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Preparing Our Soldiers To Fight Tomorrow's Battles: A Warfighter-Adaptiveness-Resilience Model

by COL Ong Yu Lin, SLTC Lim Beng Chong and MAJ Damian Lim

Abstract: Contemporary warfare is becoming increasingly marked by operations that challenge traditional concepts of war fighting. Peace keeping and humanitarian aid operations demand different skills of soldiers than those required to fight conventional battles. This article discusses the approach taken by the SAF as it trains its soldiers to face the uncertainties of the modern battlefield, while retaining the skills required to handle more traditional missions. Keywords: 3rd Generation SAF, Leadership, Military Psychology, Training

INTRODUCTION
The modern operat ing env ironment is characterised by uncertainty: the blurring of boundaries between war and peace has changed the battlefield. Our soldiers ability to operate amidst uncertainty is now key to mission success: they have to remain rooted as warfighters and be ready to perform tasks that they were not traditionally expected or trained to perform. Recognizing that the competitive advantage lies in the ability of our soldiers to adapt, we will discuss the problems associated with traditional training methods and the benefits of training and developing our soldiers to think for themselves. Second, to complement the adaptiveness necessary to operate in an increasingly uncertain environment, they must also possess the resilience to bounce back from adversity. We will also map out the challenges that our soldiers face and how their adaptiveness and resilience interact to complement each other. Finally, to conclude the discussion, we propose a Warfighter-Adaptiveness-Resilience Model to guide the development of the qualities of Adaptiveness and Resilience in a Warfighter.
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A TIME OF TROUBLED PEACE

Our fundamental belief is that the world is in a state of troubled peace. This echoes the postulation of Rupert Smith that peace will never be fully restored after a conflict. Given the nature of todays conflicts which closely resemble the Three Block War, this means that military operation are most certainly waged amongst the people.1 This troubled peace has resulted in an operating environment where the soldiers of today, as described by Marine Corps General Charles Krulak, are expected to pursue multiple roles.2 They might be required to perform the role of peacemakers or even humanitarians with their warfighter persona.

UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

Besides having to assume different role identities (as warfighters, peacemakers and humanitarians), modern soldiers have to operate in an environment characterised by uncertainty. Such an ability is key to mission success. In this paper, we define uncertainty as a function of (1) volatility dynamic environment due to fast and frequent changes, (2) complexity multiagent involvement interacting together rendering
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cause-andeffect confusion, and (3) ambiguity multiple plausible interpretations of the emerging situation. This new environment requires a different breed of soldiers who can exercise good judgement and bring a positive outcome to an uncertain situation that may require all three roles to be carried out effectively and seamlessly. Instead of leaving it to chance or learning on the job while engaging in prolonged operations, a systematic approach to training and development can create not just one, but an army of modern WAR-riorsadaptive and resilient warfighters.

QUALITY OF A WARFIGHTER
The blurring of the boundaries between Peace and War still requires soldiers who are competent and proficient in their military craft. They must be trained in the art of warfare to operate as warfighters. This is the first quality that the modern WAR-rior must possess. They must espouse the ethos of a warfighter, exhibiting steadfast commitment and professionalism in carrying out their traditional military tasks. The modern WAR-rior must be able to overcome the physical and psychological stress associated with warfighting. However, what differentiate the modern WAR-riors from previous generations of soldiers are their expanded capability sets which are driven and guided by values.

QUALITIES OF THE MODERN WARRIOR

He has been called by many names: some call him the Thinking Soldier,3 to others he is known as the Strategic Corporal,4 while others use 3rd Generation Soldier.5 The search for a soldier, from one who obediently follows orders, to one who in the absence of direct leadership can exercise good judgement and bring about a positive outcome to an uncertain situation, is vital for mission success. The questions are: (1) what are the required qualities of the modern WAR-riors, and (2) how they can be trained to operate in the modern battlefield. The acronym W-A-R describes the qualities necessary for the modern WAR-rior Warfighter, Adaptiveness and Resilience (See Figure 1).
Figure 1: Qualities of the Modern WAR-rior.

