Improving product performance through new equipment training (NET) techniques

• Main Authors: Miles, Connie E., Townes, Deirdre
• Other Authors: Simon, Cary
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10314

Joint Applied Project === The U.S. Military develops and fields infantry clothing and equipment (ICE) to protect ground warfighters against myriad environmental and man-made battlefield threats. ICE also augments physical activities to overcome identified battlefield deficiencies that will increase survivability, lethality, mobility and sustainability to improve combat effectiveness. More often than not, the maximum performance capabilities engineered into newly fielded ICE are not fully utilized to benefit the military user. We examine the ICE training problem for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to identify practical and strategic changes in instruction, process, and procedures to help the Marine realize the full performance potential of new ICE issued to him/her. The improved ICE training strategy recommends implementing six corrective actions, which collectively increase Marines' ability to notice ICE training, improve their ability to understand its training message, and reinforce newly gained ICE knowledge to habitually use ICE correctly. The training approach principles should be applicable to the United States Army whose Soldiers similarly experience under utilized capabilities from their combat clothing and equipment.