By Dr. Randall W. Hill, Jr, Vice Dean, Viterbi School of Engineering, Omar B. Milligan Professor in Computer Science (Games and Interactive Media), Executive Director, ICT
After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Randall W. Hill Jr served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, with assignments in field artillery and military intelligence, before earning his Masters and PhD in Computer Science from USC. He worked at NASA JPL in the Deep Space Network Advanced Technology Program, before joining the USC Information Sciences Institute to pursue models of human behavior and decision-making for real-time simulation environments. This research brought him to ICT as a Senior Scientist in 2000, and then promoted to Executive Director in 2006. Dr. Hill is a member of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence and has authored over 80 technical publications.
Grit and resilience are often heralded as the bedrock of military success—qualities that enable warfighters to persevere through adversity and emerge stronger. But are these attributes innate, or can they be deliberately cultivated? The answer holds profound implications for military training, leadership, and operational effectiveness. If grit and resilience can be developed, then training individuals to endure hardship, maintain focus, and push past their limits is not just an aspiration but a mission-critical necessity.
Grit and resilience was something we discussed at ICT’s 25th Anniversary last summer. I’d decided to host a panel on this subject, as it’s something which has interested me for a long time. My two panelists, sitting either side of me in our theater, were GEN(R) Bob Brown, President & CEO of the Association of the United States Army, a nonprofit that supports Soldiers, their families and Veterans (formerly Commanding General of the U.S. Army, Pacific – 130,000 Soldiers across half the earth’s surface in the Indo-Pacific) and Coach Pete Carroll, head coach for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders (and formerly head coach for the NCAA’s USC Trojans and the NFL’s New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks).
I started by asking Coach Pete Carroll if he believed grit could be taught. In classic Carroll style he said “Yes…” before settling in to tell a good story:
“In 2013, I was in my office watching a TED talk given by Angela Duckworth, author of the bestselling book GRIT – THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE. Dr. Duckworth said grit starts with passion, perseverance, resilience, supporting things that I already thought and agreed with.”
“But then,” Coach Carroll told the ICT 25 audience, “Right at the end of her talk, she said: ‘But we don’t know how to teach grit, either we have it or we don’t.’ Well, as soon as I heard THAT, I asked my assistant Ben to get her on the phone.”
Half an hour later, they’re on the phone together. Because when Coach Carroll has a point to make, it’s worth picking up the phone.
Coach Carroll continued with his story: “I said to Dr. Duckworth: What do you mean you can’t teach grit?! I told her, we can show them why it’s important to take pride in who they are. We teach them mental toughness, we’ve always challenged them that they can go further than they thought they could. We emphasize the value of hanging in there, having hope, and giving them reasons on how to bounce back. That’s teaching grit in my playbook.”
Apparently Angela Duckworth agreed with him, as she’s now participated in countless events on grit and resilience alongside Coach Carroll – including a class at USC which I attended recently.
Back at ICT 25, I turned to GEN(R) Bob Brown to get his perspective. “Can grit be taught?” I asked him.
“I agree with Pete,” GEN Brown nodded. “It can be taught. The challenge is that you can’t go get a group of people and sprinkle magic dust and BAM, they’ve got grit. No. You have to develop them, get their trust, let them feel part of something, and then you can PUSH them towards achieving grit and building resilience.”
“You also have to let them know you care,” GEN Brown continued. “A lot of times in the military showing you care is seen as saying you’re soft. No, it’s not. I need to look a parent in the eye and say I did the best I could for your son or daughter. Or I couldn’t live with myself.”
Kelly Calway, GEN Brown’s daughter, served in the US Army as an Infantry Battalion Intelligence Officer, and deployed to combat in Kuwait. GEN Brown told the audience at ICT 25 that he needed the same assurance from his daughter’s leader, as he’d give any other Soldier’s parents.
“I wanted her leader to look me in the eye and tell me that they’d done the best for my daughter. Because when you build that trust, and put them through tough, demanding, and realistic training, that’s teaching grit and resilience – and will save their life in combat.”
“But you can’t push people unless you’ve got that bond and they trust you,” he added.
