Air Force flight training.

In reference to the story, "Air Force sets sights on 'Airman of the future' video games" (December 2006, page 38), I would like to correct several points.

First and foremost, Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) training has been commonplace in the Air Force for more than 10 years--its advent was not a result of the Army's recent video game release.

In addition, many of the terms in the article were used incorrectly. The Distributed Mission Operations Center (DMOC) is the Air Force's premier modeling and simulation facility, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., to perform Distributed Mission Operations (DMO), linking live, virtual and constructive assets for training and testing in exercises such as Virtual Flag. The Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) is leased by Air Combat Command for approximately $200 million a year (as cited in your article), and is run by Northrop Grumman. The Distributed Mission Operations Center operates on a budget of less than 10 percent of that amount.

Additionally, technologies used at the Distributed Mission Operations Center are not 10 years old. While one of the center's current simulators is approaching 10 years of age, all of the remaining simulators are state-of-the-art technologies.

The problems David Votipka cited are not attributable to DMOC technology or network capability. Most of the problems he cites are contractual issues with agencies outside the DMOC'S purview. To be clear, the problems that GAO identified are not related to any internal DMOC simulators or networks. The men and women of the DMOC are proud to be the military's lead innovator for creating new technologies in a distributed environment, linking joint, coalition, and Air Force legacy and developmental systems to enhance war fighter training.

Col. Leonard Moskal, USAF

Commander, 505th Distributed Warfare Group

Kirtland AFB, N.M.