KASC brings reality to Exercise KR14 Published March 3, 2014 By Senior Airman Marcus Morris 7th Air Force Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Eyes staring at screens flicker without pause as they trade targets on their monitors. Munitions are dropped upon unsuspecting virtual targets as multiple scenarios are played through. What's the best way to attack? How do we limit casualties? How can we do this better? In the Korea Air Simulation Center, aircraft travel on computer screens in orchestrated patterns, while virtual combatants maneuver against them and all of this is seamlessly coordinated between the 607th Air Operations Center and the members of the KASC. The KASC uses modeling and simulation technology to enable computer and software tools to create graphically represented, synthetic environments for training and mission planning that challenge decision makers while testing strategy, plans and doctrine. "We stay busy every day planning, testing or performing exercises and work seven days a week to include weekends and holidays," said Maj. John Smith, KASC director. "A lot of prep work and testing has to occur before any exercise to make sure the servers can handle the load and the simulations are functioning and able to complete the mission." The KASC has approximately 16 models working in concert with 22 working systems connected to multiple simulation centers in Pacific Command and the U.S. and has already completed eight exercises and five rehearsals of concept drills within the last year. The models allow the Air Operations Center to execute air and space tasking orders for a wide variety of missions such as strike, reconnaissance, inter-theater airlift, logistics, unmanned aerial vehicles and maintenance. They also give warfighters realistic experience dealing with wartime decision making process during hostilities. "If you look at our track data from our simulators and compare it to real-world data, it is the same," said Scott Lovelace, KASC exercise planning and coordination. "The reason our data is so accurate is warfighters will ask us to improve different aspects of the systems to make them more realistic." Lovelace said most of the people working in the KASC are Air Force or Army retirees who have completed from 40 to 50 missions. So, when the Warrior Preparation Center in Germany and the 505th Combat Training Squadron from Hurlburt Air Force Base, Fla., assist during Key Resolve, they get a chance to talk to those people one on one and learn from them. The people here get refreshed with knowledge from the warfighters and the augmentees who are working with them. The KASC can also link real-time to the Korean Battle Simulation Center in Yongsang, Camp Casey, the Navy's 7th Fleet Command Ship USS Blue Ridge, the Air Force's Theater Battle Arena at the Pentagon, the Warrior Preparation Center in Germany and several other locations. The technology that makes this possible is known as distributed interactive simulation. DIS allows computers, software, models and simulations, as well as individuals to interact real-time anywhere in the world. The KASC has a close relationship with KBSC and distributes simulators to many other locations in the Pacific, reducing its footprint here and saving thousands of dollars per year. Since they share resources with other centers, KASC brought its operations costs from $3.2 million last year down to $1.3 million this year. "The best thing I have ever done is working here. I thought flying [Airborne Warning and Control System] would have been the best, but I get to work closely with warfighters every week. I am honored to serve alongside them," Lovelace said.