As the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Pacific, GEN(R) Brown confirmed that grit is not just a desirable trait; in military contexts, it is the difference between success and failure, survival and defeat, life and death. He emphasized that while grit can be taught, it requires a structured, rigorous process.
“You have to develop them, gain their trust, and push them beyond their perceived limits,” he reiterated at ICT 25.
He went on to talk about how military training programs employ a deliberate strategy of controlled stress exposure, forcing recruits to adapt under extreme conditions. The process involves: Realistic, high-pressure training that simulates battlefield conditions; Building trust and camaraderie, ensuring that soldiers push through adversity as part of a unit; Mental conditioning, fostering a mindset that embraces hardship as a path to growth.
SURVIVING BEAST BARRACKS AT WEST POINT
During his comments at ICT 25, GEN Brown referenced Dr. Duckworth’s original research which sought to identify why one in five U.S. Military Academy at West Point Cadets drop out before graduation. On a personal level, I was well aware of this statistic, as I’d attended West Point before joining the US Army many years ago.
Dr. Duckworth’s final paper (which fed into her best-selling book GRIT) revealed something interesting at West Point – neither academic prowess nor physical fitness alone predicted success during the grueling first-year initiation training known as “Beast Barracks.” Rather, it was grit—the ability to persist despite obstacles—that determined who endured.
She found that while short-term exposure to adversity does not necessarily increase an individual’s grit score, resilience skills—such as active coping, self-efficacy, and acceptance of limitations—can be strengthened through experience. This distinction is crucial: whereas grit may be relatively stable over time, resilience is more malleable and can be reinforced through targeted training.
While grit focuses on long-term perseverance, resilience is the ability to adapt and recover in the short term. This distinction is especially critical in military operations, where adaptability under pressure can mean the difference between mission success and failure.
Dr. Duckworth’s research at West Point concluded that resilience is strengthened through exposure to controlled stress and structured recovery processes: Tactical decision-making under duress, where soldiers must make split-second choices in high-pressure situations; physical endurance training, pushing limits through extreme conditions; and After-Action Reviews (AAR) where failures are analyzed and reframed as learning experiences. This structured approach helps service members build the mental and emotional tools necessary to function effectively under prolonged stress, whether in combat zones or high-intensity training environments.
ICT RESEARCH: Think Like a Commander – Excellence in Leadership [TLAC-XL)
After the panel at ICT 25, I went back through our research projects at ICT and examined them through the lens provided by Dr. Duckworth, GEN Brown and Coach Carroll – asking myself, how are we supporting training for grit and resilience? It was an illuminating and useful exercise.
ICT is a University Affiliated Research Center, funded by the Department of Defense, and sponsored by the US Army. Our mandate is to create immersive training systems to improve decision-making, build better leaders, and support the acquisition of other foundational skills. While there are many current projects doing this work (see below), I first thought about a project I worked on shortly after joining ICT, in 2000, called: Think Like a Commander – Excellence in Leadership [TLAC-XL).
Here’s a quick background to TLAC-XL: In the US Army, where leadership is defined as “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization,” the need to accelerate leadership training remains critical. Traditional computer-based leadership training in the Army largely focused on tactical and technical aspects, relying on constructive simulations that reinforced mission planning and battlefield strategy. However, these tools fall short in addressing the human dimensions of leadership, such as interpersonal communication, motivation, and command climate.
Recognizing this gap, the Think Like a Commander – Excellence in Leadership (TLAC-XL) system was developed as an innovative training solution, integrating artificial intelligence, interactive storytelling, and virtual mentorship to create an immersive learning experience. TLAC-XL leveraged professional filmmaking techniques and AI-driven dialogue interactions to simulate real-world leadership scenarios, allowing users to engage in guided conversations with synthetic mentors and characters from the training vignettes.
