Computer literacy, especially the ability for leaders and staffs to use digital command and control systems, is clearly a decisive skill for success in the future battlespace. What is not clear is how best to achieve it. Relevant research findings support the use of a problem-based, student-centered approach in which the use of computer systems is situated in a context similar to the eventual expected performance setting. Whether this approach could be used in US Army institutional training successfully and within the given time constraint was the operational issue. This paper documents a successful implementation of the approach at the US Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC). The purpose of the new training methodology was to integrate tactics education with training on the Army Battle Command System (ABCS) in a Brigade operations course to produce both computer performance skills and tactical competency using the same amount of time previously devoted to tactics training alone. The methodology for this project consisted of a radical redesign of an existing tactics course, including the integration of a previously separate 40-hour computer operator course. The development also consisted of classroom configuration for maximum participation by the students and facilitation by the instructor. The methodology was based on a Constructivist approach to instruction that is described here to replace two existing courses at CGSC. The new program of instruction has shown that this combined training approach is viable at the introductory level, and we believe that it could be effective in both institutional training and unit training. The results of the course indicated that even students who came into the course with minimal understanding of tactics and no understanding of digitized tactical systems could produce high quality military operational products (such as orders and templates) using digital systems from the 147 hours of training. Our recommendations include

• dissemination of this approach to other officer training

• adapting the approach for operator training patterned on this successful experience with officers

• adapting the approach for "in stride" (just in time) training for units who will have to prepare for a wide variety of operational challenges with minimal train up time

• development of a 40-hour demonstration class for decision makers and potential instructors to allow them to experience the gains in computer literacy that can be obtained with this integrated method as part of the strategy for dissemination of this training approach