Joint training leaders outline path to future readiness at I/ITSEC 2025

January 9, 2026

 

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer

 

The Joint Development, Education and Training panel at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) brought together senior leaders across the services to examine how the U.S. military must evolve the way it educates and prepares its force, Dec. 3.

 

I/ITSEC, the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) event, convenes annually at the Orange County Convention Center and brings together military, industry and academic leaders to explore emerging technologies, policy and operational challenges shaping defense training.

 

The conversation, moderated by Wendy Walsh, Ed.D., chief learning officer of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), highlighted the challenges and opportunities shaping joint readiness in the modern era.

 

The panel featured Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn, commander of AETC; Maj. Gen. James Smith, commander of Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM); Brig. Gen. Matthew Tracy, commanding general of Marine Corps Education Command and president of Marine Corps University; and CAPT Robert Stockton, director of Training for the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

 

The panel opened with a discussion on the accelerating pace of change across global threats and technologies, emphasizing the need for more agile learning pipelines. Quinn underscored that joint readiness now depends on the ability to upskill service members continuously throughout their careers.

 

“The pace that our Airmen must learn at today is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Quinn said. “If we can’t modernize how we teach as fast as the environment is evolving, then we risk falling behind our adversaries who have no intention of slowing down.”

 

Panelists agreed that future joint readiness will hinge on interoperability — not only among systems, but among education strategies themselves. Quinn said true transformation requires services to design learning ecosystems that share data, insights and best practices across the Department of Defense.

 

“No single service can build the future of learning on its own; we have to pursue modernization together as a joint team,” Quinn said. “When we share what works, when we align our efforts, we elevate the readiness of the entire force.”

 

The conversation then shifted to how the Space Force is redefining foundational training for Guardians entering a domain that is simultaneously technical, contested and strategic. Smith said traditional curriculum models simply cannot keep up with the demands of space operations.

 

“Space is no longer a supporting backdrop — it’s a warfighting domain, and our training must reflect that reality from day one,” Smith said. “We need digital fluency, data literacy and scenario realism built into every training experience if our Guardians are going to prevail in this environment.”

 

Tracy emphasized the importance of developing adaptive Marines capable of learning and leading in complex, multi-domain fights. He said this requires character development, wargaming and learning technologies that help Marines think faster and more critically.

 

“Our future fights will reward Marines who can make rapid decisions in ambiguous situations, not just those who can execute a checklist,” Tracy said. “That means our educational ecosystem must cultivate judgment, initiative and mental agility as deliberately as we train marksmanship.”

 

To achieve this, Tracy emphasized the need for immersive training scenarios, challenging cognitive exercises and innovative instructional methods that actively push Marines to think critically under pressure.

 

“We can’t build a force that’s ready for tomorrow using the instructional models of yesterday,” Tracy said. “Our Marines need learning experiences that challenge them to think, improvise and act with confidence in complex, fast-moving situations.”

 

The Navy perspective centered on aligning advanced learning technologies with a global fleet operating across every corner of the world. Stockton said readiness increasingly depends on the ability to deliver training that is mobile, modular and immediately relevant to the Sailor’s job.

 

“Our Sailors can’t wait months for a schoolhouse seat when technology and missions are changing weekly,” Stockton said. “We’re building a system that pushes the right training to the right Sailor at the right time, wherever they are in the world.”