A Field Test of Two Methods for Assessing Infantry Situation Awareness

Two methods for assessing situation awareness (SA) were field tested during infantry exercises. Eight platoons of U.S. Military Academy cadets executed an infantry mission during summer field training exercises. A subjective SA measure, the Mission Awareness Rating Scale (MARS), was given to each platoon leader and one squad leader from each platoon to self-assess both SA and cognitive workload demanded by the tasks. In addition, infantry expert observers rated each platoon and squad leader using the Situation Awareness Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (SABARS). Both MARS and SABARS had been validated previously in missions conducted in a virtual environment. In the current field test, both instruments showed evidence of successfully measuring SA. Both instruments show promise for assessing SA in the field, or in other venues where more obtrusive measurement protocols are undesirable. The U.S. Army is importing increasingly sophisticated information technology systems into operational units. These systems are used to enhance command and control, intelligence, surveillance, navigation, and other critical functions. Army operations involve teams of skilled individuals working in difficult terrain and weather, under severe time restrictions, often in a sleepdeprived or otherwise stressed state, and under the constant possibility of being wounded or killed by enemy actions or fratricide. This had led to a need to systematically assess the impact these new systems have on the situation awareness (SA) of both soldiers and their leaders. The concept of SA as it relates to infantry operations was explored in depth by Endsley, Holder, Leibrecht, Garland, Wampler, and Matthews (2000), and consists of three levels of SA. These levels are perception, comprehension, and projection. Several approaches to assessing SA in infantry operations have recently been reported. Strater, Endsley, Pleban, & Matthews (2001) describe the development and initial testing of three SA measures designed for infantry operations in urbanized terrain. The measures included (1) a Situatio