Alion Deploys “Serious Game” Training Program to Improve Readiness and Prepare Navy Recruits for Shipboard Navigation

Thursday, Nov 19, 2009

Enlisted Navy recruits go through eight weeks of intense basic training in Great Lakes, Illinois. A requirement before graduation from boot camp, they must make it through Battle Stations 21 (BS-21), where they will be challenged with simulated floods, fires and mass casualty exercises in a DDG destroyer replica. To help them succeed in BS-21 and prepare them for their transition to the fleet, Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions company, has developed the Damage Control Trainer (DCT).

DCT is a 3D simulation game that teaches recruits how to navigate a ship, follow communication protocols, enhance situational awareness and perform damage control operations. DCT is a serious game, meaning it uses gaming techniques for non-entertainment purposes, and is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under the Capable Manpower Broad Agency Announcement. The game, built using the Delta3D open source gaming engine, was deployed earlier this month at two recruit barracks and has been integrated into the curriculum at Recruit Training Command (RTC). Soon, it will be rolled out to the remaining barracks with the eventual goal to train approximately 40,000 recruits a year.

Additionally, DCT was chosen as a finalist at this year’s Serious Games Showcase & Challenge, which is part of the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC) that takes place November 30 to December 3, 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

“With DCT, we’re putting into context all the knowledge Navy recruits glean in a classroom setting. Up until now, these recruits have never stepped foot on a ship, and this 3D virtual environment training really drives it home for them,” said Rear Adm. Richard E. Brooks (USN, Ret.), Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the Distributed Simulation Group. “The DCT game models a lot of behaviors on U.S. ships and already has resulted in improvements to recruits’ behaviors. A recent University of Central Florida study found a 50 percent to 80 percent improvement in individual behavior in the core areas we are trying to address after less than 1 hour with the game.”

On the DCT program, Alion is a subcontractor under Raytheon BBN Technologies. Other contracting partners include IDSI, I.D.E.A.S. and the University of Central Florida.

During I/ITSEC, Alion will also feature other technologies in its booth (#835) to improve various aspects of training and experimentation, including:

• a Web-based system that works in conjunction with the Apple iPhone^® and iPod^® touch, as well as and other mobile devices, to provide wireless access to training applications (electronic Collaboration Capabilities [eC²])
• another serious game developed by Alion, which provides an interactive, multi-player virtual ship environment for realistic training (Littoral Combat Ship Virtual Readiness Control Officer (LCS Virtual RCO) Trainer)
• Counter IED simulations developed weekly for use by the DoD and U.S. allies. Based on the most recent data collected in-theater, these simulations are generated within four days to provide training content that accurately replicates actual events

Alion will demonstrate its solutions at Booth #835 at I/ITSEC.

I/ITSEC promotes cooperation among the armed services, industry, academia and various government agencies in pursuit of improved training and education programs, identification of common training issues and development of multiservice programs.

About Alion Science and Technology

Alion Science and Technology (pronounced: ah-LYE-un) is an employee-owned technology solutions company delivering technical expertise and operational support to the Department of Defense, civilian government agencies and commercial customers. Building on 70 years of R&D and engineering expertise, Alion brings innovation and insight to multiple business areas: naval architecture & marine engineering; defense operations; systems engineering; modeling & simulation; information management & technology; chemical, biological, nuclear & environmental sciences; wireless spectrum engineering; and industrial technology. Based in McLean, Virginia, Alion employee-owners are located at major offices, customer sites and laboratories worldwide. For more information, call 877.771.6252 or visit Alion online at www.alionscience.com.

This press release contains information about management’s view of Alion’s future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risk factors and uncertainties discussed in documents periodically filed by Alion with the SEC. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

 

Source: Business Wire