The nature of global conflict is changing. Since 2001, the United States has openly engaged in an unconventional military conflict defined by a range of counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, peacekeeping, and infrastructure-building initiatives. To excel within this environment, the US military has adopted new strategic approaches, such as Full-Spectrum and Enhanced Company Operations. Such paradigms share a striking commonality: Much greater emphasis is now being placed on individual personnel's higher-order cognitive skills. This paper outlines the operational requirements that create a demand for efficient, deployable higher-order skills training. The paper also includes a discussion about current efforts aimed at developing instructional technology that can help meet these training needs.
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