After Action Review AAR
Identify the procedures for planning, preparing, and conducting a After Action Review.

Posted Monday, November 14, 2005

Click here to download the presentation.

Definition

Objective

Purpose

Key points

Guidelines

Formal AAR

Informal AAR

The four phases of an AAR

Summary

An AAR is a professional discussion of an event, focused on performance standards, that enables soldiers to discover for themselves What happened, Why it happened and How to sustain strengths and improve on weaknesses.

It is a tool leaders and units can use to get maximum benefit from every mission or task.

The objective of an AAR is to improve individual and collective task performance by providing immediate feedback about how the training or tasks could have been done better.

Guide the unit towards achieving training objectives

Identify lessons learned so they can be applied to subsequent training or task performance

Increase confidence in unit leaders

Increase proficiency of all participants

Involve all participants

Are conducted during or immediately after each event

Focus on intended training objective

• Focus on soldier, leader and unit performance

Use open-ended questions

Are related to specific standards

Determine strengths and weaknesses

Link performance to subsequent training

Maintain order and discipline

Emphasize the goal is to achieve Army standards

Make AARs positive in nature

Avoid---

Lecturing

Critiquing, criticizing or judging performance

Embarrassing soldiers or leaders

Comparing units

External OC/Ts

Takes more time

Complex training aids

Scheduled beforehand

Conducted when best supported

Conducted to gain maximum training benefit

Normally for Platoon-level and above

Uses standard AAR format

Limited resources

Normally for soldier (leader), crew, squad and platoon-level training

Supports higher-level formal AAR

Held prior to higher-level formal AAR

Planning

Preparation

Conduct

Follow-up

Action : Identify the steps followed during the After Action Review planning phase

Conditions : In a classroom environment and access to TC 25-20

Standard : Successfully describe the steps followed during the planning phase of the AAR

Establish objectives for the AAR

Select and train qualified OC/Ts

Review the training and evaluation plan, Army Training and Evaluation Program (ARTEP), mission training plans (MTPs) and soldier training publications (STPs)

Determine when AARs will occur and identify participants

Action : Identify the steps followed during the After Action Review preparation phase

Conditions : In a classroom environment and access to TC 25-20

Standard : Correctly describe the steps followed during the preparation phase of the AAR

Review training objectives, orders, METL and doctrine

Identify key events OC/Ts are to observe

Observe the training and take notes

Collect observations from other OC/Ts

Begins once mission starts

Organize observations (Identify key discussion or teaching points)

Gather observations from OPFOR representative

Recon and prepare the selected AAR site

Conduct rehearsals

Leading/thought-provoking questions

Have unit members describe what happened in their own words

Explore alternative courses of action

Avoid detailed examination of events not directly related to major training objectives

Action : Identify the steps followed during the conduct of the AAR

Conditions : In a classroom environment and access to TC 25-20

Standard : Correctly identify the steps followed during the conduct of the AAR

Introduction and AAR rules of engagement (ROE)

Review of objectives and intent

Training objectives

Commander’s mission/intent (what was supposed to happen)

OPFOR commander’s mission/intent

Relevant doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs)

Summary of recent events (what happened)

Discussion of key issues

Chronological order of events

Battlefield operating systems (Co level)

Key events/themes/issues

Plan, Prep and Execute (technique)

Discussion of force protection/ safety

Closing comments

Action : Identify the steps followed during the follow up phase of the After Action Review

Conditions : In a classroom environment and access to TC 25-20

Standard : Correctly identify the steps followed during the follow up phase of the AAR

Identify tasks requiring retraining

Fix the problem - retrain

Revise SOPs, integrate into future training plans

Use to assist in making assessment