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Virtual Air Force base opens doors to public

  • Published
  • By Scott Knuteson
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  The first virtual Air Force base opened its doors to the world Dec. 2, heralded by Maj. Gen. Erwin Lessel, the Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments at Air Education and Training Command. 

The general's remarks were made during the general officers' panel discussion at the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference in Orlando, Fla. 

Dubbed "MyBase," the entirely digital creation is meant to represent the Air Force to the general public, and was built from scratch in the popular digital online "world," Second Life. Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual world where users can socialize and create a pseudo-existence using virtual characters who chat by voice and text. 

With more than 15 million worldwide accounts registered to Second Life, the Air Force hopes MyBase will attract people interested in learning more about the Air Force, said Col. John Thompson, Air Education and Training Command Future Learning Division chief. 

The colonel's team, in conjunction with Air University's Innovations and Integrations Division headed by Mike McCrocklin, created the base jointly under the direction of General Lessel. 

Much like any other 3D video game interface, the sprawling expanse of modern and futuristic buildings throughout the "virtual" Air Force base can be explored by an avatar - the on-screen character created and controlled by a user. As visitors explore the base, they can learn about the Air Force's history and future, enjoy interactive experiences, including a virtual flight in a P-51 Mustang, and have the opportunity to interact with other visitors and Air Force staff whose characters might be strolling throughout the base. They can even pick up a free, virtual Air Force T-shirt to don on their digital character or see links for enlistment and commissioning information and learn how to contact the nearest Air Force recruiter. 

"We built this public version of MyBase for people who have very little opportunity to interact with the Air Force," Dr. Andrew Stricker, a member of the Air University Innovation and Integration division, said prior to the conference. "Here, anyone can learn about the Air Force and discover opportunities to become involved." 

The long-term objective is to incorporate future interactive, virtual worlds into Air Force professional military education, according to General Lessel. 

"MyBase is a virtual environment that integrates our concepts for the future of education and training," General Lessel said. "This release of MyBase, which is open for business this morning, is just the first step in securing a supplemental virtual environment for the education of our Airmen worldwide." 

Subsequent phases will be designed with distance learning and collaborative academic environments in mind, and later versions may take on a very different feel as a secure form of communication meant for the education of active-duty Airmen. Offering virtual-based training could offset the cost of travel to training sites around the world, which often includes lodging and other expenses. 

Already, real-life universities are utilizing the easily-configured virtual world of Second Life to facilitate the virtual equivalent of a classroom, according to Dr. Stricker. Students and teachers might log on to Second Life from a regular computer connected to the internet, "teleport" their character to a particular venue within the virtual world, and walk into a virtual conference room or classroom filled with other users. This example, along with countless opportunities for interaction with academia worldwide, are among the opportunities Air Force leaders see as pertinent to the development of Air Force education in a technology-driven world. 

"We have worked closely for years with several top universities to investigate the possibilities of technology as it applies to education," Dr. Stricker said. "The exploration of virtual, online environments as a means for education is just one of our latest endeavors." 

For now, the virtual base will serve as a touch point for those wanting to learn more about the Air Force. 

The Innovations and Integrations Division, housed under Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., began working on the concept of involvement in the virtual world months ago when they built "Huffman Prairie," another virtual Air Force region in Second Life. 

General Lessel noticed their work as he was exploring the best way to implement directives outlined in a White Paper released in January, an effort sponsored by then-commander of Air Education and Training Command, Gen. William R. Looney III. The paper was produced with two purposes in mind according to General Looney. The first was to generate a body of thought on the future of education and training. The second was to focus on impending issues for the Air Force. 

"The young men and women who will lead our Air Force in the future have been living in a digital world their entire lives and are better prepared than any other generation to operate in this environment," General Looney said at the time the paper was published. "It is imperative that we understand their needs and expectations, and develop an enterprise-wide system that fosters learning and captures their most critical asset -- knowledge." 

MyBase will provide an environment for lifelong learning, from educating the general public, to entry into the service, and throughout Airmen's careers and post-career years, according to the paper. 

Of course, the Air Force's involvement in an online virtual world in any capacity may concern some, Dr. Stricker noted. 

"There are concerns when you are in an environment like this that people can do whatever they want to," the professor said. "My response is, 'Interesting how it mimics real life.' 

"Without question, these freedoms demand a principled design approach," Dr. Stricker said of the possibility of professional military education on a similar platform. "It requires responsible stewardship to maximize the beneficial elements of these environments." 

Other immediate concerns for the first phase of the project included the way the Air Force represents itself in a virtual landscape that offers endless possibilities for creation, according to the professor. 

"When we started putting definition and shape to these buildings, there are different ways we could have represented the Air Force," he said. "Do you build MyBase to look like an Air Force base does today, or should we symbolically represent the Air Force through more futuristic buildings? These are the kind of questions we had to consider as we achieved a balance in our construction of MyBase." 

The Air Force is not the first government entity to explore the potential of online worlds. According to Dr. Stricker, the last two years have seen a dramatic increase in such online ventures by government agencies. 

Individuals can access MyBase by logging onto www.secondlife.com, creating their own avatar and typing MyBase in the keyword search. 

Explore the Air Force base long and hard enough, and you might just find an out-of-this-world, virtual trip to space, Dr. Stricker said.