"The Origins and Development of the National Training Center" is a thought-provoking study of the Army's efforts to build a state-of-the-art central training facility for providing its soldiers with the tough realistic combat training demanded by the battlefields of today. Anne W. Chapman traces the evolution of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in the high desert of California from concept in 1976 to initial implementation in 1980 and then through its early years of operation until 1984, when the Army's senior trainers declared the NTC a success. All in all, the NTC story provides a valuable case study of concept development and institutional planning, and is an example of the synergy of modern technology and new combat doctrine that resulted in an innovative and imaginative approach to training.

Introduction -- Roots of the concept -- Concept development and approval -- The choice of Fort Irwin -- Ironing out the early problems -- Training evaluation and the instrumentation system -- The NTC experience -- Data analysis and lessons learned -- The United States Air Force at the NTC -- Conclusion -- Epilogue.