Technical report | Recommendations for Collective Training for the Battle Management System

Abstract 

This report documents the results of a literature review in collective training for Battle Management Systems. Articles reviewed include experiments, interviews with experts, reports from implementation of Battle Management Systems, and psychological literature on learning and training. Recommendations for a collective training product are provided.

Executive Summary

The Australian Army is current ly acquiring a dismounted Battle Management System (BMS) as part of Project Land 75. This report investigates the use of BMSs by overseas military, and provides recommendations for the acquisition of a collective training capability for use in Australia.

Based on a literature review of experimental studies, interviews with Subject Matter Experts, reports on military collective training, and psychological research in learning and training, a BMS collective training package should:

• facilitate understanding of weaknesses in the system and basic workarounds;
• follow a crawl-walk-run approach;  be easily broken down into component tasks;
• provide appropriate feedback from the BMS;
• allow the instructor ample opportunity to view the learners' performance;
• take into account military personnel's existing knowledge and skill levels;
• provide opportunities for hands-on experience or active participation;
• provide sessions for ongoing maintenance of skill and knowledge; compensate for missing team members, and provide simulation of other echelons in a Combined Arms Team environment;
• resemble live environment, including suboptimal working conditions,

The successful application of the principles noted above will form the basis of a successful collective training capability for BMSs for the Australian Army.

• enhance user SA of battlefield; and
• cater for limitations in human information processing capabilities, to not overload operators and trainers.