As last year's I/ITSC papers were being written, the prospects for world peace were having significant effects on military strategies and priorities. Many analysts, however, were cautious. Their concerns were based primarily on the potential for low-intensity and regional conflicts. A paper proposing the need for advanced mission training and rehearsal (Monette, et al.1) noted that "while uncertainly surrounds the perception of a diminished threat of world war, there is little question that there exists an inevitable threat of armed conflicts with radicals, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug cartels. It can also be anticipated that the severity of these conflicts will continue to increase…" As described in that paper, the non-conventional nature of such conflicts has resulted in increased war fighting emphasis on timeliness and precision. To support training in these skills, new concepts were proposed, including a recommendation for integrated mission training and rehearsal facilities. These facilities would employ advanced simulation technologies and specialized training programs which would be dedicated to enhancing the mission readiness of aviation crews. By the time I/ITSC '90 commenced, events in the Middle East had significantly reinforced the need to pursue such advanced training capabilities.
The previously referenced paper also noted that it would take teamwork to meet the changing military training environment for the 1990's-teamwork between users, military planners, analysts, and industry. This year's paper is intended to discuss such a team and the program implemented by that team to develop the sustainment and mission-similar training capabilities proposed in the 1990 paper.