ABSTRACT
Recent research in joint military training (Burns et al, 2003) has revealed a potential domain for situation awareness research and practice: the observers and trainers of the military Joint Task Force Headquarters (JTF HQ). A Joint Task Force is composed of a headquarters and military forces from two or more of the armed services. It is established, normally on a short term or temporary basis, to accomplish a specific mission. The size of the Joint Task Force is tailored to its mission. It could involve large scale combat operations or smaller scale humanitarian or disaster relief missions such as occurred in south Florida during Hurricane Andrew. The Commander of the Joint Task Force (CJTF) normally works for a senior military commander such as the commander of a unified or combatant command. The JTF HQ members generate the orders, plans, and reports that direct the entire military operation.
A principal method for training the Joint Task Force is a “wargame.” In such a wargame, a simulation model represents a theater of operations and requires the JTF HQ to function as it would under actual operational conditions. As the JTF HQ conducts its mission, a diverse group of training and control personnel support the training exercise. Among this group, “observer/trainers” act as facilitators for the training audience by observing, assessing, and coaching its performance. The task of Observer/Trainers (O/Ts) is cognitively complex. The O/Ts must unobtrusively observe the JTF HQ, develop and maintain complete situation awareness of both the events in the simulation and the strategy and actions that the JTF HQ employs. They assess organizational structure and examine documents and products that the JTF HQ produces. They evaluate performance and provide real-time instructional feedback as appropriate.
The activities of the observer/trainers follow the three phases or levels of SA described in Endsley (1995): perception, comprehension, and projection of the future. In terms of perception, the O/Ts listen to conversations among the JTF HQ personnel and observe actions that these personnel make. In terms of comprehension, the O/Ts use the data that they gather to develop an understanding of, among other things: 1) the JTF HQ personnel’s understanding of how the particular JTF that they are a part of operates (e.g., who talks to whom, hierarchy of decision making, roles and responsibilities, communication and coordination patterns, etc.), and 2) how much the respective members understand about the JTF operation and what the JTF staff members should be doing. Finally, in terms of projection of the future, the O/Ts must predict the results of actions the JTF HQ personnel take. Based on their projections of results, if the O/Ts observe a JTF staffer begin to take action(s) which will lead to a chain of events culminating with trouble in the mission, the O/T decides whether to intervene or allow the chain of events to occur.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the JTF training environment in respect to SA theory. To accomplish this we will first define and describe the JTF training environment. Next, we will apply the Endsley (1995) model of situation awareness in dynamic decision making, and provide examples from the domain. Finally, we will present suggestions for future research in this domain.