The primary objective of TLAC-XL was to enhance leadership training by bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application via Narrative-Based Learning; Interactive Learning through AI (through AI-driven dialogue systems, trainees asked questions, received responses, and reflected on their decisions); Developing Tacit Knowledge (the kind of practical wisdom that is difficult to articulate but essential for effective leadership—by exposing trainees to real-world dilemmas and encouraging them to think critically); Addressing Leadership in Contemporary Military Operations; and Improving Decision-Making Through Guided Discourse (our system prompted trainees with thought-provoking questions and facilitated discussions that reinforced leadership principles, explored multiple perspectives, refined their decision-making abilities, and developed greater self-awareness.)
Two major evaluation studies were conducted by the Army Research Institute at Ft. Lewis, WA, and Ft. Drum, NY, to assess how trainees interacted with the system and the impact it had on their learning outcomes. Trainees using TLAC-XL demonstrated a more nuanced understanding of interpersonal dynamics and leadership challenges. This suggests that the interactive nature of the system enhances comprehension beyond mere information retention.
Overall, TLAC-XL represented a significant step forward in military leadership education. By combining the power of storytelling, AI, and interactive learning, it offered a compelling alternative to traditional training approaches. This system informed much of our later research at ICT, integral in preparing the next generation of military leaders to navigate the complexities of modern warfare and beyond.
ICT RESEARCH: Army Excellence in Leadership
In partnership with the U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI), another of our early projects was the Army Excellence in Leadership, which aimed at supporting tacit knowledge acquisition in military leaders – again, engendering preparedness, a major component of acquiring grit and resilience.
AXL.Net was designed with three primary objectives: Develop a Pedagogically-Sound Research Prototype: Ensure the system was aligned with established educational theories and case method teaching principles. Integrate Cutting-Edge Technologies: Leverage web-based and multimedia innovations to enhance the traditional case method approach. Ensure Ease of Use and Accessibility: Provide a seamless learning experience for Army leaders that facilitated engagement, interaction, and effective knowledge transfer.
To achieve these objectives, AXL.Net incorporated several features:
Filmed Case Studies: Narrative-driven scenarios such as Power Hungry and Tripwire provided realistic leadership challenges.
Interactive Multimedia Tools: Video bookmarking, character interviews, and guided analysis exercises mimicked real-world decision-making processes.
Structured Discussion Facilitation: The system enabled small-group interactions, allowing leaders to explore different perspectives and refine their judgment.
Adaptive Learning Features: Tailored feedback and branching question paths adapted to individual user responses, fostering deeper reflection and comprehension.
An evaluation of AXL.Net was conducted in 2006 using the Tripwire cultural awareness module. The study included 55 Army officers across three installations, assessing their engagement, learning outcomes, and overall reactions to the system. Key findings included:
Positive User Engagement: Officers found the filmed case studies highly engaging, with strong preferences for this approach over traditional text-based or PowerPoint-based instruction.
Enhanced Learning Outcomes: Participants demonstrated improved judgment in decision-making scenarios following their engagement with the AXL.Net module. A significant increase was observed in their ability to recognize and prioritize critical cultural issues.
Cognitive and Emotional Impact: Officers reported that the system stimulated their thinking and encouraged them to reflect on leadership challenges from multiple perspectives. Additionally, the positive effect experienced during the training was linked to improved learning outcomes.
Strong Transferability: Participants indicated that the lessons learned from AXL.Net could be directly applied to real-world leadership situations, reinforcing the system’s effectiveness in leader development.
These results highlighted the potential of AXL.Net to enhance leader training by offering an immersive, interactive, and flexible case method learning experience.
I reminisced with GEN Bob Brown via email about these two projects recently, particularly the Power Hungry movie, which he used with his troops during that time. With his permission, here’s what he told me:
“I first heard about ICT in 2002 when I became the second Stryker Brigade Commander in the Army,” GEN Brown told me. “Then CSA GEN Shinseki was using ICT and I contacted them to help develop a Stryker Leaders Course to enable more Agile and Adaptive Soldiers.”
“This was really the early start of moving from Command and Control to Mission Command. (The Army would switch from C2 to MSN CMD in 2008). Every E-4/E-5 and above leader completed an excellent scenario based interactive video training developed by ICT that really caused them to sort through lots of information and choose the right options in an empowered environment. It would prove to have made a huge difference in combat operations 2 years later as we defeated Al-Qaeda in Mosul and Northern Iraq.”