This troubled peace has resulted in an operating environment where the soldiers of today, as described by Marine Corps General Charles Krulak, are expected to pursue multiple roles.
Expanded Capability Sets. The modern WARrior must not only be able to deal with various intensities of warfare, but are also expected to take on a wider spectrum of operations spanning across the

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peace-war continuum. At a moments notice, this versatile modern WAR-rior could be called upon to engage in operations ranging from an all out conventional war to operations other than war, which includes humanitarian aid and disaster relief or even peace support operations. Because his expected duties range from one end of the peace-war continuum to the other, a lot more is demanded of the modern WAR-rior. He has to be a warfighter, peacemaker and humanitarian rolled into one (Figure 2). He needs to have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA), and adopt the appropriate KSA as the situation dictates. Driven and Guided by Values. Apart from the additional KSAs required due to the expanded role and scope, there is a second component that distinguishes a modern WAR-rior from his predecessors. He is defined not just by the abilities and hardware he carries, but by the software within, which some call a devotion to his profession based on a set of beliefs or values. His values will guide him to make decisions in an increasingly uncertain environment where the boundaries between right and wrong are unclear.6 Values serve as a moral compass that guides this modern WAR-rior to do the right thing in an uncertain environment, especially in the absence of direct leadership.
Figure 2: The 3 Role Identities of the Modern WAR-rior.

QUALITY OF ADAPTIVENESS
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell mentions the 10,000 Hour Rule. He claims the key to success is to practise a specific task for 10,000 hours.7 In the same manner, soldiers are taught basic drills that are practised repeatedly until it eventually becomes second nature. This is easily done for simple tasks in simple scenarios. However, for complex scenarios, they require more than just a mechanical response. Usually, there is a range of possible permutations of responses in complex scenarios and as such, it becomes virtually impossible to train for every one of them. To operate in an uncertain environment, training must now extend beyond the mechanical process of repetition to focus on gaining experience and recognising patterns. Essentially, if given enough scenarios or opportunities involving many complex situations, one will eventually begin to recognise patterns, expand one's knowledge base or even combine facets of existing patterns to address novel situations.

This new environment requires a different breed of soldiers who can exercise good judgement and bring a positive outcome to an uncertain situation that may require all three roles to be carried out effectively and seamlessly. Instead of leaving it to chance or learning on the job while engaging in prolonged operations, a systematic approach to training and development can create not just one, but an army of modern WAR-riors adaptive and resilient warfighters.
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Training developers and providers are now faced with a huge challenge. With uncertainty becoming the dominant element of the battle space, the task of identifying what to train for has also become increasingly difficult. It is impossible to develop training solutions to prepare soldiers for the range and scope of possible scenarios. It is no longer adequate to provide training that hinges on the competency theory of learning where success of the training requires 10,000 hours of practice to achieve a specific desired learned behaviour or desired solution. A new approach is needed to prepare our soldiers to face an operating environment characterised by uncertainty. Realising a new approach is needed, military forces have begun the evolution in the way they develop their soldiers, specifically in the area of adaptability. Adaptiveness is the ability and capacity to anticipate, recognize and understand changes in a situation, in order to respond rapidly and retain an optimal level of performance. This is crucial for the modern WAR-rior to operate and function in todays complex operating environment. Instead of a comprehensive solution book with step-by-step instructions based on set rules and conditions, the emerging approach is to equip the soldiers with the necessary KSAs to construct their own meaning and develop their own solutions. The Adaptiveness Model (See Figure 3) proposes four inter-connected mental states or phases an individual will transit through while adapting to a disruption or stimulus that changes the situation or environment. The model suggests that practice facilitates learning and accumulation of knowledge and a repertoire of skills necessary to function optimally. A rich source of stored knowledge and skill is the experience that one can draw from to assist the individual to analyse and adjust their actions. Through the process, one learns, enhances and increases his existing knowledge and skills which in turn, adds richness to the individuals own experience.

Figure 3: Adaptiveness Model.

