Prestudy of computer-based training and decision support facilitating the use of Rules of Engagement in the Swedish Navy

The purpose was to investigate the present work and organisation regarding Rules of Engagement (ROE) in the Swedish Navy and to propose concepts for aids supporting the personnel concerned. In the investigation, Navy personnel (including officer educators, wardroom and staff) and domain knowledgeable personnel at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters were interviewed. Main problems found were; ROE brings about administrative duties for staff and wardroom officers, increasing mental workload. Differences in knowledge and experience lead to misunderstandings between staff and wardroom. Time and resources do not permit ROE to be a realistic part of naval exercises. No ROE-specific courses are given in the Swedish Navy. Concepts were developed through iterative design and evaluation involving Navy personnel. The three final concepts aiming to satisfy identified user needs were (in order of priority according to users) o ADMIN - An administrative tool for handling the ROE-profile. o FARTYG - A program for computer-based ROE-training with scenarios. o STAB - A support for constructing the ROE-profile. The authors recommend FOI and the Swedish Armed Forces to further investigate the needs regarding ROE and to develop the concepts for further evaluation.