Why the rapid adoption of innovative digital training is crucial to military personnel readiness

Over twenty years ago, the U.S. Armed Forces recognized the need to train military and nonmilitary personnel being transferred to countries with vastly different cultures than the U.S. Extensive media coverage of problematic occurrences between personnel and locals made it clear that there was a necessity for this.

A 2021 report by Allison Abbe states that “demand signals clearly emerged after Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003 to improve preparation for irregular warfare. … In testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee in 2004, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales Jr. quoted a brigade commander from the 3d Infantry Division in stating: ‘I knew where every enemy tank was dug in on the outskirts of Tallil [Iraq],’ he replied. ‘Only problem was my soldiers had to fight fanatics charging on foot or in pickups and firing AK-47s and RPGs [rocket propelled grenades]. I had perfect situational awareness. What I lacked was cultural awareness. Great technical intelligence … wrong enemy.’”

Subsequently, the Defense Department made a series of strategic shifts in responding to the threat of global terrorism in the early 2000s. There was widespread recognition of the regional and cultural readiness gap.

Amid the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) identified the importance of foreign language and cultural capabilities for general-purpose forces (GPFs), both for countering terrorism in the information domain and for working with allies and partners. Although culture and language instruction had been previously provided to Special Operations Forces and some other specialties, the goal of extending it to GPFs across all services was new territory for training and professional development ”

A history of challenging cultural training techniques

Initially, the most significant challenge centered on determining how to best structure and resource training programs given competing demands for time and funding. Learners were placed in classrooms for one or more day-long instructor-led immersion sessions, with the hope of quickly improving their understanding of cultural differences before engagement. However, data shows that this was not nearly enough time to retain the knowledge, and unfortunate biases from instructor-led training resulted in inconsistent learning outcomes.

In many cases, language training was prioritized but with minimal or no cultural training. Cultural and language competency are two distinct but related fields of knowledge. While learning a language can help personnel understand a culture, it’s only the tip of the iceberg and lacks the methodical framework of cross-cultural learning. When learning about cultures, it’s essential to use objective social-science-based frameworks that provide a more consistent methodology for comparing the diverse types of cultures at the national, institutional, community and individual levels. The integration of these frameworks provides a more comprehensive assessment and deepens a learner’s knowledge base so that they are better equipped to navigate unexpected scenarios.

It’s often noted that training prepares personnel for certainty, whereas knowledge development, often called learning, strengthens the personnel’s professional toolkit, better preparing them for uncertain circumstances. Learning often refers to the lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills and behaviors. It is the pinnacle of training and education.

The government has acknowledged these issues, but the commonly utilized solutions are outdated, unproductive, and ineffective for the new geopolitical environment. Additionally, cultural training frequency was reduced leading up to COVID, despite the increasingly turbulent geopolitical landscape. Today, it’s essential to ensure cultural training and learning at the appropriate levels are available to all personnel to ensure that they are well prepared for missions in diverse foreign countries and cultures.

The military has sought to meet the increased demands for intercultural training over the past decade but has struggled both to develop, deliver and sustain reliable training solutions; however, in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment, it’s essential that overseas personnel are equipped to navigate a wide range of stakeholder issues in local cultures and cross-cultural miscommunications to avoid costly and potentially public errors and missteps. As with any institution, training requirements compete for time and resources.

Fundamentally, training and learning are typically delivered in tiers of resources depending on the knowledge base of the learner.

The three core levels (often with sublevels within) are:

• Level 1, an introduction to learning content;
• Level 2, assessment of mastery of core training objectives; and
• Level 3, advanced application of learning with strategic integration of knowledge.

One of the core opportunities to transform training and learning for military personnel is to ensure that the optimal resources and methods are being used for the level and many tech-enabled solutions are helping to transform delivery.

For example, virtual and in-person trainings are best suited for advanced analysis, team-building and strategic application — and yet this more costly form of training is being utilized to deliver introductory learning content as well.

In other words, Level 3 solutions are being deployed for Level 1 learning needs, resulting in less personnel having access to essential, mission-critical knowledge because of costs and training misalignment. Advances in technology are available to ensure all personnel receive mission-appropriate training and learning.

To provide agile, cost- and time-efficient, just-in-time learning and knowledge resource tools, it’s essential to utilize more innovative digital learning platforms to ensure learning resources can be accessed as needed and frequently, prior to and during deployment.

Tiers of training and learning for cultural and language competency development

Macro levels (objective)                                                               Optimal learning resource

The case for digital training in readying military personnel

There is an imperative for expanded cultural competency training for global warfighter preparedness — and the need to utilize cost- and time-efficient Edtech solutions to ensure just-in-time access to essential curated learning modules for ongoing reference and improved retention.

Not all personnel require all levels, but most overseas personnel benefit from basic language and cultural competency. A one-day course upon arrival in-country is insufficient to transfer both knowledge and skills and lacks ongoing retention and reference options.

Instead, digital solutions provide immediate application for overseas personnel preparedness with cost and time efficiencies. Data shows that institutions can save 40%–60% of time per person by using digital training solutions compared to traditional in-person briefings and learning. These digital solutions typically utilize a “Netflix-style interface” to ensure familiarity and ease of access, increasing confidence and morale, and ensuring personnel remain productive and engaged when starting a foreign assignment. Digital solutions also reduce administrative time, cost and work for support staff.

The digital solutions also replace costly instructor-led training for Level 1 learning and offer consistent, objective, accurate, unbiased, curated, unique and essential learning content for country-specific, cultural, and professional skills development. Curated, custom access for military personnel ensures all learners access the same reliable, vetted knowledge resources. These digital solutions can help military personnel navigate a wide range of stakeholder engagement issues in local cultures and avoid costly cross-cultural miscommunications, errors and missteps. Learners demonstrate improved soft skills and self-esteem and are equipped for more effective local stakeholder engagement.

In summary, current and future military activities will require military personnel to have cultural agility to be able to form relationships, build trust, communicate and collaborate with people of greatly different backgrounds. With more cost- and time-efficient tiered training solutions aligned to level of need, warfighters and personnel can better understand the sociocultural context of critical operations and develop the cultural agility necessary to respond, leading to improved mission success.

Sanjyot P. Dunung is CEO of Atma Global.

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