AAR Cadence

Discipline Without Domination

Mission

Every operation—training, coaching, or advising—ends with reflection.
The After Action Review (AAR) is how THI preserves precision, accountability, and learning without resorting to blame or hierarchy.

This cadence keeps reflection routine, not reactive. It turns experience into adaptation—and discipline into growth.

i. The Five “After Action” Questions

  1. What was our mission?
    Clarify intent. What outcome or behavior were we targeting?

  2. What actually happened?
    Describe the reality. Avoid judgment; focus on facts.

  3. Why was there a difference?
    Identify gaps between plan and execution—systems, communication, or environment.

  4. What have we learned?
    Extract principles, not blame. What worked, what didn’t, and why?

  5. What will we do about it?
    Convert lessons into concrete adjustments—who acts, how, and by when.

Reflection without follow-through is noise. The AAR turns reflection into readiness.

iI. THI AAR Loop

The AAR is our formal learning mechanism—a feedback loop that closes each training cycle, coaching engagement, and advisory mission.
We apply it across both individual and organizational contexts to maintain adaptive readiness.

Phase Purpose Prompts
Event Identify what occurred. What was the objective? Who was involved? What conditions existed?
Observation Capture measurable facts. What was executed? What changed? What signals emerged (HR, performance, communication)?
Lesson Distill meaning. What insights emerged? What confirmed or challenged expectations?
Action Define correction or sustainment steps. What changes are required? Who owns them? What’s the timeline?

The THI AAR Loop turns reflection into refinement—every session becomes a data point, not a judgment.

iII. Cadence

  • Individual Training / Coaching: Mini-AAR weekly → full AAR at 4-week block review.

  • Advisory / Organizational Engagements: Midpoint AAR + End-of-Mission AAR (formal documentation provided).

  • Team Reviews: Facilitated quarterly to maintain shared learning across disciplines.

Duration: 10–15 minutes informal, 30–45 minutes structured.
Format: Digital form or live dialogue (synchronous or async).

iV. Checklist: THI AAR Template

Event: Describe what was planned and what occurred.

Observation: Note objective data and relevant conditions.

Lesson: Summarize insights—what supported success or contributed to friction.

Action: List next steps, assigned owner, and target date.

THI AAR Template

Field Entry Example
Event Week 3 Conditioning Session
Observation RPE and HR higher than planned; sleep deficit reported
Lesson Recovery and hydration undervalued; adaptive fatigue emerging
Action / Owner / Date Adjust training volume 10%; Client logs hydration daily; Coach review in 5 days

Each AAR captures one operational insight—turning events into intelligence and effort into adaptation.

V. Doctrine Integration

THI’s AAR model borrows from U.S. Army Training Circular 25-20, but reinterprets it for human performance, not combat evaluation.
Our version values autonomy and inquiry—discipline without domination.

The mission isn’t perfection—it’s precision through reflection.

VI. Operational Impact

  • Readiness: Keeps training cycles aligned to real-world conditions.

  • Resilience: Normalizes reflection as recovery, not reprimand.

  • Integrity: Ensures every lesson produces measurable change.

The AAR is how we close the loop—turning experience into doctrine and doctrine into practice.