National training and simulation association.

• Position: Affilliates - Organization overview

Companies in the simulation, training, mission planning/rehearsal and support services industry are represented through membership in the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), an affiliate of NDIA since 1992.

NTSA provides the training, simulation, mission planning, related support systems and training services industries a recognized, focused, formal organization to represent and promote their business interests in the marketplace. The association provides a forum to communicate the full capability and broad characteristics of all of the elements of training systems and mission planning to include associated support services.

Founded in 1988, the association fosters communication between the training industry, planners and acquisition agencies regarding requirements, procurement issues and policies. An important aim of NTSA is to see that all aspects of training, mission planning and rehearsal, training services and training range requirements are highlighted as independent and important "line items" in the overall planning, programming, budgeting and acquisition process.

The International Training and Simulation Alliance (ITSA) was established to strengthen NTSA's international access and to better promote training and simulation to the international community.

The alliance is currently comprised of ETSA, the European Training & Simulation Association; KTSA in Korea; and SIAA in Australia. Expansion, especially in Asia, is expected in future years. Visit the ITSA home page at www.itsalliance.org and the ETSA home page at www.etsaweb.org.

The Modeling & Simulation Professional Certification Commission (M&SPCC), led by NTSA and composed of members from industry, academia and government, oversees the Certified Modeling & Simulation Professional (CMSP) certification program. Visit www.simprofessional.org to learn more about certification.

Mr. Richard "Rich" Bensinger, chairman of the NTSA Executive Committee, is currently the Director of Business and Strategic Development for the Battle Management Systems Division of General Dynamics C4 Systems. Mr. Bensinger's principal office is in Chantilly, VA, with additional offices in Scottsdale, AZ and Huntsville, AL. Mr. Bensinger supports lines of business that include systems engineering and integration, training systems development, and modeling and simulation, totaling over $600 million revenue per year. Primary customers include the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, DARPA...