I__. - International Military Testing Association

answers that precisely indicated their knowledge of the
information requested. For items in which commander's were
required to plot the locations of designated elements, objective
assessment of location accuracy was straightforward. For the
remaining items directed at comprehension and projection of the
situation, a combination of fill-in-the-blank (e.g., enemy type,
number) and multiple choice (e.g., mechanized rifle battalion
versus tank company) item formats were used. SMEs assisted in
the construction of all response options to provide commanders
appropriate and meaningful response alternatives.
Two pilot sessions with active duty Armor commanders, three
platoon leaders and one company commander per pilot, were
conducted to obtain user feedback on the SA procedures and items
developed. During the first pilot, commanders provided detailed
feedback during structured debriefs. Their comments assisted,
particularly, in the identification of items requiring more clear
or explicit wording. Their recommendations were included in
revisions to the SA measures, and the revised questionnaires used
for the second pilot appeared quite adequate.
SA Utilization
The SA forms are currently being used in ARI's CVCC program
of research to investigate small unit commander's information
requirements. An initial evaluation compared commander's SA as a
function of message sets received on their CCD that differed in
volume, number of messages per set, and relevance to their
battlefield situation. Results of this effort are expected to
provide recommendations for improving the design of this future
automated command and control system. In addition, this data
will be used for empirical validation of the SA method and
instruments described.
A follow-on baseline evaluation of commanders using only
conventional FM radio systems without a CCD will provide
comparison data on the speed and accuracy of the CCD for
receiving and relaying battlefield communications. As an
additional dependent measure, the SA instruments will provide
comparison data on the CCD's ability to help the commander
integrate command and control information into a more accurate
awareness of his battlefield situation.
References
Endsley, Mica R. (1988). Situation awareness in aircraft systems.
In Proceedinas of the Human Factors Society-32nd Annual
Meetinq, I, 96-101. Santa Monica, CA: The Human Factors
Society.
Fracker, Martin L. (1988). A theory of situation assessment:
Implications for measuring situation awareness. In Proceedings
of the Human Factors Society-32nd Annual Meetinq, 1, 102-115.
Santa Monica, CA: The Human Factors Society.
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