Identifying the method for effective combat marksmanship training using site optics and packaged sensor feedback

Abstract

The Marine Corps is assessing how shooters train for Combat Marksmanship. An implementation of the Rifle Combat Optics (RCO) has been introduced into the Annual Rifle Qualification requirement. The question now is, How do coaches modify training to effectively instruct the shooters in firing with the RCO? This study provides feedback using the Split Shot Scope System as an aid in training doctrinal techniques for marksmanship on live fire ranges. The assessments, provided by current Marine Corps Marksmanship Instructors, highlight a necessity to using a device such as the Split Shot Scope System. In a postsurvey conducted in the study, responses provide a viable path to employing this diagnostic tool during live fire shooting and reporting the level of utility of this device. Added, in this study, is the use of a sensor package derived from concepts of the Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer (ISMT), which will be discussed to provide the utility of such a device for improving and defining a useful technique for training shooters. While this may not be a complete fix to the dilemma, this study has provided an approach to understanding and deriving methods for effective marksmanship training and diagnosing fundamental problems more clearly.