Date of Award

3-2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Kirk A. Patterson, PhD

Abstract

During Operations ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF), many Airmen in support career fields were deployed to hostile environments like Afghanistan and Iraq. Deployments of this nature are a departure from normal Air Force operations where support personnel are normally far from the front lines of battle. The purpose of this research was to understand the factors that affect the transfer of basic combat skills training from the classroom to the battlefield. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer five research questions addressing the current combat skills training requirements, the perceived training transfer of basic combat skills, the factors that affect the transfer of basic combat skills, any gaps in current training requirements, and what other types of basic combat skills training should be required to fill any perceived gaps. A 52-item scale measured the perceptions of active duty, Air Force officer and enlisted personnel on their ability to transfer the combat skills learned in a classroom to the battlefield. The research provided a foundation for measuring the effectiveness of combat skills training as a single construct made of five separate training types.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GLM-ENS-06-09

DTIC Accession Number

ADA445175

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