Manpower, Personnel and Training Advanced Technology

PE 0603007A: Manpower, Personnel and Training Advanced Technology is a Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) program managed by the United States Army, with work performed by the Army Research Institute (ARI) for the Behavioral and Social Sciences at Ft. Belvoir, VA. The primary goal of this program element is to mature and validate applied behavioral and social science technologies that enhance the Soldier Lifecycle, including selection, assignment, training, and leader development, as well as human relations such as unit cohesion. These efforts are designed to provide advanced personnel measures that more fully assess potential and predict performance, behavior, attitudes, and resilience among Army personnel.

A key objective of PE 0603007A is to develop innovative and effective Talent Management methods that optimize individual and team performance, ensuring the Army can meet mission requirements in increasingly uncertain and complex operational environments. The program evaluates new selection measures, assignment methods, and performance metrics for both individuals and units. It also assesses innovative training and leader development methods, and conducts scientific assessments to inform Human Capital policy and programs. The technologies and approaches developed under this program are intended to result in effective non-materiel solutions that help the Army adapt to changes in force size and structure, mission demands, human relations challenges, and budgetary constraints.

The program is closely coordinated with PE 0602785A (Manpower/Personnel/Training Technology), ensuring that research efforts are complementary and aligned with broader Army and Department of Defense strategies. The cited work supports the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas, the Army Vision, the Army's Talent Management Strategy, and the Army Modernization Strategy. This alignment ensures that research outcomes are relevant to current and future Army needs, particularly in the areas of personnel assessment, talent management, and training effectiveness.

Within this program element, the primary budget line is focused on maturing and demonstrating applied behavioral and social science technologies that enhance the Soldier Lifecycle and human relations. The project aims to provide advanced personnel measures, innovative talent management methods, and new selection and assignment metrics. It also assesses leader development and learning methods, and conducts scientific assessments to inform policy and programs related to Human Capital. The work is intended to result in non-materiel solutions that help the Army adjust to evolving operational and organizational contexts.

A major effort under this project is the initiative designed to optimize and demonstrate innovative talent management approaches, providing the Army with flexibility to adapt to changes in force structure and recruiting environments. Specific objectives include maturing Soldier selection measures, techniques, and tools to better assess potential and predict behavior, attrition, performance, and team effectiveness. The initiative also focuses on developing and modeling Soldier talents and competencies longitudinally across a career, supporting both individual and team development.

Planned accomplishments for FY 2025 and FY 2026 include maturing prototype development and initiating longitudinal validation of officer talent management assessments, validating prototypes of automated test item generation for knowledge tests, maturing research on methods to develop complex leader competencies, and developing small unit performance training methods. In FY 2026, efforts will advance prototype development and mature longitudinal validation of officer talent management assessments, as well as advance validation of automated test item generation prototypes. The FY 2026 funding decrease is primarily related to research focused on the validation of these automated test item generation prototypes.