Marines Expand Beachhead In 'Mecca' for Simulation.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2001
• Author: Kennedy, Harold

The U.S. Marine Corps has moved all of its training-system acquisition functions from Quantico, Va., to Orlando, Fla., where the military services have based their simulation and modeling facilities, according to Col. Joseph F. Buranosky, program manager for training systems.

The mission for the training systems office--known as PMTRASYS--hasn't changed, Buranosky said. It is still responsible for all research, development, test and evaluation, acquisition, fielding, logistics support and life-cycle management of ground training systems for the entire Marine Corps.

The Marines, he said, have been a part of the Orlando simulation community since 1970. Until recently, however, they have maintained only a liaison office there.

Now, all Marine training-system acquisition activities are based in Orlando. In January, the size of the staff in PMTRASYS doubled, from 20 to 40, counting civilians and Marines, Buranosky said. Previously, many of those functions had been performed at the Marine Corps Systems Command, in Quantico.

The move...