April 8, 2015 -- On Monday, April 6, 2015, Lt Gen Tod D. Wolters, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, announced the recipients of the CY2013 Air Force Readiness Thru Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) / Modeling and Simulation (M&S;) Awards. This recognition is presented to the military members, federal civilian employees and teams, for their sustained performance and outstanding achievements in the development or application of LVC/M&S; within the Air Force to increase warfighter readiness. During the evaluation process, the Air Force Selection Board received 19 nomination packages and selected the winners of these three categories:

• The Air Force LVC/M&S; Acquisition Award: Mr. Jeff Howell, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill AFB, UT. - Mr. Howell restored Original Equipment Manufacturer links to 3D system engineering technical data package files in the team Center, and projected $2M in savings, while improving data integrity. He overcame incorrect data delivery via validated Engineering Bill of Materials (EBOM) and 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models, and eliminated time required by contractors to authenticate bill of material; a projected two months savings for each A-10 contract awarded.
• The Air Force LVC/M&S; Cross-Functional Award: The 90th Information Operations Squadron (IOS), Air Force Space Command, Cyber Simulation Center, Joint Base San Antonio, TX. - The 90th IOS pioneered the cyber warfare evolution, as evidenced by the establishment of the Cyber Simulation Center. It created the Department of Defense's simulation focal point, generating over 70 different environments, and designing 30 unique and realistic developmental environments, validating nine capabilities in support of 35 DoD organizations, Joint, and U.S. Cyber Command's missions.
• The Air Force LVC/M&S; Training Award: The 505th Combat Training Squadron (CTS), Air Combat Command, Modeling and Simulations Flight, Hurlburt Field AFB, FL. - The recipients combined Modeling and Simulation expertise supported 11 events and exercises for two Combatant Commands, facilitating Joint and Coalition interoperability, and making them one of the predominant Operational Training venues across the Air Force. The subject matter expertise that resides in the 505th CTS makes them a spearhead element in testing, requirements development, as well as exercises and events execution.

Congratulations to the winners!