News From USJFCOM: Command releases conference final report


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Command releases conference final report

U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) has released a report which will help guide the development of a program designed to improve the training of small units, their leaders and personnel.
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By USJFCOM Public Affairs

(SUFFOLK, Va. – June 17, 2009) -- U.S. Joint Forces Command today released results from a conference focused on improving the way warfighters, leaders, and small units prepare to operate in today's global security environment.

The conference on Small Unit Excellence, held April 28-30, 2009, in Alexandria, Va., brought together approximately 120 representatives and leaders from a diverse array of communities including academia, science, military, government policy, Congressional, athletics, and national first responders.

Hosted by the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the capstone conference culminated a three-month series of mini forums, each addressing a specialized element of small unit performance and facilitated by an acknowledged expert in the field.

The mini-forums examined:
- decision making,
- neurological application and human performance,
- stress inoculation,
- performance assessment and measurement and
- resilience.

According to the report, the conference identified four priority focus areas.

1. Cross-community integration to identify the array of activities that are taking place across the communities and disciplines.
2. Collaborative tools and knowledge management to assess web-based technologies that enable cross-community collaboration to include access to shared (or centralized) data/knowledge repositories.
3. Assessment and measurement to assess the existing body of research related to objective assessment and measurement of functions such as psychological and physical stimuli.
4. Spotlight studies on group behavior to gain knowledge about group performance when compared to what is known about individual performance.

USJFCOM now will partner with the Department of Homeland Security to implement a National Program for Small Unit Excellence (NPSUE) beginning in October 2009.

"The program will exist to build upon, promote, fill knowledge gaps within, and accelerate progress in the body of existing work across the armed services, academia, behavioral sciences and private industry," according to the report. "NPSUE will serve as the connective tissue across multiple communities and disciplines so that the whole collection of work becomes something greater than the sum of the various parts.

“Program management will be executed through the lens of the new triad of individuals, leaders, and small units because what is ultimately delivered must make a difference to the speed and effectiveness in the way small units/teams adapt to and confront the challenges they face."

The report also indicates NPSUE, once established, will work to accelerate advancements in all four priority areas.

Click here to download the report.

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• Comment on this story at USJFCOMLive