Training development for new materiel items in Army acquisition programs

Abstract

This thesis analyzes and documents the Army's training development process as it relates to the materiel development of corresponding Army acquisition programs. Training development is a vital necessity for the successful fielding of any new materiel item. The acquisition process in general should not only focus on materiel development management, but on training development management as well. The performance of any weapon system will always be a measure of both how well the equipment is made and how well it is operated. The study examines current Army doctrine and regulations, and it solicits input from various training development agencies to analyze the training development environment in this era of military reductions. The author's hypothesis was that the Army training development community is being reduced faster than materiel development programs. Interviews with training development personnel, and the results of a survey generated for this thesis support that hypothesis. Given that training development reductions are outpacing materiel program elimination, the thesis provides two recommendations to assist training development efforts. One involves use of an automated document suspense management system to increase the efficiency of reduced staffs in training development agencies; the other outlines a potential methodology for procuring contractor provided training development.