NAWCTSD awards contracts to support Navy VJETTS program

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer

October 1, 2025

 

The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) announced it had completed a contracting action to provide initial infrastructure for the Navy’s Virtual Joint Environment for Tactical Training Systems (VJETTS), Sept. 24.

 

VJETTS enables joint services for on-site developmental test (DT) training system capabilities by creating a System of Systems (SoS) Virtual and Constructive (VC) environment. This allows the services to rehearse operations in a networked, joint context.

 

The program is an entry point into large-scale simulation environments that already link air, sea and land components for the Space Force. VJETTS addresses capability gaps by acting as a Warfighter representative battlefield, integrating Joint Simulation Environments (JSE) for legacy trainers and is a foundational step toward joint coalition training.

 

NAWCTSD’s involvement reflects its dual responsibilities in both system validation and acquisition support. Its Test and Evaluation (T&E) division continues to provide an independent workforce that designs tests using Capabilities Based Test and Evaluation (CBT&E) to report on mission capabilities. The T&E division ensures training systems are reliable and effective before they are fielded. Their motto “Test like We Fight, Train to Win” encompasses the division’s mission.

 

The awards cover workspace, containers for system components and office furniture to support personnel assigned to the program. The contracting team included Jerry Costello, Kathryn Cochran, Tony Pham, Matt Alden, Stephen Wagner, Emily Lawrence, William Butterworth, Alex Malaguti and Gerald Houghtaling.

 

NAWCTSD officials noted Lawrence and Butterworth, both entry-level employees, carried out a significant portion of the work and were credited with expediting the awards to meet program deadlines.

 

Although the awarded contracts focus on basic facilities, defense officials emphasize that rapid procurement actions such as this one are often critical to maintaining program momentum.

 

For industry and government partners following the growth of joint simulation initiatives, the VJETTS effort illustrates how quickly infrastructure and contracting mechanisms can be aligned to support emerging operational requirements.