Human Performance Training and Education (HPT&E)
Human Performance Training and Education Thrust Area
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Human Performance Training and Education (HPT&E) thrust seeks to develop, evaluate, and deliver scientifically proven methodologies and technologies that enable the cognitive and physical superiority of Marines. The vision for HPT&E is to develop and foster expeditionary warfighters who are ready to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice, to serve within their team, take on leadership roles, and complete their missions under any extremes or circumstances, and return home uninjured. To support this vision HPT&E focuses on two Technology Investment Areas (TIAs): Decision Making & Expertise Development and Warrior Resilience. Efforts supporting these areas are intended to enhance the future capabilities of Expeditionary Warfighters by conducting applied research and advanced development to:
- Improve understanding and development of science and technology capabilities focused on accelerating the learning of decision making skills
- Improve understanding and development of science and technology capabilities to enhance psychological, physical, and social resilience
Specific areas of interest:
(1) Training of critical decision making skills at the small unit leader level, to include advanced learning strategies and the enabling technologies that efficiently and effectively support learning strategies.
(2) Affordable, flexible, interoperable immersive training environments that optimize the learner's ability to adapt to changing mission parameters and conditions. Creation of instructional training aides, automated tutoring systems, and individualized learning strategies and theory.
(3) Understanding of the components of resilience, to include the integration of cognitive and physical training strategies, tools for reducing psychological injury, maintaining lean body mass, reducing fatigue, and enhancing physical performance as a function of environmental conditions and operational requirements.
(4) Identification of the interplay between nutritional supplementation, physical conditioning, and operational performance in the context of combat tasks.
(5) Development of resilience building strategies to include modeling of exposure and recovery processes of body and brain to operational stressors, including pre-deployment work-ups, combat, recovery, and reset.
(6) Identification and enhancement of desirable small team leader characteristics and social indicators associated with team resilience and enhanced performance.
The Expeditionary Maneuver and Combating Terrorism Department welcomes innovative ideas and white papers in response to the ONR long-range broad agency announcement.
HPT&E Science and Technology Challenges
- Understanding of the fundamental components of resilience, both mental and physical, in order to direct more effective applied strategies
- Training strategies and tools for reducing injury, maintaining lean body mass, and enhancing physical performance as a function of load, and environmental factors
Decision Making & Expertise Development
- Instrument distance learning environments
- Use student behavior to tailor simulations
- Squad leader and instructor assessment based on objective measures – Levels of Mastery and validated assessment
- Recording and tracking of performance data
Download the HPT&E Thrust area's Willful Intent slides