Common Battlefield Training for Airmen

165 Pages·2007·0.68 MB·English

by  Thomas Manacapilli

Common Battlefield Training
for Airmen
Thomas Manacapilli, Chaitra M. Hardison, Brian Gifford,
Alexis Bailey, Aimee Bower
Prepared for the United States Air Force
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force under
Contract FA7014-06-C-0001. Further information may be obtained from the Strategic
Planning Division, Directorate of Plans, Hq USAF.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Common battlefield training for airmen / Thomas Manacapilli ... [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8330-4185-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Aeronautics, Military—Study and teaching—United States. 2. United States. Air Force—Airmen.
I. Manacapilli, Thomas.
UG638.C66 2007
358.4'15071073—dc22
2007034638
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Preface
Air Force senior leadership has recognized the need for all airmen to possess a set of skills that
will enable them to survive and operate in an expeditionary environment. This monograph
provides results of three connected analyses toward proposed training changes to build the
future expeditionary airman.
The first analysis used as its starting point a proposed training curriculum for common
battlefield airman training (CBAT) developed by the Air Force Directorate of Operations (AF/
A3O) and the Air Education and Training Command, Technical Training Division (AETC/
A3T) for airmen within seven Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs) who operate outside the
perimeter of an air base. These include combat controller technicians (combat control teams
[CCTs]), pararescuemen (PJs), security forces (SF), terminal attack controllers, combat weath-
ermen (battlefield weather teams [BWTs]), and specialties associated with explosive ordnance
disposal (EOD) and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE). In this analysis, we exam-
ined how CBAT affects the existing curriculum for these seven AFSCs.
The second analysis used the results of the first to develop a CBAT plan of instruction
(POI). Using this estimated POI, we computed CBAT resource requirements (e.g., training
areas and devices, classrooms, and instructors) using the RAND Schoolhouse Model.1
The third analysis consisted of a survey of individuals in previously deployed, non–ground
combat Air Force specialties to develop a list of incidents they faced in high-threat environ-
ments. Using these data, subject-matter experts were able to develop a list of training categories
to prepare non–ground combat deployers for these situations.
This work was based on proposals the Air Force developed in 2005 and early 2006. The
first two analyses document work related to concepts envisioned at that time. Since then, many
of the proposals and much of the direction has changed. Nonetheless, we document our find-
ings here because they may be useful in evaluating further revisions of the concepts. The third
analysis is concept-independent, having value beyond that for any specific proposal for combat
training for non–ground combat personnel.
This study was sponsored by AF/A3O and the Air Force Directorate of Security Forces
(AF/A7S) and conducted within the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program of RAND
Project AIR FORCE for a fiscal year 2006 project, “Expeditionary Airmen Requirement
Analysis.”
1 The RAND Schoolhouse Model was developed under previous RAND Project AIR FORCE work. A description of the
model can be found in Manacapilli and Bennett, 2006.
iii
iv Common Battlefield Training for Airmen
This monograph should be of interest to Air Force leaders and staffs concerned with
developing expeditionary airmen.
RAND Project AIR FORCE
RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air
Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF pro-
vides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development,
employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces. Research is
conducted in four programs: Aerospace Force Development; Manpower, Personnel, and Train-
ing; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine.
Additional information about PAF is available on our Web site:
http://www.rand.org/paf/
Contents
Preface........................................................................................................... iii
Figures........................................................................................................... ix
Tables ............................................................................................................ xi
Summary.......................................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgments............................................................................................ xix
Glossary ........................................................................................................ xxi
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction..................................................................................................... 1
Definitions........................................................................................................ 1
History ............................................................................................................ 2
Limitations of This Study....................................................................................... 3
Organization of This Monograph.............................................................................. 4
CHAPTER TWO
Evaluation of Common Battlefield Airman Training.................................................... 5
CBAT Evaluation Process....................................................................................... 5
Assessment Goals................................................................................................. 6
Caveats ............................................................................................................ 6
Field Training and Administrative Activities............................................................... 6
Physical Training .............................................................................................. 7
Deferred Proficiency........................................................................................... 7
CBAT Requirements ............................................................................................ 7
CBAT Course Enhancements and Proficiency Deferrals ................................................... 9
Training Enhancements....................................................................................... 9
Proficiency Deferrals..........................................................................................10
Additional Considerations.....................................................................................10
Effects of Extended Training Pipelines.....................................................................11
Refresher Training............................................................................................11
Physical and Psychological Demands ......................................................................12
v
vi Common Battlefield Training for Airmen
CHAPTER THREE
Resource Requirements for the CBAT Course...........................................................15
Building a CBAT Model.......................................................................................15
Assumptions.....................................................................................................16
CBAT Requirements ...........................................................................................18
Housing Requirements.......................................................................................19
Instructor Requirements.................................................................................... 20
Training Device Requirements..............................................................................21
Training Facility Requirements............................................................................ 22
Acreage Training Range Area Requirements............................................................. 22
Summary of CBAT Requirements........................................................................... 22
CHAPTER FOUR
Developing a CBAT Companion Course..................................................................25
Introduction.....................................................................................................25
Stage 1: Focus Groups......................................................................................... 26
Participants................................................................................................... 26
Protocol....................................................................................................... 26
Results......................................................................................................... 27
Stage 2: Survey................................................................................................. 28
Participants................................................................................................... 28
Contents .......................................................................................................29
Results..........................................................................................................29
Stage 3: Follow-Up Interviews................................................................................ 34
Participants................................................................................................... 34
Method........................................................................................................ 34
Results......................................................................................................... 34
Stage 4: Sorting by Subject-Matter Experts..................................................................35
Participants....................................................................................................35
Method.........................................................................................................35
Results......................................................................................................... 36
Recommendations............................................................................................. 38
Who Should Attend......................................................................................... 38
Course Length ............................................................................................... 38
Content.........................................................................................................39
Refreshing the Content ..................................................................................... 40
CHAPTER FIVE
Next Steps.......................................................................................................41
APPENDIXES
A. CBAT Course Description............................................................................... 43
B. Development of CBAT Model Courses ................................................................49
Contents vii
C. RAND Schoolhouse Model Data Inputs and Outputs .............................................55
D. CBAT Companion–Related Excerpts from the Air Force Lessons Learned Database........65
E.CBAT Companion Survey Items........................................................................71
F. CBAT Companion List of Incidents and SME Categorizations.................................. 77
Bibliography.................................................................................................. 137

Figures
1.1. Sequence and Duration of Proposed CBAT Course............................................ 3
3.1. RAND Schoolhouse Model......................................................................16
3.2. CBAT Course Pipeline............................................................................17
3.3. CBAT and CBAT Companion Production Requirements and Initial
Operational Capabilities..........................................................................18
3.4. Actual Daily Student Load for Production of 1,200 Graduates per Year...................19
3.5. Actual Daily Student Load for Production of 6,600 Graduates per Year.................. 20
ix