Bringing critical training issues under the global spotlight, this year’s ITEC conference and exhibition will provide a coordinated approach to the themes of most importance to the military training and simulation industry. Long established as Europe’s premier conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology, ITEC takes place at the Koelnmesse Cologne from 10-12 May 2011.

A third of the world’s population now uses the internet, which has become a pervasive aspect of global commerce, communications and entertainment. However, as our dependence on the World Wide Web continues to grow, so have the opportunities for criminals to take advantage.

Reports of online attacks to international computer networks are growing and Cyber Defence has become a rising priority for governments and militaries around the world. Recent evidence presented by the United States Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, to the Senate’s Armed Services Committee confirmed that 2010 saw a “dramatic increase” in malicious cyber-activity targeting American computers and networks.

Similarly, the United Kingdom’s 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) classified the risks emanating from cyberspace as one of the top four threats to national security, concluding that a flexible response was essential to protect the critical cyber infrastructure. Indeed, in the UK criminal groups have already registered over 9,500 Olympic Games-related web addresses, while 51% of all the malicious software threats ever detected were identified in 2009.

In the Training for Current Operations stream of the 2011 ITEC conference, Stephen Teel of the Raytheon Company will examine ‘The Mandate for Cyber Training’ - the level and nature of the threat, its potentially catastrophic impact on unprepared and undefended infrastructure and how education and training can be leveraged to accelerate an appropriate response. The need to evaluate, train and combat the vulnerabilities and resilience of military systems from multiple, diverse threats will be addressed by Lloyd Wihl of Scalable Network Technologies, introducing ‘Cyber Warfare Communications Effects to Training Environments’.

Well established as Europe’s largest Defence Training and Simulation Conference and Exhibition, ITEC 2011 will also provide expert insight into the challenges currently driving developments in the industry -such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) - and the wide range of products and services designed to combat these global threats. Within the Training for Current Operations conference stream, Gary Craggs of Explosive Learning Solutions -which provides top level strategic and operational consultancy on delivering an efficient response to the threat of an explosive device – will reflect on ‘Improving Rapid Decision Making by IED Operators’. Moving away from traditional, systematic methods to decision making, Explosive Learning Solutions will emphasise a more naturalistic approach, better suited to the dynamic and volatile circumstances in which Army bomb diffusers operate.

Discussion of virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the integration of such technology into a live training environment will also feature highly within the Systems and Technology section of the conference agenda. Live training exercises can often lack sufficient equipment, non-combatants or opposing forces – a gap that can be filled and enriched by simulation. For example, simulated UAV equipment can be used to clear routes during IED training. Tom van den Berg, Robbert Krijnen and Wim Huiskamp of TNO Defence, Security and Safety will investigate the possible benefits and potential pitfalls of integrating Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) simulations and discuss an innovative investigation of integration a simulated UAV into a live exercise.

Reflecting these themes on the exhibition floor, ITEC 2011 will also feature an impressive array of products and technologies designed to counter the ever evolving threats of modern day warfare.

www.itec.co.uk

ENDS

For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone/Georgia Langdon - CMS Strategic
+44 (0)20 8748 9797
georgia.langdon@cmsstrategic.com
Note to Editors:
Throughout two decades ITEC has provided a forum for the display of significant new training capabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to the global training community. Today ITEC is owned by Clarion Events, which runs a number of highly successful defence and security conference and exhibitions including Defence & Security Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organising companies in the United Kingdom. Currently Clarion Events employs a talented staff of 280+ people in eleven offices: London (Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Hatton Garden); Cheltenham; Birmingham (NEC); The Netherlands (Maarsen); South Africa (Cape Town); USA (Connecticut and Reno); Brazil (Sao Paulo); Dubai; Singapore.

Senior military experts from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States will be giving their perspectives on the contemporary training scene at the opening session of ITEC, Europe’s premier conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology and services. The event takes place at Koelnmesse, Cologne from 10-12 May 2011.

Known as the Senior Officers Panel, this conference session has become firmly established as an annual highlight of ITEC. Delivering the keynote address at this year’s show will be Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck of the German Air Force, who holds the appointment of Deputy Chief of Staff, Joint Force Training, in NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Transformation HQ. Facing unpredictable and volatile threats in an uncertain economic environment, delegates from international ministries and armed forces will have their concerns met by Gen Viereck’s opening analysis of ‘How simulation and training can support challenges in operations in the context of fiscal pressures’.

