Book Description

Command groups are increasingly turning to computer-driven command post exercises (CPX) as an economical and convenient means of training. The overall realism of this method of training relies heavily on the capabilities of the control staff, who must act as key personnel in the units at echelons above, below, and adjacent to the training audience. The controllers must generate a stream of realistic tactical messages, while attending to a myriad of other duties that place demands on their time. Further, this task is not well supported by the current generation of battle simulations. Automating the production of realistic messages is one solution to the problem. This report examines whether experienced Army officers can distinguish between messages produced in a CPX and FTX environment and investigates the characteristics of the messages that contribute to successful identification. The research will identify requirements for a system to automate the translation of simulation output into realistic messages. Keywords: Alert messages; Command group training; CPX training; FTX training; Computer simulation; Battle simulation; Controller workload. (eg).