Manpower/Personnel/Training Technology

The Manpower/Personnel/Training Technology Program Element (PE 0602785A) is a research and development initiative within the Army's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) budget. Its primary objective is to design and validate applied behavioral and social science research that enhances the Soldier Lifecycle, which includes selection, assignment, training, and leader development, as well as human relations such as unit cohesion. The program is executed by the Army Research Institute (ARI) for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, located at Fort Belvoir, VA.

The core goal of this program is to develop new personnel measures and methods that more accurately assess and predict soldier potential, performance, behavior, attitudes, and resilience. By doing so, the Army aims to optimize talent management and ensure both individual and team effectiveness in a variety of operational environments.

The research also supports the development of innovative training methods and performance metrics for both individuals and units, providing scientific assessments that inform Army Human Capital policy and programs.

Personnel Performance & Training Technology (Project 790) is the primary line item within this program element. This project focuses on applied research to improve personnel assessment, prediction, and modeling of outcomes such as attrition and retention. It also seeks to enhance leader assessment and development methods, with the goal of sustaining competencies and performance across the Soldier lifecycle.

The project develops scientifically valid models, tools, and techniques for team assignment and development, aiming to optimize team effectiveness both in garrison and in operational environments.

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, the project plans to develop proof-of-concept in-service assessments to improve enlisted personnel assignment, create predictive models of career trajectories and retention, and design innovative methods for generating job analysis content. Additionally, the project will develop leader competency assessments for junior officers and senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs), analyze frameworks for team-based personnel assignment, and develop measures for small unit performance.

In FY 2026, the program will evaluate the in-service assessments for enlisted personnel assignment and conduct research to identify leader attributes required for the Army of 2040. Efforts will continue to refine predictive models of career trajectories and retention, and methods for automatically generating assessment items for multiple talent attributes will be developed.

The project will also advance leader competency assessments, assess team composition frameworks, and develop unobtrusive measures for small unit performance.

The program's research is aligned with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering's priority focus areas, the Army Vision, the Army People Strategy, the Army's Talent Management Strategy, the Army Human Capital Strategy, and the Army Modernization Strategy. It is designed to provide effective non-materiel solutions that help the Army adapt to changes in force size, mission demands, human relations challenges, and budgetary constraints.

The FY 2026 request reflects a funding increase to accelerate the development of automated test creation methods using natural language technologies. Adjustments were also made to promote efficiencies and workforce optimization, in alignment with recent Executive Orders on government efficiency. The program supports the Army's ongoing modernization and readiness objectives by leveraging behavioral and social science research to improve personnel selection, development, and performance.