Michael Baum

Branch Chief for the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) and S3I

U.S. Army

Mr. Michael K. Baum is the Branch Chief for the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) Software, Simulation, Systems Engineering and Integration (S3I) Directorate Trainers/Human Dimensions Branch.
In 2002, Mr. Baum began his career at the U.S. Army CCDC Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) at Redstone Arsenal, AL where he has been employed since. Early in his career, Mr. Baum developed software for the Army’s Aviation Mission Planning System (AMPS) which provides mission data loading into the helicopter for navigation, communications, weapons, and post mission information. In 2006, he began his work in the field sport and performance psychology as the project lead for AvMC in the standup of the Army Centers for Enhanced Performance (ACEP) program. ACEP trained and educated Soldiers in Sport Psychology skills and techniques as tactical athletes. The ACEP program eventually transitioned into the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) Training Centers with Mr. Baum, managing eighteen training center locations and over 210 sport and performance psychologists.
Since then, Mr. Baum has worked to develop and deploy cohesive training solutions utilizing Immersive technologies, Cognitive Enhancement and Human Performance training to a host of Army, DoD, and Federal Government entities to include: U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School, Army Cyber and Intelligence Centers of Excellence, Army Resiliency Directorate, Army Research Institute, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Air Force Air Education and Training Command, U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence School, Transportation Security Administration, Defense Acquisition University, Hendricks Motorsports, and the Indianapolis Colts. Mr. Baum has been involved with the Army’s Human Dimension Task Force, Army Learning Strategies Working Group, U.S. Army CCDC Soldier Center, and Army University. The highlight of Mr. Baum’s career was to partner with General Motors to develop an adaptive driving trainer for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and Center for the Intrepid (CFI) that enabled a safe, realistic, virtual training environment for Wounded, Ill, and Injured Soldiers to re-learn and practice driving with adaptive controls.
Over the past three years, Michael has worked to develop and implement a holistic training platform for Army, Air Force, and Navy aviators and pilots. Michael is the AvMC lead, supporting the Training Next program which increases the frequency and repetition of basic flight training maneuvers (hover, takeoff, landing, approach) by utilizing immersive, simulation-based training. The Training Next platform integrates Virtual Reality, a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf flight simulator, a high-fidelity helicopter/aircraft specific virtual model, performance psychology skills, and biofeedback technologies to create immersive, individualized pilot training that is both scalable and highly accessible.
Mr. Michael Baum holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and Master of Science in Software Engineering from the University of Alabama Huntsville and is a Ph.D. candidate for a terminal degree in Systems Engineering.
Mr. Baum and his wife, Candace, have one son, Asher.

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