Measurement of Unit Effectiveness in Marine Corps Infantry Battalions
Abstract
The relative combat effectiveness of U.S. Marine Corps infantry battalions in 22 engagements spanning from World War II through Vietnam was estimated on the basis of the judgment of experienced Marine Corps officers about mission accomplishment. These same officers also identified the factors that they felt were crucial determinants of combat performance. Historical data were also collected on the units, the enermy forces involved, and the engagements. Multivariate statistics, including correlation, regression, and factor analysis, were used to examine the resulting data sets. The major findings of the analysis were that adaptive behavior by units -- reaction to the combat environment -- is the major discriminator between successful and unsuccessful performance. Three major types of activity appear to be related to mission accomplishment -- command and planning functions, which are strongly related to effective performance; supporting fires, which are moderately associated; and coordination functions, which are associated relatively weakly and appear to require effective command and planning before they make a difference. Analyses of over two dozen specific variables are presented in the report. A final section suggests innovations in the evaluation of exercise data to allow more effective measurement of the potential for combat effectiveness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA049231
Entities
People
- Bill Harvey
- Farid Abolfathi
- John J. Hayes
- Paul C. Davis
- Richard E. Hayes