Gen Viereck said, ‘It is well known that technology transformed into military capability can be a force multiplier. The present military training system is in need of a paradigm change, from the current ways we operate to the technology we use, in order to realize the potential of the latest scientific developments. But there are gaps between industrial concerns (investments) and military ones (tangible results). Collaboration is the only way to make technology the means to achieve the required transformation’.

The American perspective will be provided by Major General Stephen R. Layfield, of the US Army, who is Director J7/Joint Warfighting Center at the US Joint Forces Command in Suffolk, VA. In the past General Layfield has served as battalion task force commander in the Former Yugoslavia, Republic of Macedonia, as well as in Bosnia-Herzegovina and later as Deputy Commander for Security, Operation Enduring Freedom, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghanistan. Prior to his current role, General Layfield’s was Commanding General, U.S. Army Alaska (2007-2009).
As the joint training director, General Layfield’s responsibility is to train forces, develop doctrine, lead training requirements analysis and provide a globally distributed and interoperable training environment to support the joint warfighter.

Representing the United Kingdom is Dr Chris Mace CBE who holds the position of Director Science & Technology Operations at the Ministry of Defence. Prior to this appointment, Dr Mace was Director General Resources at the Defence Logistics Organisation and, between July 2006 and March 2007, he was closely involved in the merging of Defence Acquisition and Logistics to create the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation, becoming Chief of Staff for the Chief Defence Material in April 2007. He was appointed Director General Operations, Science and Technology in October 2007.

www.itec.co.uk
ENDS
For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone/Georgia Langdon - CMS Strategic
+44 (0)20 8748 9797
nick.johnstone@cmsstrategic.com

Note to Editors:
Throughout two decades ITEC has provided a forum for the display of significant new training capabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to the global training community. Today ITEC is owned by Clarion Events, which runs a number of highly successful defence and security conference and exhibitions including Defence & Security Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organising companies in the United Kingdom. Currently Clarion Events employs a talented staff of 280+ people in eleven offices: London (Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Hatton Garden); Cheltenham; Birmingham (NEC); The Netherlands (Maarsen); South Africa (Cape Town); USA (Connecticut and Reno); Brazil (Sao Paulo); Dubai; Singapore.

Statistics prove that natural disasters have risen startlingly in the last decade, and the alarming frequency of these catastrophic events provides clear indication that the trend will continue. In 2010 alone earthquakes, volcanoes, mud slides, flooding, tropical storm cyclones, heat waves and forest fires struck worldwide causing over 260,000 fatalities and leaving many millions more displaced.

As a result, governments around the world are contributing an increasing amount of military assets in preparation of providing a reliable response to complex humanitarian emergencies. Assisting in relief efforts facilitates key training opportunities, while also providing a way for the military to diversify its role at a time when international armed forces are experiencing budget cuts. Accordingly, much consideration has been given to developing civil-military relations, with significant investment put into research activity and training dedicated forces on the ground.

Bringing these issues to the forefront of debate, ITEC, Europe’s leading conference and exhibition for military training, simulation technology, education and services, will provide a fitting platform for examination of this important subject.

In immediate response to the most recent cataclysm in Japan, many nations scrambled their militaries to support the Japanese government’s efforts to avoid a nuclear meltdown. Following the Pakistan earthquake in October 2005, both domestic and international military forces mounted the largest humanitarian helicopter airlift ever seen and, in 2008, considerable numbers of Chinese troops were dedicated in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province. In the West, the UK military was brought in to provide relief during the persistent floods which swept through parts of Britain in 2007.

Featuring in the Education and Human Factors stream of the ITEC Conference, ‘The role of simulation based training in UK emergency management’ will be comprehensively addressed by Joseph McFarland of the London Emergency Management Training Group. Also within this stream, a session given by Eur. Ing. David Burden and Andrew Jinman of Daden Limited will unlock and explore the use of ‘Virtual Worlds for Emergency Management Training’. As emergency response training increasingly becomes a part of a soldier’s mission rehearsal, the feasibility of developing an emergency rescue training system to meet the future needs of militia and reserve forces will also be discussed. A presentation in the Systems and Technology stream given by the distinguished Nanjing Research Institute of Simulation Technology will look at characteristics of various types of emergency rescue mission and evaluate a ‘Task-oriented training system for non-war military operation’.