Sensemake The process of sensemaking requires the individual to update or build-up their awareness of the situation. Next, they will have to understand both the positive and negative implications of the changes and develop, to a great extent intuitively, possible options to manage the changes. This process also requires the individual to have good pattern recognition ability to 'see' emerging trends and patterns. Past experience and accumulated knowledge are organized as patterns, trends or narratives. When needed, we draw upon this database of patterns in parts, whole or re-combine different parts of various patterns to generate options to deal with the prevailing situation. Adjust The next phase is a series of adjustments and modifications to a selected option. This process of mental simulation to determine the suitability of the option takes into consideration the changes in the situation. The process requires mental capacity, which is developed over time and through frequent practice. As the situation changes, the selected option is also adjusted or modified to keep pace with changes in the situation. Learn Through the process of sensemaking and adjustment of options, the individual develops a better understanding of the situation and its associated indicators, cues and patterns. It aids the understanding of what might or might not work, and more importantly, the reasons why. This essentially is the process of learning.

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Accumulate The new learning is added to an individuals existing repertoire of knowledge and skill, and synthesized with existing knowledge and skill base. The solution adopted after many iterations is now stored as a new pattern together with the characteristics of the new context. Existing patterns are also refined to accommodate new additions. The accumulated experience then provides a richer database for the individual to draw upon when the individual encounters a similar change or disruption. The SAF has come to realise that every soldier, sailor and airman is a leader who must think independently, seize the initiative, and apply his skills decisively.8 It is not enough for him to possess good situational awareness but he must also learn and create new knowledge. The desire is for a soldier who can discern and analyse what he sees, and make timely decisions in the midst of uncertainty.9 Every soldier of the SAF is now a sensor and processor who is able to sensemake and adjust his actions in an uncertain battlefield, utilizing kinetic and non-kinetic effects, lethal and non-lethal capabilities to deal with a bewildering array of challenges and threats that require well-reasoned and independent decisions made under extreme adversity. Therefore, not only does the soldier need to be able to adapt, he needs to be able to deal with adversity.
Figure 4: Individual Psychological Readiness Framework.11

QUALITY OF RESILIENCE
Resilience is recognised as an inherent trait of every individual to cope with challenging life events residing in the everyday magic of ordinary, normative human resources.10 It is also recognised that resilience is triggered by adversity and necessitates the achievement of positive outcomes or sustained competence after a period of adversity. Resilience in the military is thus maintaining a positive mental state despite the harsh realities of operations that can stress and overwhelm the soldier. Lack of resilience will result in maladaptive, dysfunctional behaviour or psychopathology. A Psychologically Ready Soldier is one who maintains effective combat performance amidst difficult circumstances and keeps on persevering even when injured. There are two emergent states prior to a mission that characterises a Psychologically Ready Soldier (See Figure 4). First, he has a strong Will-ToFight. In his heart, he believes in the need for military action to bring about a better tomorrow. He is compelled by care for his loved ones and loyalty to his commanders and peers. Injustice and preservation of his dignity drive him to action. When he fights, he invests himself wholeheartedly.

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features In the context of psychological defence, the WTF is equivalent to a strong motivation to defend the country despite personal costs. This motivational state is what initiates related desired behaviours such as task persistence (staying to fight) and bouncing back from adversity. Secondly, he has an optimal State of Mind by appraising the mission and his ability positively. In his mind, he expects the unexpected and views problems/setbacks as challenges to be overcome. He is confident of surmounting adverse situations. He constantly seeks opportunities instead of dwelling
Figure 5: Resiliency Resources.

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on threats. Most importantly, a Psychologically Ready Soldier engages in constant Self-Regulation. He is able to manage his negative emotions and thoughts, enabling him to overcome the instinctual tendencies to freeze or flee when confronted with fear. He is not derailed by distraction, but is able to stay focused on the task at hand. Apart from the environmental and contextual factors, variations in individual resilience performance are influenced by several factors. A soldiers mental resources and experiences affect how he appraises a stressful situation, his motivation how he copes with the situation. The individual psychological

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features readiness drivers or personal resiliency resources can be categorised into Cognitive, Affective, Physical, Attitudinal and Behavioural components, which taken together, constitute the soldiers resilience capacity (Figure 5). Given what we know about the nature of resilience, we propose training to build up the individuals psychological readiness by developing these personal resiliency resources. The higher resiliency a soldier possesses, the more likely he will be an intrepid warrior in the face of adversity.

