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The U.S. Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) in Orlando, Florida, have launched a landmark collaboration beginning in fiscal year 2026 to enhance joint force readiness and save a projected $10 million.
According to PEO STRI and NAWCTSD leaders, this powerful Orlando alliance will establish the first joint Army/Navy simulation lab integrating the Army's Maritime System Integration Lab (SIL) with the Navy's Training Systems Lab (NTSL), fostering a new level of interoperability and efficiency in cross-service maritime training.
"From an Army perspective, we are excited for the opportunity to drive change and deliver capabilities through interservice combined forces with NAWCTSD," said Donna Veil, deputy product director for Virtual Training Systems (VTS) at PEO STRI. "This effort fits right in the Secretary of Defense’s Army Transformation Initiative with cross service collaboration to optimize capability while rapidly putting modernized capability into the hands of the warfighter."
Veil said this forward-thinking innovative partnership with shared technical objectives is poised to yield significant returns, both in terms of combat effectiveness and fiscal responsibility. She said by combining resources, the two branches will eliminate redundant efforts, maximize the use of existing technology in a common lab space, and streamline the development and deployment of training system updates.
“The projected savings from this synergy are estimated at a substantial $10 million, primarily through reduced infrastructure costs and minimized training downtime,” said Veil.
Veil said the heart of this initiative is the integration of the visual components of the Navy's cutting-edge Navigation, Seamanship, and Ship Handling Trainer (NSST) portfolio with the Army's virtual training systems. The NSST is a globally recognized training system with modernized facilities in key naval locations, including Yokosuka, Japan, and other major U.S. fleet concentration areas.
According to Veil this technical fusion will enable Soldiers and Sailors to train on a unified software platform, a critical step toward seamless joint and interservice operations at sea.
Johnny Figueroa, product director for VTS said the integrated lab environment will serve as a crucible for innovation, allowing for collaborative troubleshooting and the testing of technological advancements before they are fielded. According to Figueroa this is crucial for institutions like the Army’s Maritime and Intermodal Training Department at Fort Eustis, Virginia, which will benefit from expedited and more robust training solutions.
“Having this partnership is the first step toward a complete sync between the Army and Navy maritime systems," said Figueroa. "As well as maximizing cost savings and effectiveness across the service.”
Figueroa said PEO STRI is also partnering with PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support to procure platform maritime training requirements directly from the simulation and training expertise residing within the Team Orlando footprint. He said these efforts are a great example of the interservice, collaborative military partnership in Central Florida, the mecca of modeling, simulation and training expertise.
“Before having a SIL, the Army lost training time because the training sites couldn’t use the training devices while they installed new software and performed functional testing,” said Harry Narvaez, the NTSL lab manager and NSST sustainment project manager for NAWCTSD.
Narvaez said the positive reactions from this effort could signal more future collaborations between the service branches. He said the biggest determining factor is having tenacious leaders like those from NTSL who proactively seek innovative ways for the services branches to be stronger together.
The Army leadership at PEO STRI agreed.
“In an age when the Department of Defense is focused on becoming a leaner, more lethal force, the success of this Army-Navy venture will serve as a blueprint for future collaborations,” added Figueroa. “The commitment and shared objective of senior leadership from both branches will be paramount in ensuring that this and similar initiatives continue to flourish, ultimately strengthening the nation's warfighting capabilities in a complex global environment.”
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, PEO STRI is comprised of a highly skilled and diverse workforce of more than 1,100 Soldiers, Army civilians and contractors, who work with Army partners to enhance operational readiness and support the Army’s modernization efforts by fielding and sustaining the next generation of multi-domain operations testing, training and information operations capabilities.
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2025 14:13 |
| Story ID: | 543752 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 402 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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