Military Review English Edition November December 2016 | Page 101
TRANSFORMING TRAINING
2015
2015
Capt. Andrew P. Jenkins, U.S. Army
T
he Army is currently in the midst of a multiyear
effort to optimize training and education across
the force to ensure it is ready for any future
conflicts. The U.S. Army Operating Concept forecasts
future conflicts as complex endeavors, requiring agile
and adaptive leaders and organizations to address hybrid
threats and complex environments.1 To prepare for
these challenges, the Army sees education as its primary
tool. In a July-August 2015 article in Military Review, Lt.
MILITARY REVIEW November-December 2016
Gen. Robert Brown, then commanding general of the
U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC), states that
enabling education “is the most reliable strategic hedge in
investment that the Army can make in the face of an uncertain future.”2 Brown further describes the status of the
Army’s educational system as “inadequate for addressing
the growing complexity, volatility, and uncertainty of the
twenty-first century security environment.”3 To address
this shortfall, there are several ongoing efforts to improve
99
PUY CO
DE
NT
2016
PUY CO
DE
EST
NT
Transforming Unit
Training with the
Science of Learning
PUY CO
DE
EST
NT
A simulated improvised explosive device detonates during a realistic training scenario 1 May 2008 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin,
California. The soldiers are from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. Training events like this
can be further enhanced by applying the science of learning and instructional design. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson, U.S. Air Force)