Assessing the Impact of Dismounted Infantry Small Unit Proficiency on Quantitative Measures of Collective Military Performance Part I: Recommended Test Methodologies
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Quantifying collective small unit performance in operational settings remains a significant challenge to both Army Science and Technology researchers and military communities to this day. While the rise in commercially available wearable sensors has increased the capacity to record and measure large amounts of data from in-field settings, interpretation and usage of that data is still severely hampered by a lack of understanding about what aspects of performance are meaningful to quantify in a combat setting. Using best practices and lessons learned from previously executed Small Unit Performance Analytics (SUPRA) experimentation work, the goal of this DTIC report is to two-fold: (1) Provide test methodology recommendations for the measurement of dismounted infantry squad performance during execution of Battle Drill 2A and Battle Drill 6 and (2) Provide recommendations on the development of metrics of collective small unit performance that correlate directly with operational outcomes. While the testing procedures for these two battle drills are the focus of this report, the authors believe that the general approaches and methods outlined here will provide the basis for data-driven assessments of small units executing other essential tasks and battle drills as applicable.
Assessing the Impact of Dismounted Infantry Small Unit Proficiency on Quantitative Measures of Collective Military Performance Part I: Recommended Test Methodologies