Engagement Skills Trainer: The Commander's Perspective

Abstract

The use of simulations is in an evolving capability in the U.S. Army. The Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) is a simulated rifle marksmanship trainer. Past research shows the EST is a cost-effective trainer. Research does not show how commanders use the EST in their training program. The study interviewed twenty previous company commanders. The study determined that commanders moderately used the EST in their unit training plans. Moderate is defined as greater than 50 percent used two or more of the EST training capabilities: individual, crew, and judgment training. In this study, commanders only scheduled the EST as part of primary marksmanship instruction. However, ten of the nineteen commanders used an additional training capability of the EST. The study concluded with recommendations to improve EST use. The author recommends making EST a mandatory part of marksmanship training. The author also recommends using EST as a record of fire for a sustainment training event. This record of fire event can only occur once per year and after a live fire qualification.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 09, 2017
Accession Number
AD1038629

Entities

People

  • Ryan Debeltz

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Artillery Units
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Instructions
  • Instructors
  • Judgment
  • Literature Surveys
  • Military Science
  • Psychology
  • Simulations
  • Students
  • Training
  • Training Devices
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation