Marksmanship as a critical military occupational task Issues, approaches and methods for optimal performance and equipment design

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 2058 - 2062
• Main Authors: Mitchell, K. Blake, Bossi, Linda, Harper, William, Larkin, Gabriella, McNamara, Jay, Palmer, Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2016
• ISSN: 2169-5067; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931213601467

A variety of methodologies are used to assess marksmanship performance, and while all are relevant, their constraints must be understood so that the portability and applicability of results are realized. Some measures are more appropriate for specific research questions than others. While some consider live fire to be the gold standard, it has several drawbacks. Many alternative methods (i.e., simulated target engagement) allow for controlled data collection and may be more appropriate than live fire, depending on their application and study design. The panelists represent a wide variety of experience conducting research investigating marksmanship performance, and applying a range of marksmanship tools and metrics for different applications. This panel will discuss the relative merits and limitations of their approaches (tools, metrics, methods, engagement scenarios) in an effort to provide the landscape of current approaches and issues in marksmanship performance research.