ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This paper measures the effect of the military leader on Cognitive Readiness (CR) among military personnel in the Malaysian Army (MA) through military training. In Complex Operating Environments (COE), military organizations need to ensure that personnel are cognitively prepared to think critically and respond effectively during deployment. CR refers to military personnel who possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to perform competently in complex environments. This study underscores the crucial role of the military leader in ensuring that personnel are equipped with these KSAs through effective training. Data were collected from 2,261 military personnel across the Royal Malay Regiment, Royal Ranger Regiment, and Border Regiment, and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, version 25) and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM, SmartPLS4). The findings demonstrate that the military leader has a significant effect on the CR of military personnel, with a path coefficient of 0.554. Additionally, the model explains that 30.7% of the variance in the CR (R² = 0.307) is influenced by the military leader. The predictive analysis further shows that the Q² value for CR is 0.305. In conclusion, the model provides strong evidence that the military leader plays a pivotal role in shaping CR outcomes through their influence on military training.
Alim, H., Wahab, A. Y. A., Subramaniam, A., & Nor, N. M. (2024). Cognitive readiness: Preparing military personnel for disaster crisis management response. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 13(3), 434– 464.
Bartone, P. T., Snook, S. A., Forsythe, G. B., Lewis, P., & Bullis, R. C. (2007). Psychosocial development and leader performance of military officer cadets. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(5), 490-504.
Blacker, K. J., Hamilton, J., Roush, G., Pettijohn, K. A., & Biggs, A. T. (2019). Cognitive training for military application: a review of the literature and practical guide. Journal of cognitive enhancement, 3, 30-51.
Bekesiene, S., Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, I., & Hošková-Mayerová, Š. (2021). Military leader behavior formation for sustainable country security. Sustainability, 13(8), 4521.
Beckley, M. (2010). Economic development and military effectiveness. The Journal of Strategic Studies, 33(1), 43-79.
Crameri, L., Hettiarachchi, I., & Hanoun, S. (2021). A review of individual operational cognitive readiness: theory development and future directions. Human factors, 63(1), 66-87.
Etter, D. M. (2002). Cognitive readiness: An important research focus for national security. Converging technologies for improving human performance: Nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science, 330- 336.
Fautua, D. T., & Schatz, S. (2012). Cognitive readiness and the challenge of institutionalizing the “new” versus “news”. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, 6(3), 276-298.
Fletcher, J. D., & Wind, A. P. (2013). The evolving definition of cognitive readiness for military operations. In Teaching and measuring cognitive readiness, 25-52.
Fraulini, N. W., Marraffino, M. D., Garibaldi, A. E., Johnson, C. I., & Whitmer, D. E. (2024). Adaptive training instructional interventions: A meta-analysis. Military Psychology, 1- 15.
Gagne, R. M. (1962). Military training and principles of learning. American psychologist, 17(2), 83.
Gagné, M., & Hewett, R. (2024). Assumptions about human motivation have consequences for practice. Journal of Management Studies.
Grier, R. A. (2012). Military cognitive readiness at the operational and strategic levels: A theoretical model for measurement development. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, 6(4), 358-392.
Grier, R. A. (2011). Cognitive readiness at the tactical level: A review of measures. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 55(1), 404-408.
Goldberg, M. S., Holroyd, S. M., & Hildebrandt, G. G. (1991). Measuring military readiness and sustainability. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
Gutmann, J., Metelska-Szaniawska, K., & Voigt, S. (2024). Leader characteristics and constitutional compliance. European Journal of Political Economy, 84, 102423.
Hair, J. F., Matthews, L. M., Matthews, R. L., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). PLS-SEM or CB-SEM: Updated guidelines on which method to use. International Journal of Multivariate Data Analysis, 1(2), 107-123.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24.
Harris, D. J., Arthur, T., Kearse, J., Olonilua, M., Hassan, E. K., De Burgh, T. C., ... & Vine, S. J. (2023). Exploring the role of virtual reality in military decision training. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 4, 1165030.
Havenetidis, K., Bissas, A., Monastiriotis, N., Nicholson, G., Walker, J., Bampouras, T. M., & Dinsdale, A. J. (2023). Combining sport and conventional military training provides superior improvements in physical test performance. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 18(5), 1567-1576.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115-135.
Kluge, A., & Burkolter, D. (2013). Enhancing research on training for cognitive readiness: Research issues and experimental designs. Journal of cognitive engineering and decision making, 7(1), 96-118.
Koltun, K. J., Bird, M. B., Forse, J. N., & Nindl, B. C. (2023). Physiological biomarker monitoring during arduous military training: Maintaining readiness and performance. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26, S64-S70.
Ladson, D. K. (2024). Model for Measuring US Army Warfighter’s Critical Thinking Skills: A Meta-Analysis, Doctoral dissertation, Walden University.
Lee, R. (2020). Building the Next Generation of Chinese Military Leaders. The Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (JIPA), 3, 135-145.
Lopez, A. C. (2020). Making ‘my’problem ‘our’problem: Warfare as collective action, and the role of leader manipulation. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(2), 101294.
Martin, K., Périard, J., Rattray, B., & Pyne, D. B. (2020). Physiological factors which influence cognitive performance in military personnel. Human factors, 62(1), 93-123.
McInerney, S. A., Waldrep, E., & Benight, C. C. (2024). Resilience enhancing programs in the US military: An exploration of theory and applied practice. Military Psychology, 36(3), 241-252.
McLemore, C., Doheney, S., Savage, S., & Fahringer, P. (2021). Military Readiness Modeling. Military Operations Research, 26(1), 23-36.
Nindl, B. C., Billing, D. C., Drain, J. R., Beckner, M. E., Greeves, J., Groeller, H., ... & Friedl, K. E. (2018). Perspectives on resilience for military readiness and preparedness: report of an international military physiology roundtable. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 21(11), 1116-1124.
Preddy, J. E., Stefaniak, J. E., & Katsioloudis, P. (2019). Building a cognitive readiness for violent police–citizen encounters: A task analysis. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 32(1), 55-76.
Raffensperger, J. F., & Schrage, L. E. (1997). A new paradigm for measuring military readiness. Military Operations Research, 21-34.
Saul, K. M., Young, M. D., Siddiqi, J. M., & Hirsch, D. A. (2024). Developing a mental toughness program for basic military training. Military Psychology, 36(2), 203-213.
Schatz, S., Bartlett, K., Burley, N., Dixon, D., Knarr, K., & Gannon, K. (2012). Making Good Instructors Great: USMC cognitive readiness and instructor professionalization initiatives. In Proceedings of the I/ITSEC.
Scott, J. M., & Deuster, P. A. (2024). Role of nutrition in human performance in military populations. BMJ Mil Health, 170(5), 415-419.
Shields, P. M. (2020). Dynamic intersection of military and society. Handbook of military sciences, 1-23.
Steinberg, R., & Kornguth, S. E. (2009). Sustaining performance under stress: Overview of this issue. Military Psychology, 21(sup1), S1-S8.
Stergiou, M., Robles-Pérez, J. J., Rey-Mota, J., Tornero-Aguilera, J. F., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2023). Psychophysiological Responses in Soldiers during Close Combat: Implications for Occupational Health and Fitness in Tactical Populations. In Healthcare. 12(1), 82.
Stothard, C., & Drobnjak, M. (2021). Improving team learning in military teams: learning- oriented leadership and psychological equality. The Learning Organization, 28(3), 242- 256.
Tait, J. L., Aisbett, B., Corrigan, S. L., Drain, J. R., & Main, L. C. (2024). Recovery of cognitive performance following multi-stressor military training. Human Factors, 66(2), 389- 403.
Travis, D. S. (2023). Why the US military lost Afghanistan. Armed Forces & Society, 49(4), 939-952.
Travis, T. W., & Brown, D. L. (2023). Human performance optimization: a framework for the military health system. Military Medicine, 188(Supplement_1), 44-48.
Tornero-Aguilera, J. F., Stergiou, M., Rubio-Zarapuz, A., Martín-Rodríguez, A., Massuça, L. M., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2024). Optimising Combat Readiness: Practical Strategies for Integrating Physiological and Psychological Resilience in Soldier Training. In Healthcare, 12(12), 1160.
Vrijkotte, S., Roelands, B., Meeusen, R., & Pattyn, N. (2016). Sustained military operations and cognitive performance. Aerospace medicine and human performance, 87(8), 718- 727.
Yoon, M., Choi, K., Yoon, S., & Jo, I. H. (2024). Task type matters: The impact of virtual reality training on training performance. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(1), 205- 218.
Alim, H., Subramaniam, A., Nor, N. M., & Wahab, A. Y. A. (2025). From Military Training to Cognitive Readiness: The Role of Military Leader. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(2), 650–679.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode