Assessment of New Marksmanship Strategies in 2010

Abstract

In response to the Deputy Commanding General for Initial Military Training, new marksmanship strategies for Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT) and Basic Combat Training (BCT) were compared. OSUT Soldiers scored significantly higher than BCT Soldiers on Record Fire and Combat Field Fire (CFF) with the difference being substantial on CFF. The OSUT CFF scores supported the advanced rifle marksmanship (ARM) strategy which included different scenarios and more ammunition than the BCT ARM strategy. Results also supported the use of combat gear by OSUT in basic rifle marksmanship (BRM). Round allocation for grouping and zeroing was inadequate with 5-round shot groups. Overall, the Practice Record Fire and Record Fire patterns showed that Soldiers benefitted from Practice Record Fire. Equipment and time limitations hindered the ability to fully train optics for BCT Soldiers, and to train night fire with aiming lights and night vision goggles for both BCT and OSUT Soldiers. Soldiers also indicated they needed more training with this equipment. The CFF hit standard in the marksmanship FM was validated. Current and prior research on 3-and 5-round shot groups showed that similar numbers of shot groups were required to group and zero regardless of shot group size.

Prior Knowledge Assessment Guide

“…Some Soldiers indicated that they were uncomfortable in using some of the sights, which were new to them, at this particular stage in training. A summary of correlations among the periods in basic rifle marksmanship training clearly shows that marksmanship skills in initial entry training are not stable until the later periods of instruction which involve record fire (Dyer et al, 2012). Rounds to group and zero, measures of performance in the earliest periods of instruction, did not correlate with each other or with later measures of performance.…”