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THE CHALLENGE OF THE MODERN WAR-RIOR

Military forces have realised that the modern WAR-rior requires an expanded set of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA). However, this is not easy for the modern WAR-rior to manage. The three Qualities described need to be imprinted in the WAR-rior DNA to help manage this expanded set of KSA and deal with the challenges of the modern operating environment.

First, he must deal with an already full training plate. Next, he must be prepared to switch and play the three roles seamlessly. As he is human, even a modern WAR-rior needs time to prepare mentally for an identity shift. In addition, the blurring of the boundaries already presents a challenge in deciding what should be the appropriate role to adopt and when is it the right time to switch. The extent to which this modern WAR-rior can pick up the cues that help him decide the what and when, and how fast the transition can be done determines his effectiveness. Conceptually, there is a difference between operating in war and in peace. In war, the soldier is trained to kill, maim or incapacitate. In peace, the soldier is trained to de-escalate violence, protect and show restraint. The issue is whether such cross-training creates tension in the physical, mental and psychological preparation of soldier.

Figure 6: Tensions Facing the Modern WAR-rior.

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features As mentioned earlier, in the domain of knowledge and skill, the WAR-rior must be well-grounded as a warfighter. The training demands for a warfighter far outweigh the training demands of the other two roles. The knowledge and skills required are also harder to maintain. Much time and effort is thus required to keep a soldier ready for war. In a dynamic operating environment, the attitude that accompanies a specific role identity must adjust to match the scenario just as fast as we re-tool the modern WAR-rior for a new task. But this is not as easy as it seems, because there is an inherent tension that exists between the mindsets of a warfighter, peacemaker and humanitarian (See Figure 6). Self-control and self-restraint are easily lost when bullets fly and survival is at stake. Any person, not just the modern WAR-rior, will find it intuitive to switch to the warfighter mindset from that of a Peacemaker or a Humanitarian when their survival is threatened. Unfortunately, regaining control takes more effort and time to cultivate. As war is now waged amongst the people, the modern WAR-rior must take care to exercise good judgement and self control. While it is easy to transit into the warfighter mindset, returning to the mindset of the peace keeper or humanitarian is much more difficult.

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unwelcome and unexpected event is quite likely to disrupt the normal daily function of a modern WAR-rior to some degree. Resilience retards the downward spiral in performance and helps recovery after the initial setback. Adaptiveness plays a dominant role to facilitate sensemaking of the situation. Thereafter, once this person is able to make sense and understand the situation he is able to quickly adapt to the stimulus. People with high self-efficacy tend to approach a challenging and difficult task as something to master rather than to be avoided.12 Adversity may trigger the process but an optimistic and positive outlook is what helps to overcome adversity. This is where Resilience and Adaptiveness work together in concert to produce a competitive edge against adversity. Finally, to sustain an effective or improved level of performance, one needs the resilience to keep going. The outcome is an individual who is more adaptive and resilient after an episode of adversity. Figure 7 also depicts a psychologically unprepared soldier who is unable to recover from tribulations. A highly adaptive and resilient person normally adopts a response-oriented thinking in response to an adversity stimulus.13 Simply put, an adaptive and resilient person moves quickly from analysis to a plan of action or reaction after the onset of adversity. In contrast, a person with low adaptiveness and resilience gets stuck in cause-oriented thinking that consumes him and prevents a recovery.
Table 1: Cause-Oriented vs. Response-Oriented Thinking.