As the occurrence of natural disasters increase and intensify, national and foreign militaries can be expected to play a fundamental role – particularly in the all-encompassing disasters, where the capacity of humanitarian organisations may be stretched. The world cannot control the forces of nature, but when disaster strikes, we can ensure that the world’s armed forces will be prepared.

ITEC 2011 takes place 10-12 May at the Koelnmesse, Cologne.

www.itec.co.uk

ENDS

For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone/Georgia Langdon - CMS Strategic
+44 (0)20 8748 9797
nick.johnstone@cmsstrategic.com

Note to Editors:
Throughout two decades ITEC has provided a forum for the display of significant new training capabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to the global training community. Today ITEC is owned by Clarion Events, which runs a number of highly successful defence and security conference and exhibitions including Defence & Security Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three event organising companies in the United Kingdom. Currently Clarion Events employs a talented staff of 280+ people in eleven offices: London (Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Hatton Garden); Cheltenham; Birmingham (NEC); The Netherlands (Maarsen); South Africa (Cape Town); USA (Connecticut and Reno); Brazil (Sao Paulo); Dubai; Singapore.

I/ITSEC 2010 Booth 1973

ITEC, Europe’s leading conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology and services, takes place at Koelnmesse, Cologne from 10-12 May 2011.

Addressing the issues currently concerning the global training community, ITEC 2011 has taken a strategic view of the industry and is introducing four ‘super-themes’ to the conference agenda. This pioneering step focuses on a series of compelling sessions and will examine every aspect of current and future training and training technology: Cost-Effective Training - the Human Factor, Systems and Technology, Training for Current Operations and Training Futures.

In light of the deep cuts currently being made to global defence budgets, the expert analysis of the most cost-effective training solutions will be of particular interest to delegates. Investigation of the Human Factor will, for example, focus on how to optimise the use of simulation and virtual environments while training to enhance medical research, emergency management and appreciation of culture and language.

Within the Systems and Technology stream discussion will return to the subject of serious games, analysing the advances in gaming engine technology. Furthermore, the crucial role that simulation plays in combating complex irregular threats flows throughout the conference programme and an expansion on the highly popular cyber warfare session from 2010 will address the newest, most potent threats to global security. Over the past decade, militaries across the world have invested millions into the development of digitised Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) villages. Most recently, soldiers from the Royal Netherlands Army have been using this method of virtual training to enhance the live training experience. New sessions on these virtual urban worlds and augmenting reality will also feature highly within the Systems and Technology theme.

For those with an interest in Training for Current Operations, this super-theme will focus on the important innovations in current counter- IED training and disaster management, as well as the lessons learned from recent conflicts. The air operations theme continues to be as popular as ever and for 2011 will include a rotary wing session with contributions from UK and German Military Air Training establishments.

While it is essential to remain abreast of current issues, attention must also be given to the threats and challenges which face us in coming years. Accordingly, Training Futures offers a new, strategic look at the simulation and training market, exploring themes concerned with the impending training requirements for European warfighters, budgets and affordability, looking beyond live and a glimpse into the future with “ITEC 2025 - A Preview”.

Anne O’Reilly of Mabway and the ITEC Conference Committee Chair commented “This innovative programme simultaneously reflects the relentless challenges posed within these new realms of warfare and the continued investment in defence simulation and training, ensuring that international militaries stay one step ahead of the ever-evolving threats to global security”.

ENDS

For further information please contact
Nick Johnstone or Georgia Langdon at CMS Strategic
Cell: +44 (0)208 748 9797
nick.johnstone@cmsstrategic.com

Note to Editors:
Throughout two decades ITEC has provided a forum for the display of significant new training capabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to the global training community. Today ITEC is owned by Clarion Events, which runs a number of highly successful defence and security conference and exhibitions including Defence Security & Equipment International, Counter Terror Expo and Undersea Defence Technology.

About the organiser:
Clarion Events is one of the largest independent and one of the top three organising companies in the United Kingdom. Currently Clarion Events employs a talented staff of 280+ people in eleven offices: London (Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Hatton Garden); Cheltenham; Birmingham (NEC); The Netherlands (Maarsen); South Africa (Cape Town); USA (Connecticut and Reno); Brazil (Sao Paulo); Dubai; Singapore.