Vanguard Magazine

I INSIDE INDUSTRY 14 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 www.vanguardcanada.com be configured and set up with the opera- tional software and linked out; you can hook it up to a network, and actually train with other ships." In fact, with a bit of tweaking, Lockheed Martin Canada could actually turn its test site into a full training site as well – but of course, they already have that. We enter it through a space-like airlock chamber with heavy metal doors. It's a classified area, which means that anyone within its soundproof walls can sing out the nation's deepest, darkest secrets at the top of their lungs without being heard anywhere else in the building. They've tested for that, too. "The Navy comes in here and they do war cries," Copeland says. "We put them through a full battle scenario – a World War Three-type event. We provide that simulated environment for them to do whatever they need to train on." The training space is expansive; filled with various command and control sys- tems I couldn't even turn on let alone understand how to use. Nearby, there's a room with a couple of giant screens where Navy brass can watch new officers expe- rience epic meltdowns while attempting to respond to simulated apocalyptic con- ditions. Copeland says the space is often filled with tension; the Navy takes training seriously, and careers can be jeopardized by failing to perform in the scenarios op- erators must overcome. It's easy to tell that the Navy has benefit- ted tremendously since MATTS opened its doors in 2009. A few berets sit on a shelf as we leave the training area and I'm told that there's a small number of Navy personnel that work out of the building. In total, more than 200 people work at MATTS, making them a sizable employer in the Halifax region, and anywhere else in the province. "It does fluctuate," Co- peland says. "We have people who go back and forth to the shipyard. At one time, we were up around 255, at the peak of the development cycle." Chapdelaine follows up on Copeland's comment, explaining that Lockheed Mar- tin Canada has focused its efforts on hir- ing people through the local universities. "It's been extremely successful. The talent here has been fabulous. I've been using a very conservative number that 50% are in that college range, but it's probably higher than that. We've got, probably 60-70%, since we've been here." From 2009–2012, Copeland says that Lockheed Martin Canada hired nearly all the graduates coming out of computer sci- ences and computer engineering at Dal- housie University, some at St. Mary's and elsewhere around the province. Copeland and Chapdelaine do not have to work hard to sell Lockheed Martin Canada's contribution to our Navy, and to the broader Halifax community. And as the Canadian Surface Program evolves, Lockheed Martin will be standing by with the only facility of its kind in the country specially dedicated to performing combat systems integration work. That, 200 jobs and 25 years of service to the Navy have to count for something. "From 2009–2012, Copeland says that Lockheed Martin Canada hired nearly all the graduates coming out of computer sciences and computer engineering at Dalhousie University…" — Glenn Copeland "It's been extremely successful. The talent here has been fabulous. I've been using a very conservative number that 50% are in that college range, but it's probably higher than that. We've got, probably 60- 70%, since we've been here." — Rosemarie Chapdelaine Rosemarie Chapdelaine: Lockheed Martin Canada's Vice President and General Manager. Glenn Copeland: Lockheed Martin Canada's Naval Programs Manager.

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