Training the Troops: What Today's Soldiers Tell Us About Training for Information-Age Digital competency

摘要

Army transformation requires soldiers who can use information-age digital skills to accomplish tasks and to do essential coordination with others. The objective of this research was to gain insights on best practices for training; this was accomplished by interviewing soldiers currently trained on and using the Army's most advanced digital technology. Sixty-two operators of Army Battle Command Systems (ABOS) answered questionnaires and participated in interviews that addressed the soldiers' perspectives on how best to capitalize on training to meet the demands of the current Army and the Army of the future. Findings showed that soldiers desire and need additional training on how to integrate their digital systems to accomplish their Army mission. They want this training to be hands on, scenario based, and in a full job flow sequence. Soldiers noted difficulties with different digital systems communicating with each other, which degrades situational awareness. Another concern was the dependence on contract personnel to maintain and troubleshoot equipment. This snapshot of the current state of digital training in U.S. Army units provides insights from the users' perspective that highlights preferred and advantageous training practices.