Adversity is a trigger that affects the personal capacity for adaptiveness and resilience.
Difficult as it may be for modern WAR-riors to switch mindsets, they do not have a choice. They must be able to toggle back and forth quickly and seamlessly to be able to function and cope in the face of major environmental challenges that threaten to overwhelm them. This is precisely the reason why the Quality of Adaptiveness and the Quality of Resilience complement the Quality of the Warfighter. Adaptiveness helps pick up the necessary cues to help the WAR-rior determine what role he should switch to and when to do it. Resilience is what helps one bounce back from adversity, overcome the resistance and adopt a response oriented approach. Figure 7 compares how a psychologically ready modern WAR-rior differs from an unprepared individual in times of adversity. For example, an
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Cause-Oriented Thinking What are the causes? Who or what caused it? What is the extent of the underlying cause?

Response-Oriented Thinking What can I improve? What are the positive impacts? What can I do to limit the negative effects and generate positive effects? What can I do to address the problem now?

How long will it last?

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features Adversity is a trigger that affects the personal capacity for adaptiveness and resilience. Learning science tells us that for learning to occur, knowledge must be presented in an authentic context, a setting that closely resembles the operating environment where it is to be applied. Therefore, the essence of Tough and Realistic Training must still hold true in order to bring one to a higher level. Essentially, what does not kill you should make you stronger. Over time, exposure to multiple episodes should see one achieving a general improvement of task performance by accumulating capacity to deal with uncertainty and adversity.

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MAKING THE MUSCLES WORK TOGETHER

Soldiers need to be trained in military operations that they are required to perform in war or in operations other than war. They must not only be good at it but better than their adversaries. Furthermore, they also need to be able to adapt in the face of uncertainty and bounce back from adversity. Training developers must incorporate the relevant elements of uncertainty to make the training context as authentic and challenging as possible. Often, this can be replicated in some form or other in a simulated environment. However, the actual emotions and stress during operations are rarely ever replicated fully or completely in current training. Lastly, for training

Figure 7: Response to Uncertainty and Adversity.

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features to really resemble the context, doses of adversity to stimulate the emotions and stress must be infused in order to jolt the soldiers out of their comfort zones to expose and build up against adversity. The Expert Decision Maker could be an approach to bring the concept of the modern WAR-rior to reality.14 The paradigm of technology being the force multiplier of modern military forces like the SAF has now shifted to that of a thinking soldier, who despite being engaged in a myriad of challenges in the new operating environment will be able to make appropriate decisions and to operate seamlessly along the peace-war continuum.15 This so called expert decision maker is one who uses both intuitive and analytical approaches in decision making.16 Ong and Lim (2005) have proposed a TALAC (Think and Act Like A Commander) pedagogy that seeks to build such an expert. (See Figure 8) It may be an appropriate pedagogy that prepares one to understand the context in order to frame or identify the problem before working out a range of options or a solution. The TALAC pedagogy, which is essentially an approach for developing the cognitive aptitude, or what this article describes as the Quality of Adaptiveness, could be modified to include multi-dimensional stressors to simulate adversity in order to develop the Quality of Resilience. Ong et al. specifically mention the need to leverage on previous learning to lift the learning value of the next activity to a higher order. Each successive training activity aims to present a dilemma that challenges the soldiers beliefs and views by confronting him with a choice of action. While each activity is familiar, there are differences that force him to re-evaluate his thinking. It allows one to practice decision

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making and helps build a repertoire of knowledge from each encounter. The iterations are meant to bolster subsequent levels and instil confidence. As we continue to build on each level and gain experience, the novice will eventually become an expert.17 Besides increasing the level of uncertainty in each training activity, it is also possible to increase the level of difficulty by moderating the type and intensity of stressors to enhance the process to prepare a soldier to face adversity in the modern operating environment. Having said that, we must not get carried away as the intent of TALAC is to build up of a repertoire of recognised patterns in a novice. Introducing adversity induces a different learning outcome. Therefore, if the purpose is to facilitate the build up in the level of cognition, it may not be a good idea to include multi-dimensional stressors that could inhibit cognitive training for novices. However, at some point in time, adaptiveness and resilience must come together to ensure that the cognitive component of the soldier functions optimally in the midst of adversity. Doing so not only challenges the efficacy of the soldier, but also assures commanders that the soldier is ready for operations. For those with high efficacy, they will be motivated to take up the challenge and master it. Second, it builds upon the previous experience, raising the level of resilience from the initial state. Resilience is like the muscles of the body. It does not work in isolation, for every muscle that contracts, there is another set that expands. Like muscles, we exercise them to become stronger and to build endurance. Muscles that are left idle will atrophy and so too does resilience.

