A recent Department of Defense goal is to achieve a seamlessly integrated distributed training environment. Such an environment would integrate Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) simulation assets to provide realistic training to the warfighter. However, building such a complex environment presents unique challenges. Technical challenges arise from the disparate platforms, technologies, and protocols used by the simulation assets. Training challenges arise from the increased cognitive demands of simultaneously managing different Instructor Operator Stations (IOS).

A common IOS (C-IOS) theoretical framework for an integrated distributed training environment was developed by NAVAIR TSD. The framework specifically addressed cognitive work load, IOS training, distributed mission training, and acquisition issues. This C-IOS concept was implemented as the Common Distributed Mission Training System (CDMTS). CDMTS has been deployed in various training environments and has become a common tool for integrating and managing Modeling & Simulation (M&S) training technologies.

In this paper, we describe the challenges associated with implementing training tools such as CDMTS, which integrate diverse technologies and simulation environments. We include benefit and tradeoff considerations for issues such as common data specifications, semantic and functional interoperability, and distributed architectures. Further, we present lessons learned from work done to incorporate CDMTS into multiple training environments.