Lock and load: reengineering RC marksmanship training

Infantry Magazine, Summer, 2002 by Joseph D. Hagman, Donald Riley

Commanders of Reserve Component (RC) units often have to make do with less when it comes to rifle marksmanship training. Time and other resource constraints often lead to compromises. But relief is on the way. The U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI) has been working with the U.S. Army Reserve Command's marksmanship executive agent--the 84th Division (Institutional Training)--to find a better way to train and evaluate marksmanship using training devices. The goal of this work is to field a home station program of sustainment-oriented instruction (PSOI) that will produce shooter proficiency levels that meet or exceed unit readiness requirements while keeping the resources needed to a minimum.

The development of the rifle program of instruction (POI) is now all but complete. It relies on the use of the Laser Marksmanship Training System (LMTS), a laser-emitting device that lets shooters engage targets without firing live ammunition. Its major components include a battery-powered laser transmitter, a metal rod (mandrel) to which the transmitter is attached (Figure 1), a variety of laser-sensitive targets (Figure 2), and a laptop computer. With one end of the rod holding the transmitter and the other end slipped into the muzzle of the rifle, LMTS lets soldiers fire their own weapons while providing feedback on both point of aim and point of impact. With a few exceptions, the same equipment configuration will be used to support training for all direct-fire small arms.

[FIGURES 1-2 OMITTED]

Exercises are fired according to the delivery strategy shown in the flow chart (next page).

Because the strategy is based on proficiency, shooters first demonstrate their current level of marksmanship proficiency while firing an LMTS-based pretest. Scores on the pre-test are then used to identify shooters who need sustainment training--those who are unlikely to qualify on the first run on the live-fire range. After training, shooters are administered a post-test (a repeat of the pre-test) to make sure they have mastered the necessary fundamentals to support a good chance of live-fire qualification.

During pre-testing, all soldiers fire the electronic simulated ALT C target with LMTS. Their scores are then plugged into the LMTS Prediction Table (shown here) to find each soldier's predicted average live-fire score and associated chances of first-run, live-fire qualification. (Prediction table values were calculated using the automated prediction tool described in the article "Using Devices to Predict Live Fire: A Tool for the Marksmanship Trainer," by J.D. Hagman, Infantry Magazine, September-December 2000, pages 10-12.)

A soldier who fires 30 on the pre-test (Column 1), for example, would be predicted to fire an average score of 31 on the range (Column 2) and have an 80 percent chance of qualifying Marksman (Column 3), a 30 to 40 percent chance of qualifying Sharpshooter (Column 4), and a 10 to 20 percent chance of qualifying Expert (Column 5). Depending on the overall standard set for unit qualification, say 80 percent, some soldiers will "Go" the pre-test and be rated device-qualified, whereas others will "NoGo" the pre-test and be rated device-unqualified. Accordingly, only the latter group will need sustainment training and follow-up post-testing.

So, what can you do with the new POI that you were not able to do without it? For starters, you can train your soldiers to be better shooters while saving time and ammunition in the process. (Historically, RC units are not resourced with live rounds to support marksmanship training. All of their allocations are used for grouping, zeroing, and qualification firing. In addition, soldiers who fail to meet standards are not given the additional time and ammunition needed for remedial training.) Just how much better your soldiers will shoot and how much savings you can expect have yet to be nailed down. But a recent Fort Benning-sponsored comparison test of LMTS-based against current Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) training has shown comparable record fire qualification scores under the two approaches, with LMTS-trained soldiers needing 20 percent fewer rounds to group and zero. In addition, soldiers who have had LMTS-based training hit 14 percent more targets and fired a 37 percent higher "Go" rate during known-distance firing in preparation for record fire.

These benefits are encouraging for initial training, but they should be even greater for sustainment training where marksmanship-proficient soldiers can "test out." For example, by using the LMTS prediction table to support both pre-testing and post-testing, training can be scheduled more efficiently by targeting only the soldiers in need of remediation, and these will receive only as much remediation as is necessary. This should save considerable training time, as well as time and ammunition later on the range. In support of this notion, sustainment data collected recently by the 84th Division showed that LMTS-trained soldiers from the 100th Battalion, 442d Infantry (the USAR's only infantry unit) took 50 percent less time and ammunition than normal to group and zero, and also raised their first-run qualification rate from a historical 60-80 percent to 98 percent. As a result of these positive findings for both initial and sustainment training, the Infantry School's device-based marksmanship training strategy now endorses the use of LMTS.