The U.S. Army‘s 41st Brigade Engineer Battalion uses a specialized technology platform to facilitate a simulation-based training exercise designed to hone soldiers’ tactical and warfighting skills.

A group of D Company soldiers used the Intelligence Electronic Warfare Tactical Proficiency Trainer system during a Military Intelligence Training Strategy exercise that took place Nov. 6 at Fort Drum in New York, the Army said Tuesday.

The training aimed to bring together soldiers who specialize in human, signals and geospatial intelligence in efforts to develop their collaborative skills through physical simulations of intelligence operations.

Matt Madson, lead IEWTPT training support specialist, said the system is designed to help military personnel gather and analyze intelligence data as well as prepare reports about their battlefield mission.

“IEWTPT gives soldiers an accurate representation of what a real battlefield would look like and an opportunity to practice all aspects of the job they would be called upon to do in theater,” Madson added.

Lt. Gen. Mike Lundy, commander of the U.S. Army combined arms center, has said the service branch will increase synthetic training operations at home station and combat training centers.

According to an Army report published Monday, Lundy discussed the emergence of synthetic training technologies and efforts to update current simulator technologies at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting and exposition.

Lundy noted increasingly complex environments would require many training repetitions to prepare Soldiers for operations in contested air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

The USACAS commander added he anticipates the use of synthetic training to commence at home stations and expand at brigade, division and corps levels.

Lundy also said efforts related to leader development and professional military education have begun to catch up with the Field Manual 3.0 “Operations” guideline which tackles Army tactics to be implemented through the next five years.

He added the curriculum will also be updated to include topics regarding the complex airspace, virtual recruiting and banking activities of enemy forces as well as psychological assessments on adversaries, local population and coalition forces.

The Air Force Research Laboratory has conducted an annual exercise that aims to help small businesses further develop their technology platforms through tech demonstrations and combat simulations.

The service branch sponsors the Operation Tech Warrior exercise through the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Program, the Air Force said Monday.

Operation Tech Warrior is part of the year-round Tech Warrior Enterprise organized by Wright State University’s National Center for Medical Readiness in Ohio.

Operation Tech Warrior seeks to help AFRL scientists perform observations and allow small companies to collect feedback from scientists to conduct technology integration.

“We encourage companies through the Tech Warrior Enterprise to fail early and fail often because that exposes what needs to be fixed and is the best way to quickly mature products and technology,” said David Shahady, director of the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program.

The Tech Warrior Enterprise also features the Tech Warrior CONNECT and Tech Warrior OPS programs.

Tech Warrior CONNECT allows potential users to carry out offsite assessments of technology platforms, while the Tech Warrior OPS provides small businesses an opportunity to gather feedback from product users.

The military branch will hold a webinar on the Tech Warrior Enterprise Dec. 6.

A new report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation has outlined several ways national governments can help address challenges related to smart city development projects.

ITIF said Oct. 30 the management of smart city projects should fall on city governments, but national government support is crucial to the long-term success of such programs.

Key issues facing smart city efforts include technology adoption risks; lack of national funding for smart infrastructure; the need for interconnected smart cities; inadequate information sharing between smart city developers; and the need to distribute smart city technologies equitably, the report stated.

To address the challenges, national governments should support shared projects in the areas of research and development as well as technology demonstration, ITIF noted.

The report also urged national governments to allocate a portion of infrastructure investments to smart systems; create policies and standards for smart city technologies that promote interoperability and data sharing; and facilitate intercity collaborations.

National governments should also ensure that smart city efforts incorporate the needs of underserved communities, the report said.