning throughout the Department of Defense (DoD).

The Mass Virtual event brought together Army, Navy, Air Force, Guard, and Reserve personnel alongside DoD civilians to exchange insights, provide feedback, and explore how this capability is elevating human performance across the defense community.

“Seeing how the XR strategy is advancing readiness across the services has been remarkable,” said John Brooks, CEO of Mass Virtual. “The Virtual Hangar and its community are directly strengthening warfighter preparedness — improving execution, reducing costs, and delivering greater capability for our nation’s forces.”

The workshop opened with the announcement of a new learning and content management system within the Virtual Hangar. Built for both military and commercial use, its vendor-open architecture enables the DoD to integrate XR solutions from across the industry — allowing other companies to participate and ensuring every organization can access the tools that best meet their mission needs.

Recognition awards celebrated units effectively leveraging this capability. Dyess Air Force Base shared findings from their VR maintenance training, revealing striking results — training completed 80% faster, with maintainers conducting diagnostic evaluations more efficiently and operating with greater precision and speed. The data showed that extended reality is saving time and producing a sharper, more capable, and rapidly ready force.

Panels, Q&A sessions, and hands-on demos featured new Virtual Hangar capabilities and learning advancements from industry partners. Participating vendors included VRgineers, SIMS, Design Interactive, and RedShred, each sharing their expertise and demonstrating how they’re advancing the XR ecosystem.

The event underscored that immersive learning is transforming how readiness is achieved and how capabilities are developed for the warfighter.