Dynamic Marksmanship: A Novel Methodology to Evaluate the Effects of Clothing and Individual Equipment on Mission Performance

Abstract

Military clothing and individual equipment (CIE) must not interfere with mission performance, including the ability to quickly and effectively acquire and engage targets. This paper describes a new methodology to evaluate the effects of CIE on marksmanship performance, beyond traditional lethality measures, by focusing on additional mobility timing metrics that entail locating, moving, positioning, and engaging the target. Sixteen participants were assessed in three legacy CIE conditions. Marksmanship was assessed using traditional lethality measures (p(hit), p(lethal hit), precision, and accuracy), mobility timing measure (target acquisition, aiming, and engagement), and subjective ratings. No significant differences of CIE condition for traditional lethality measures or time to aim/engage were found. However, participants experienced significantly longer target acquisition times for the more cumbersome CIE conditions, consistent with their perceived interference ratings. These results suggest that the new dynamic methodology provides valuable insights regarding the effects of CIE on performance in an operationally relevant manner.