ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA) awarded its Lifetime Achievement and 2010 Governor's Award to Lockheed Martin's Richard Schaffer, whose work in distributed simulation and virtual environments is credited with helping to save Warfighter's lives.  

Schaffer's work set foundations in Department of Defense (DoD) training and simulation, including creating the basis for the Distributed Interactive Simulation standards as well as the High Level Architecture for Modeling and Simulation.

"We're honored that Richard's work was recognized by the modeling and simulation industry, but even more humbling is the fact that it was credited by members of the DoD as helping to save lives of our service men and women," said Dale Bennett, president of Lockheed Martin's Global Training and Logistics business unit. "We will continue to work hard to help customers achieve mission readiness affordably, with the right training to help them prepare for their challenging assignments today and tomorrow."

In addition to his simulation standards work, Schaffer led several teams that delivered technical solutions on programs which have been fielded throughout the DoD. These efforts included developing foundational constructive components of the Joint Semi-Automated Forces system, serving as the primary systems engineer for the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Vehicle Turret Trainer; and forming the basis of the Combined Arms Network of the Deployable Virtual Training Environment, which has been fielded throughout the Marine Corps. It also includes leading the development of the Helicopter Control Officer Vertical Flight Deck Trainer and the Infantry Immersion Trainer, which has trained more than 22,000 Marines, Soldiers and allies since opening for training in November 2007.

As the recipient of an Individual/Lifetime Achievement award from the NTSA, Schaffer became a finalist for the NTSA 2010 Governor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Modeling & Simulation, which he also received at this year's Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando. For the first time in the Governor's Award history, the panel was unanimous in their selection.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.0 billion.

For more information, visit: www.lockheedmartin.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin