Training is a cornerstone of our Army. In the 2005 Army Posture Statement, Well-Trained Soldiers led by Adaptive Leaders is one of the four key areas supporting Transformation. Currently we are fighting a 21st century enemy with many burdensome training tools and systems. We are fighting an adaptive/learning enemy and we need to be agile enough to anticipate and adapt to his changes in techniques in near real or real time. We must change our mindset as stated in a recent TRADOC website article "Adapt or Die" which stresses the need for a culture of innovation. In addition, we must have the flexibility to train across the full spectrum of warfare at a moment's notice. There are exceptions, but agility is not currently a high priority in the training community. We propose using an Agile Program Management mindset to lay out a road map for providing training to our warfighters. The warfighter must take advantage of existing tools/technologies, like commercial games, and make 'good enough' adaptations to provide agile solutions for our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guard. We will show how some of these ideas were used to quickly develop the successful Gauntlet Training Program used by the 16th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Knox to train Armor/Cavalry Soldiers. Some of these techniques included: quickly defining 'good enough' requirements; using commercial products to provide rapid prototypes and solutions; using simulation to provide multiple events at a low cost per iteration; and leveraging the skills of the instructors. We will also provide some lessons learned from the Gauntlet program and propose some ideas for a way ahead. Change is occurring at an astounding rate in our services today, and we must be ready with processes and products that support innovation to facilitate our agility on today's and tomorrow's battlefield.
Agile Training - Infusing a Culture of Innovation into Training Warfighters
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