Author Description

Training and education in the Department of the Air Force (DAF) is undergoing a major transformation as part of an effort to maintain an asymmetric advantage over competitors. As part of this transformation, the DAF wants to invest in advanced training technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, gaming, and synthetic training environments. To reap the benefits of these new training technologies, the DAF must successfully transition them to the force. In this report, the authors examine what factors enable a successful technology transfer and how those factors have come into play in select use cases. They use their findings from a literature review from academic, industry, and government sources about technology transfer and DAF subject-matter expert interviews to construct a framework for training technology transfer in the DAF. This framework provides a view of the steps in the process and the potential barriers and enablers associated with each step. The authors also examine six use cases from ongoing efforts across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide further insights into the challenges of training technology transfer. The use cases examined are the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring, Synthetic Training Environment-Information System, Joint Simulation Environment, Standard Space Trainer, Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development, and Integration Technology Platform.