Figure 8: Think and Act Like A Commander Pedagogy.

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Figure 9: Enhanced TALAC Pedagogy.

WARFIGHTER ADAPTIVENESS RESILIENCE (WAR) MODEL

A pedagogy that systematically transforms a novice into an expert in dealing with uncertainty and adversity will also develop the adaptiveness and resilience necessary for warfighters. Such pedagogy must have a mechanism that stimulates the development of both adaptiveness and resilience. The proposed training approach utilises TALAC as the basic DNA or building block. Figure 9 indicates that each level represents a different stage of development which scaffolds the next level. According to the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, it can be concluded that our soldiers pass through five stages when acquiring a skill.18 In this case, it is the skill of pattern recognition which is important for Adaptiveness and the skill of coping for Resilience. This pedagogy prepares our warfighters to acquire such skills without having to rely on real operations.
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The principles underlying this pedagogy must be understood for it to be used correctly. It must be able to: Provide sufficient challenge to force one out of their comfort zone. For the model to be effective, a learner-context analysis must be performed to understand the learners level of skill and the current operating environment. This is to calibrate the level of difficulty and challenge that we want to expose the warfighter to so that it forces him to achieve the next level. Allow for mastery over the training activity. It is not about passing or failing but rather to challenge the warfighter to do better. This principle shared by many other pedagogy ensures incremental success at every stage. Such an approach affects the way the warfighter views the accomplishment of task. It encourages constant improvement instead of being complacent once the task has been achieved.

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features While adaptiveness is a necessary quality for the warfighter, resilience is a complementary, if neglected, quality that completes the warfighter's preparation to face the challenges of the new operating environment. The ability to analyse is critical, but resilience is required to quickly transit from a causeoriented thinking to a response-oriented thinking.

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While adaptiveness is a necessary quality for the warfighter, resilience is a complementary, if neglected, quality that completes the warfighter's preparation to face the challenges of the new operating environment. The ability to analyse is critical, but resilience is required to quickly transit from a cause-oriented thinking to a response-oriented thinking.
In order for such a transition to occur, three conditions must be present. The first condition is to have a knowledge base and experiences organised as a repertoire of patterns and narratives. The second condition is to have pattern recognition skills. The third is the ability to generate possible options through the interaction of the first two conditions. These three conditions are the main learning outcomes of TALAC pedagogy. Constantly achieving these learning outcomes promotes the ability to transit from a cause-oriented thinking to a response-oriented thinking. However, the velocity of transition, while triggered and accelerated by adversity, will depend on the richness of ones experience and knowledge, the mastery of pattern recognition skills and the speed of generating options to constructively address the adversity.

Adversity is not only a trigger but a means to build tolerance against dysfunctionality. Problem solving and analysis are important, but too much of both can result in paralysis. Infusing elements of adversity at the various levels may be seen as taking a bitter pill. If you taste bitterness often enough, you will get used to it. Eventually, it will seem less bitter. Compared to the first time when it numbed the tongue such that you could taste little else, the next time round you know what to expect and how to deal with it.

