In military aviation, the post-flight debrief has a long tradition and currently retains a robust community of practice. Across military services, the debrief is consistently recognized as a vital step in the learning process. The importance of debriefing to the goal of maintaining an effective fighting force is widely recognized but scholarly attention to improving the process remains surprisingly thin.
The challenge of accurately recreating spatially complex tasks like maneuvering aircraft remains a consistent challenge for debriefing. Typical methods of recreating events within aviation training have remained surprisingly unchanged over decades of practice. These include using a whiteboard, map, and a small aircraft model attached to short stick. Recent advancements in immersive technology mean that evaluation of the methods for post-mission debrief is needed. This paper explores the application of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technology to enhance the debrief process. Recently a partnership with Arizona State University and the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base has begun a prototype model using AR for the post debrief process. The concept and initial application were entered into the US Air Force’s AFWERX Spark Tank 2021 competition, and has (at the time of this writing) been selected as a finalist for the overall competition (Butler, 2020) (SECAF Public Affairs, 2020). Based on these efforts and prototype, a theoretical analysis of the debrief process was examined, including benefits, challenges, and limitations of the practice. A proposal for how to refine this prototype and evaluate it in a controlled environment relative to current debrief methods is provided.