Initial skills training is designed to teach warfighters the technical knowledge and skills needed to perform an occupational specialty. However, a focus on training technical skills alone may miss opportunities to develop valuable nontechnical skills that are important to prepare for current and future missions. This report offers a roadmap for systematically integrating nontechnical attribute development into early and initial skills training.

Nontechnical Attribute Training and Development for United States Air Force Special Warfare

Sean Robson, Tracy C. Krueger, Maria C. Lytell, Susan G. Straus, Lewis Schneider, Anthony Atler, Grace Falgoust, Matt Strawn, Margaret A. Maglione, Zhan Okuda-Lim, et al.

ResearchPublished Dec 27, 2024

Cover: Nontechnical Attribute Training and Development for United States Air Force Special Warfare
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Military training should prepare personnel not just for the tasks of today but also for the uncertainty of tomorrow. Fundamentally a talent management activity, military training prepares warfighters to execute occupational and mission critical tasks. Initial and early skills training for Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) aims to efficiently teach the technical knowledge and skills required to perform a particular occupational specialty. A focus on training technical skills alone may, however, miss opportunities to develop valuable nontechnical skills that are important when preparing for future missions in a world with increasingly complex situations.

The authors focus on eight crucial nontechnical attributes, analyzing where the skills gaps are in AFSPECWAR training and identifying the most promising interventions to address identified attribute gaps. Physical fitness is a fundamental nontechnical attribute needed for peak performance. Other crucial nontechnical attributes include cognitive skills, such as trainability and problem-solving; intrapersonal skills, such as drive, integrity, and stress tolerance; and interpersonal skills, such as teamwork and effective communication. The authors examine evidence-based best practices for developing each of these attributes. They also offer a research-backed roadmap to support the development of nontechnical attributes more deliberately during training, especially to address performance gaps. This roadmap for nontechnical attribute development could be generalized to the broader Department of the Air Force.

Key Takeaways

Gaps and AFSPECWAR training needs were identified in four nontechnical attributes: Drive, Teamwork, Trainability, and Stress Tolerance

  • Drive (an intrapersonal skill) can be developed with work-motivation interventions, such as goal-setting, self-management training, focusing more on performing the activity and less on the outcome, and providing incentives.
  • Teamwork (an interpersonal skill) presents fewer opportunities for development in initial skills training because of the emphasis on individual proficiency. Teamwork competencies (e.g., emotional intelligence, empathy, and leadership) can be developed using multiple evidence-based instructional methods and practical exercises in combination with diagnostic debriefs.
  • Trainability (a cognitive capability) as an attribute can be developed using cognitive, metacognitive, and affective learning strategies used in conjunction with specific content and contexts. Characteristics of the job environment, particularly opportunities to apply and practice skills learned, are critical to promote the transfer of training.
  • Stress tolerance (an intrapersonal skill) can be developed using different types of psychological skills training, resilience training, and stress inoculation training, which has demonstrated the most promising results.

Recommendations

  • Conduct needs analyses every one to three years, ideally across the full training pipeline, to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions and address emerging issues.
  • Align nontechnical attributes to course objectives and events. While not all objectives or events need to align to a specific attribute, linkages should be explicit and documented to guide evaluation.
  • Create conditions for positive training transfer. Examples are investing in training for instructors to evaluate and provide feedback to students, reviewing instructor selection criteria, rewarding improvements, tying training to operational experiences, and encouraging peer feedback.
  • Determine appropriate training strategies and interventions. Interpersonal skills gaps may be best addressed early. As students progress through the training pipeline, nontechnical attribute development should become more job-specific, simulating the operational environment and its demands. Resource requirements and the benefits of investing in new training technology should be considered.
  • Incorporate goal-setting for performance improvement, emphasizing behaviors that students should start, stop, and continue doing. Performance improvement goals should focus on attribute-relevant behaviors and be specific, measurable, and challenging yet attainable.
  • Provide timely, diagnostic feedback, emphasizing characteristics of the feedback and learning environment: supervisor and peer support, opportunities to practice new skills, and how feedback is delivered.
  • Conduct formal program evaluations to determine whether goals are being met. In addition, consider using pilot studies with control groups and multiple criteria to track changes in behaviors and performance.

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Robson, Sean, Tracy C. Krueger, Maria C. Lytell, Susan G. Straus, Lewis Schneider, Anthony Atler, Grace Falgoust, Matt Strawn, Margaret A. Maglione, Zhan Okuda-Lim, Sam Wallace, and Miriam Matthews, Nontechnical Attribute Training and Development for United States Air Force Special Warfare. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1747-1.html.
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This research was prepared for the Department of the Air Force and conducted within the Workforce, Development, and Health Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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