Cole Engineering snaps up STE deal

Orlando-based modelling and simulation specialist Cole Engineering Services has obtained a $192.61 million contract from the US Army for the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) - Information System Training Simulation Software/Training Management Tool.

The DoD announced on 14 June that Cole Engineering was selected ahead of ten other bids for the work, which will be completed by mid-October 2025.

STE is among the priority programmes for US Army modernisation; other examples include Long Range Precision Fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, Air and Missile Defense and Soldier Lethality. Total funding requested for these priorities increased from $9.4 billion in FY2021 to $11.2 billion in FY2022.

Indeed, the FY2022 DoD budget request sees funding for STE increase almost tenfold to $122 million. This reflects thinking at senior levels in the US Army: as Gen John Murray said in December 2020 at the vIITSEC conference, STE is ‘key and critical to what we are doing’ in terms of the future direction of soldier training.