ABSTRACT
The after-action review (AAR) is a mechanism for providing feedback to military units on their performance of collective tasks. Much of the work involved in developing and refining the AAR process was accomplished to support the training of US Army units. US Army units train in live, virtual, constructive, or mixed simulations of battlefield environments. Virtual training environments are available for the Army's mechanized forces. Live simulation training is widely available, but the most highly supported form of live simulation training is generally found at the Army's three maneuver combat training centers (CTCs). Collective training exercises can provide intrinsic and extrinsic feedback on soldier and leader performance. Intrinsic feedback consists of the cues that exercise participants perceive about their own performance that guide their performance and let them know how well they are performing. Formal postexercise feedback sessions are one of the types of extrinsic feedback that can be used to improve unit performance.
