Offensive Operations in a Decisive Action Training Environment

Working with members of the Joint Readiness Training Center Warrior Leadership Council, we investigated whether the Leaders Guide for Offensive Operations could improve units performance during their Combat Training Center (CTC) rotations. The guide was a brief reference that detailed multiple tasks necessary to successfully conduct offensive operations. The performance of units that received the Leaders Guide for Offensive Operations (the experimental group) was compared to the performance of units that did not receive the guide (the control group). Results largely indicated the units that received the guide performed no better on the measured tasks compared to units that did not receive the guide. Further analysis revealed that independent of whether or not units received the guide, units with a current Tactical Standing Operating Procedure (TACSOP) for Offensive Operations were more likely to carry out the necessary tasks and they performed better than units that did not have a TACSOP.