Military Training. Its Effectiveness for Technical Specialties Is Unknown
Abstract
The ability of the armed forces to carry out their mission into the next century will depend on both hardware and personnel considerations: the reliability and appropriateness of weapons systems, the quality of military personnel, and the fit of human skills to the operating demands of weapons systems. If the entry-level aptitude, knowledge, and skills of new recruits should fall short of the human requirements needed to operate and maintain new technologically sophisticated systems, greater demands would be placed on the armed services to compensate for the shortfall through training. The purpose of this report was to examine the information collected by the Department of Defense (DOD) on both the quality of its new recruits and the effectiveness of its training in preparing recruits to operate in a technologically sophisticated environment. A recruit is admitted to military service and assigned to an occupational specialty on the basis of tests taken at recruitment. Upon completion of basic training, most recruits receive additional classroom training in their specialty and then are assigned to perform the specialty in the field. This typical sequence encompasses the three points in a recruit's service career where data critical to evaluating the success of training must be collected: at entrance to military life, during and upon completion of formal training, and after assignment to a military specialty in the field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 16, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA227669
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office