Comparing Team Performance Constructs Involved in Ground Combat and a Ground Combat Simulator

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring whether a single team performance management system could effectively monitor team communication within active firefights in both real and simulated environments. While individual skills training in military settings has undergone extensive research, work focused on contrasting team constructs within real and simulated combat has seen comparatively little development. One hour of firefight footage taken from US Army engagements and one hour of firefight footage taken from groups using the ground combat simulator ARMA 3 were reviewed. Analysis revealed that the team metrics recorded by team performance measurement system are similar in quality and quantity. While this was an early exploratory study, these preliminary results support the proposition that teamwork in real and simulated ground combat environments is similar enough to use common metrics between them. These results may indicate a potential for more effective cross-training of military teams in simulated environments.