The AOC is a weapon unlike any other in the United States Air Force (USAF) inventory. Training hundreds of personnel across various duty specialties to function toward common Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) objectives is a complex and arduous task. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Warfighter Training Research Division, along with Aptima Inc., and the Group for Organizational Effectiveness (gOE), have undertaken this challenge and have begun to define AOC training requirements. The method by which they have defined these requirements includes an in-depth and specific functional work analysis of each division to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills a person needs to be competent in his or her position within an AOC.

This paper focuses on three ways to apply this process to transform traditional AOC training. To date, AOC training events utilize large-scale scenarios built by experienced AOC personnel. These scenarios focus on training objectives at a general level across the AOC. Consequently, due to the numerous jobs within an AOC and the generality of the current scenarios, traditional AOC training has not been efficient. The outcomes of this research can be used to enhance scenarios used for AOC training and construct a training repertoire at a level more inclusive of the entire training audience, thus optimizing the training received during large-scale exercises and ensuring AOC operators receive the most comprehensive training possible. By linking a comprehensive list of specific knowledge and skills to actions elicited by scenarios, we aim to (1) identify possible training gaps missed by current scenarios, (2) refine current scenarios to better focus the training objectives for all participants, and (3) develop a more comprehensive list of scenarios to cover all knowledge and skills required to be an expert AOC operator working within the Combat Operations Division (COD) and related support functions.