Have you always worked in virtual reality and augmented reality? 

My career has always centred around innovative applications of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies in various industries, including defence. In 2018, I played a pivotal role in a strategic management buyout, becoming an owner of both SimWave and its parent company, SimFront which was acquired by Calian in 2021. Today, as the Director of Immersive Learning at Calian, I lead our team in developing cutting-edge solutions, maintaining client relationships and driving business growth. Additionally, I serve as a public speaker, articulating the value of our technology to investors and boards of directors, and at industry conferences. 

How are you contributing to Calian’s culture of innovation in military training? 

My favourite aspect of my job is the opportunity to innovate. Each project presents unique challenges and demands creative solutions, which fuels my passion for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. I relish the chance to conceptualize innovative solutions for our military partners and collaborate with my talented team to bring those ideas to life. The dynamic nature of working in innovation keeps me engaged—and overcoming the perception of extended reality technology as a niche or passing trend is a particularly rewarding challenge. When we succeed in demonstrating the real-world impact and value of our work, it’s incredibly fulfilling. 

How is your role supporting military readiness in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape? 

Firstly, by developing immersive training solutions like AR training for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) replenishment-at-sea procedures, we enable personnel to receive realistic and effective training, enhancing their readiness for real-world operations.  

My role directly contributes to the security of Canada and the global community through our collaboration with the RCN and other military organizations, fostering stability and readiness in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape. We have been providing simulation support to the Canadian military since 2006. Notably, our AR training solutions—including our replenishment-at-sea (RaS) solution—equip RCN personnel with the skills to conduct crucial operations in a safe and effective way.  

Furthermore, our Constructive Visualizer (ConVis) project showcases our dedication to innovation, providing a virtual holographic sand table for immersive training and planning simulations to bolster defence capabilities and readiness. We’ve also provided digital twin support by 3D-modeling the RCN’s ship fleet. 

How does Calian provide an immersive training environment for a “train-as-you-fight” experience? 

Calian has delivered realistic, immersive simulation-based military training for over 25 years for more than 250,000 military personnel at over 30 locations across NATO countries. Calian’s training tools deliver a superior training experience. Using a systems-agnostic approach, we integrate simulation and operational systems into a single immersive training environment for a “train-as-you-fight” experience. Calian delivers military training simulation solutions for collective and high-readiness training. Using intuitive and interoperable tools and systems, Calian delivers an end-to-end training solution to design, develop, deliver and evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based training exercises in a common synthetic training environment.  

How is Calian’s recent collaboration with Microsoft helping to shape next-generation synthetic training? 

The Calian team is working with Microsoft to deliver next-generation synthetic training in the Microsoft Azure cloud environment. Significantly for military customers, this enables cost-effective and time-efficient high-quality training for disparate units, including reservist units, regardless of location.  Calian’s synthetic training environment is a collective training experience focused on mission-critical decision-making in the face of live and simulated data. When deployed via Azure, all elements of the synthetic training environment, such as cloud computing, virtual and augmented reality, wargaming, data analytics, after-action reviews, collective training and individual engagement, are accessible to geographically distributed military personnel. Individual, collective, and command training supported by the cloud enhances readiness and decision-making for real-life situations. 

How does Calian train sailors on land for missions at sea using immersive technology? 

Calian’s immersive training solutions allows military customers to train for complex, process-driven tasks ashore without the cost of going to sea and with minimal risk of injury.  

Calian has delivered a mixed reality training solution for replenishment at sea for the Royal Canadian Navy.  This solution allowed sailors to learn the RaS process and activities on land in a low-risk setting.  This approach was intended to boost confidence and competence in performing these critical tasks at sea.  Keeping sailors engaged with training in an immersive environment improves learner engagement and knowledge retention, boosting the effectiveness of training. 

How long does it take to build an immersive training environment? 

Typically we can build an environment in three to four months and we have the expertise to build multiple at the same time. My team has been doing this now since 2014 and we build these all in-house. The talented Calian team is comprised of artists, animators, graphic designers, developers, sound designers and project managers. 

What are the benefits of immersive simulation based military training? 

Immersive simulated battlespaces are crucial in everyday military training as they prepare for live training exercises, and they make live training more valuable as soldiers can practice many times prior to live training in the field. There is a cost saving as all you need is a headset, and you can train from anywhere in world which also presents a time saving. It is also low risk for injuries as the soldiers are not using real large machines and vehicles.  The Calian systems allow us to collect training performance data which enables the soldiers to repeat the training numerous times until they are ready to do it in real life. It is important to note that it would be impossible to recreate some of these environments in real life, as armed forces are overstretched fulfilling today’s commitments. 

How can simulation-based military training assist NATO’s largest exercises? 

Calian uses a blend of technology solutions, modelling and simulation, and the experience and expertise of its international team to design, develop, and deliver training to meet NATO’s training objectives. Calian’s proven technology makes developing and delivering computer-aided exercises in a common synthetic training environment possible. Using NATO-standard methods and approaches for training development and delivery, Calian integrates subject matter experts with deep military experience and industry-leading simulation technologies to design, develop and deliver cost-effective training experiences. 

We are seeing more large-scale group military training from various NATO countries. Simulation-based training allows for joint and multinational training at a fraction of the cost. 

In the NATO context, interoperability is essential. Many NATO-member nations have their own proprietary training and operational systems that are not necessarily compatible with those of their allies. To address this challenge, Calian uses the Virtual Command and Control Interface (VCCI). VCCI is a purpose-built interoperability solution that is continuously updated. VCCI is already fully interoperable with many simulation systems used in NATO and is being used to connect operational communications and ISR systems into large headquarters. Calian’s audio distribution service (ADS), is delivering system-agnostic connectivity of field radios, allowing leaders to see and contact any callsign in the network. ADS also has voice-to-text capability, turning audio radio calls into text on screen in a headquarters. With translation capability, the language barrier is reduced with voice translated into different languages in text. ADS reduces the volume and distraction in a busy headquarters, facilitating clear communications, passage of information and enabling faster decision-making. VCCI and ADS connect simulation and operational systems to deliver a real “train-as-you-fight” experience.