Tactical decision making (TDM) can be defined as a process whereby an individual must gather, process, integrate and assimilate information in order to choose or develop a course of action that will lead to attainment of tactical goals. In order to support this process, tactical knowledge must be cognitively accessible to tactical decision makers so that they are able to recall and apply it in crucial situations. At present, the bulk of tactical knowledge is presented initially to surface warfare tactical decision makers in print format (e.g., tactical memoranda, tactical notes, and other publications). However, recent research into decision making in complex environments has shed light on the manner in which expert decision makers use knowledge in support of a decision, suggesting alternative strategies for presenting tactical knowledge in the learning process so that it is easier for tactical decision makers to remember and apply in required situations.

The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of how tactical knowledge can be presented to tactical decision makers so as to improve its retainability and useability in crucial decision making situations. To accomplish this goal, several activities were completed: (1) leveraging the work conducted under Tactical Decision Making Under Stress (TADMUS) project, a description of manner in which expert tactical decision makers employ knowledge in crucial decision making situations was formulated; (2) using this information, conclusions regarding the manner in which tactical knowledge must be initially presented to decision makers were drawn; and (3) based on the first two activities, a description of an automated system for presenting tactical knowledge that increases its retainability and accessibility in crucial decision making situations was formulated. The results of these activities are documented in this paper.