Skills Required for Platoon Leaders in the Objective Force Unit of Action
Abstract
The objective of this research was to identify and measure skills required by platoon leaders in the objective force unit of action (UA). The research was embedded in a UA experiment conducted in simulation in the Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab. The authors used the Job Assessment Survey Software to examine types and levels of skill clusters and individual skills needed by platoon leaders. Results showed that for both the tasks of "maintain situational awareness," and "command and control the platoon," the clusters of conceptual, communication, and vision are important. Concerning individual skills, the highest ranking skills over both tasks combined were mental skills, such as time sharing, selective attention, speed of closure, and memorization; communication skills, such as oral comprehension and oral expression; and vision skills, including depth perception, night vision, far vision, and near vision. Platoon leaders have very high skill requirements for their level in the future force. However, these high ratings may well be as much attributable to their lack of experience as to the difficulty of the job. The authors propose human factors, training, and selection interventions to help meet skill demands. (2 tables, 3 figures, 7 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA423168
Entities
People
- Bruce S. Sterling
- Cheryl A. Burns
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory