Predicting Rapid Decision-Making Processes Required by the Dismounted Objective Force Warrior

The technology of the Objective Force Warrior (OFW), though still in the conceptual stage, promises to revolutionize warfare by providing information in unprecedented volume, particularly about the locations of threats and other human participants. Ensuring that Soldiers employ OFW technologies well may require a second revolution that focuses on training decision-making skills of warfighters. Predicting the effects of conceptual OFW technologies on decision makers is challenging. This research addresses this problem by laying the groundwork for a simulator that will accommodate a full research program-from discovering and validating requirements to building training-and enable the Army to observe future technology effects. The work triangulated a series of methods-knowledge elicitation methods, analyses, and exercises on a simulation test bed-to systematically examine and test hypotheses concerning decision making with future battle technologies. Our exercise of the test bed suggests there will be positive effects of the technology, as well as unintended negative effects. For example, we observed that threat-sensing technology simulated in this test bed simplified and focused the operation, but may have lulled players into a false sense of confidence in the technology's capabilities.