Using several military training applications adapted for the civil environment, Lockheed Martin demonstrated that a complex higher fidelity simulation exercise could ultimately lower training costs while maintaining a high level of readiness for federal and state emergency operations centers.

Should a major city or region be faced with a release of biological agents, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Strategic National Stockpile (DSNS) would distribute large quantities of pharmaceutical supplies to state agencies. To test the distribution system, the DSNS would normally conduct a full scale exercise moving supplies to a state under simulated emergency conditions. But the magnitude of such an exercise could cost several million dollars. Enter SIMAN, or the "Stockpile in Motion Across the Nation" simulation training program developed by Lockheed Martin for the DSNS.

SIMAN is based on a variety of military training programs which have been adapted for civil application. It replicates the operations of warehouse distribution and receiving, simulates ground and air transport vehicles carrying medical countermeasures and other medical supplies to state governments and provides an after action review capability to allow DSNS to determine the effectiveness of its distribution network. It simulates not only the movement of materials, but also exercises the situational awareness of exercise participants and even includes simulated television news broadcasts of the event.

"The objective of the exercise was to ensure that the SIMAN simulation could accurately simulate the DSNS processes for delivery of millions of doses of drugs and other medical material within 24 hours of the incident and that the simulation accurately replicated the operational environment," said Dale Bennett, President of Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support "The simulation performed extremely well and the exercise was a deemed a success by the participants and CDC senior personnel."

The two-day exercise took place earlier this year over a 34 hour period and was one of the largest distributed exercises ever performed by the DSNS. It involved more than 100 people and simulated the movement of several thousand pallets of supplies using nearly 200 trucks and 11 aircraft. The consensus view of those participating was that SIMAN was easy to use and the simulation improved the realism of the overall exercise. Since the exercise, the CDC has awarded Lockheed Martin a two-year follow-on contract for $2.3 million, to provide additional capabilities for SIMAN and to assist with supporting future exercises.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

The CDC's Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is a repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, vaccines, antiviral drugs and other life-saving medical materiel. The SNS is designed assist communities through state and local public health agencies in the event of an emergency within the United States or its territories.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin