Assessing the Suitability of the Division Exercise Training and Review System (DXTRS) to Support Sustainment Training

The military has used simulations to train Soldiers for several decades. Army Commanders use live, virtual and constructive training to prepare troops for combat and to improve their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) skillset. During training and other military operations, the Army Battle Command Systems (ABCS) provide Army commanders with a Common Operational Picture (COP) which typically includes a real-time status of personnel, supplies, munitions, and equipment. In 2016, the Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) divested the Battle Command Sustainment Support System (BCS3) due to data latency issues. The sustainment Warfighting Function (WfF) used BCS3 as a dual-purpose system for real world operations and constructive simulation training events. The same year, the Army also streamlined its Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) to reduce costs further limiting the usefulness of JLCCTC to train sustainment units. This study considers the suitability of the Division Exercise Training and Review System (DXTRS) to fill the sustainment training gap. A combination of face to face and telephonic interviews are conducted with Soldiers and select Department of Defense (DoD) contractors to determine the appropriateness of DXTRS for sustainment training. Interview questions designed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) are used to measure DXTRS version 1.06 suitability as a sustainment training tool. Inductive thematic content analysis is used to analyze the interview transcripts and provide findings, conclusions, and recommend future research