ABSTRACT
The importance of starting the specification and procurement of training programmes and equipment with a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) derives from dissatisfaction with current procurement practices and methods of meeting the related training needs. Deficiencies often noted are the failure to reach the required level of performance after training, the time lag between procurement of systems and the delivery of (adapted) training packages or devices, the failure to consider the implications of new equipment for the role of training personnel, and, last but not least, the often unsatisfactory quality of training material and training devices. Low or even negative transfer of training on a training simulator is an example of the high risks of inadequate specification of training needs, training programmes and training media such as simulators. To these considerations can be added the increasing need for more efficient training programmes due to decreasing budgets and training time, and the requirement for highly effective training programmes, enabling high-level operational performance in the very first missions assigned to a military unit ('first shot' performance). The public accepts neither high military losses nor failures in peace-keeping or peace-enforcing operations.
