Learning under Risk (LuR)

Exposure to that which we understand to be risky is a crucial experience for many soldiers. Thus, knowledge about how soldiers perceive and experience risk in a military context seems to be of utmost importance and therefore should be recognized in the process of acquiring military skills so as to better prepare soldiers and their units for future assignments. Still, the impression is that knowledge about risk as a dimension in military learning has not received enough attention in neither the military community nor the scholarly debate on risk-taking attitudes and behaviors among military personnel. Thus, the research-program “Learning under risk” (LuR) has been launched to describe, understand and explain the risk dimension in soldiers’ learning before, during and after participation in military operations.

The program is divided into three phases: the first is an initial phase aiming at conceptualizing the program, the second is an explorative phase testing hypotheses against empirical evidence and finally the third is an elaborative phase looking for the greater picture. In the process of going through the phases of the program our ambition is to a) put the topic of learning under risk on the international research agenda, b) identify both the arenas and contributors at the forefront and (c place the LuR-program on their agenda. In doing so we intend to produce some relevant knowledge-based guidance to those involved in developing soldiers and their units so as to enable the development of relevant and functional military training and performance cultures.