"The ability of soldiers to engage the enemy effectively is fundamental to the operational success of the U.S. Army. As a result, the Army devotes considerable effort and resources to weapon training. The Army's current challenge is to adapt weapon training strategies to meet complex operational environments and changing unit readiness processes; take full advantage of training technologies; and, in an era of declining defense budgets, make weapon training strategies more efficient. This report documents the findings, conclusions, and implications of a two-year project supporting the Army's efforts to adapt its weapon training strategies and the processes through which they are developed. The potential of emerging technologies to make weapon training strategies more effective and efficient is also examined. The report outlines directions the Army could take to improve its weapon training strategies and the processes for adapting them. It concludes that improving the processes for adapting weapon training to new requirements can make them more effective and efficient, but that improvements should be made in the context of holistically improving the Army's training and leader development programs. In addition, while there are many potential benefits to increasing the use of technologies in weapon training strategies, there are many factors that act to limit the amount of improvement that must be considered before deciding on implementation."--"Abstract" on web page.

"RAND Corporation research report series."--Web page (PDF). "Prepared for the United States Army."--Title page. "Approved for public release; distribution unlimited."--Title page. "RAND Arroyo Center."--Title page. "RR-448-A"--Page 4 of printed paper wrapper.

Introduction and Background -- Weapon Training Strategies and Processes for Their Development -- The Potential of Simulators to Improve Weapon Training Strategies and Make Them More Efficient -- Current Small-Arms Training Strategies -- Improving Small-Arms Training Strategies -- Developing and Assessing Options for Making Weapon Training Strategies More Efficient -- Improving the Wider Range of Weapon Training Strategies{u2014}Conclusions, Directions, and Implications.