CONCLUSION
The Quality of a Warfighter is still the cornerstone even for a modern War-rior. However, being a warfighter is not sufficient for the modern battlefield. Not only he has to deal with an expanded role and scope, he has to adopt multiple roles of warfighter, peacemaker and humanitarian. He is expected to know what role to adopt and when to switch roles. He also needs to do it seamlessly and quickly, assisted by two complementary qualities of adaptiveness and resilience. To be an effective warfighter in the new operating environment, the modern War-riors competitive advantage is his Quality of Adaptiveness. Unfortunately, all this is for naught if he is unable to constantly self-regulate and function in the midst of adversity. Of course, we want this soldier to adapt and thrive in whatever operating environment he is thrust into, but it is also important to be able to outlast his opponent. All things being equal, the Quality of Resilience sustains the ability to function under adverse conditions. Uncertainty is the new norm. The nature of conflicts in this century is more volatile, complex and ambiguous in comparison to those of centuries past. In a time of troubled peace, the fog of war has invaded peace and blurred its boundaries. Therefore, the chosen one must possess the quality of the Warfighter, Adaptiveness and Resilience to pierce this fog and keep on going despite all the unknowns thrown at him.

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ENDNOTES
1. Rupert Smith, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World (London: Allen Lane, 2005). 2. Accordingly to Gen. Charles Krulak, soldiers might be called on to conduct full-scale military operations, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid, all within the space of three contiguous city blocks. See Gen. Charles C. Krulak, "The Strategic Corporal: Leadership in the Three Block War, Marines Magazine (January 1999), http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ usmc/strategic_corporal.htm. 3. BG Goh Kee Nguan, MAJ Damian Lim, MAJ Bryan Tan, Learning Army Thinking Soldier, POINTER 33, no. 4 (2007). 4. Krulak, "The Strategic Corporal." 5. Singapore Armed Forces Soldier for the 3rd Generation SAF. 6. MG Neo Kian Hong, Values Based Leadership, POINTER 33, no. 4 (2007). 7. Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (Little, Brown and Company, 2008). 8. BG Goh Kee Nguan, et al., Learning Army Thinking Soldier.

9. Speech by BG Hugh Lim, Chief Of Staff - General Staff, at the Army Workplan Presentation on 28 March 2007, Sharpening Our Edge. 10. A. Masten, Ordinary Magic: Resilience Processes in Development, American Psychologist 56, no. 3 (2001): 235. 11. Lim Beng Chong, Individual Psychological Readiness, unpublished work. 12. Psychologist Albert Bandura has defined self-efficacy as our belief in our ability to succeed in specific situations. 13. Joshua D. Margolis and Paul G. Stoltz, How to Bounce Back from Adversity, Harvard Business Review (JanuaryFebruary 2010): 86-92. 14. COL Ong Yu Lin and LTC Lim Beng Chong, Training Expert Decision Maker, POINTER 31, no. 2 (2005). 15. BG Goh Kee Nguan, et al., Learning Army Thinking Soldier. 16. Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Cultivating Intuitive Decision making, Marine Corps Gazette (May 1999). 17. COL Ong Yu Lin and LTC Lim Beng Chong, Training Expert Decision Maker, 2005. 18. Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition. From Stuart and Hubert Dreyfus' 1980 paper on training.

COL Ong Yu Lin is a Guards Officer by training and was previously Deputy Chief Guards Officer. He is currently the Senior Project Officer in Headquarters Guards. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the National University of Singapore, a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra, Australia, and an MBA from the Nanyang Fellows Programme in Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University. COL Ong has also attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, U.K., the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, the Australian Command and Staff College, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army National Defence University. He formerly held the appointments of Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards, Commander, 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade and Commander, Officer Cadet School (OCS).

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SLTC Lim Beng Chong is a Psychologist by training. He is concurrently the Head of Plans and Research Branch, and Deputy Head of Defence Psychology Department. He was also the Psychologist to the organising committee for Youth Olympic Games (2010) and an Associate Professor (Adj.) at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University. SLTC Lim holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, a Master of Science in Training and Development from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, a Master of Arts and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland, U.S.A. He formerly held the appointment of Senior Field Psychologist within Applied Behavioural Sciences Department.

MAJ Lim Sze King Damian is a Guards Officer and currently Commanding Officer, 8th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment. MAJ Lim holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Science in Instructional Systems from Florida State University, USA. MAJ Lim has served as a Staff Officer in General Staff and Headquarters Guards. He has also held the appointments of Officer-Commanding and Battalion S1 in 1st Battalion Singapore Guards, and was a Platoon Commander in Officer Cadet School.

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