“This started a consistent relationship with ICT that really took off and made a huge difference in numerous units after you became the Director, ICT and we worked closely together for years,” he continued. “I saw the Power Hungry Film on a visit to ICT and brought it back to my unit to use with our Leader Development Training. I can’t recall if it was still the SBCT or when I was in the 25th DIV as DCG. I do recall it was VERY effective and helped our leaders understand Mission Command and empowerment! That was a critical concept for success in today’s environment and in combat operations. I believe that ICT significantly impacted combat effectiveness and helped lead to the defeat of our adversary.”
ICT RESEARCH: DARK NETWORKS
During the rise in requirements to combat counterterrorism, ICT projects including CounterNet, Balance of Terror and Dark Networks were specifically designed to build grit and resilience through participation in strategic wargames. Developed by ICT, with funding from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), these are still in use at the George C.Marshall European Center for Security Studies as part of their Program on Cyber Security Studies (PCSS) core curriculum.
Dark Networks is a strategic game, for two-players (state vs terrorist), focusing on the organizational structure of terrorist groups and how these structures can be altered to make the terrorist group more or less effective. It reinforces ideas from the field of social network analysis (SNA): nodes and links, and the importance of size, centrality, and external ties.
Each player may have a strategy to defeat the other, but they must adapt their strategies over time to maximize their advantages. The core tradeoff in this game is between security and effectiveness for the terrorist group. Measures taken to increase effectiveness (growing, centralizing) will diminish the terrorist group’s security, and vice versa. This forces players to think about which attribute (security or effectiveness) they wish to maximize. This will change depending on the timing in the game and players’ strategies.
Military training simulations, like Dark Networks, build grit and resilience through tactical decision-making under duress, provide AAR to show where a warfighter can improve their skills, and also creates muscle-memory situational awareness through repeated exposure to battlescape scenarios.
Many ICT projects have become DoD POR (Programs of Record) including research which led to: One World Terrain; DisasterSim; ELITE; JFETS; Mobile C-IED Trainer (MCIT); Tactical Questioning IEWTPT; ELECT-BiLat; UrbanSim (Games for Training POR). Because we are based in L.A. we draw on regional strengths, with our proximity to strategic military bases including the National Training Center, Camp Pendleton and the Navy’s China Lake – and much of our wargaming projects over the past 25 years, have been tested in these locations.
ICT RESEARCH: COUNTER NET
Another of our warfighting games which engenders grit and resilience is CounterNet. This is a single-player, web-based counter-terrorism game that teaches how to identify, track, counter and thwart online terrorist activity. A player takes on the role of a government professional trying to prevent an attack by a fictional eco-terrorist group called Terala.
The player must prevent Terala from utilizing platforms for social media, content creation and dissemination such as Youtube, payment systems (e.g. Paypal) and email. The game centers around 10 fundamental uses of the internet that cyber-terrorists can exploit to their advantage: Propaganda, Financing, Training, Planning, Execution, Recruitment, Incitement, Radicalization, Public Information, and Secret Communication. Learning Objectives from warfighters engaging with CounterNet include: Knowing when and how to take action and how to mobilize the broader society; Understanding tradeoffs and costs (2nd and 3rd order effects) that need to be anticipated and managed; and Learning how to work alongside other government organizations, the private sector and the international community.
CounterNet is also part of the Global Ecco suite of online games at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and continues to be used by a broader audience of cyber-security professionals and students.
ICT RESEARCH: DISASTER SIM
DisasterSim is another project at ICT which uses game-based training tools – this time focused on international disaster relief, which is surely a scenario which requires grit and resilience.
In DisasterSim, trainees take on the role of a joint task force staff member coordinating the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts in a foreign country following a natural disaster. Among the tasks, trainees must attempt to restore essential services, reconstruct civil infrastructure and provide humanitarian assistance, all while managing interactions with local civil authorities, non-governmental organizations, and other US government relief organizations. They must use their judgment to prioritize and execute lifesaving tasks while operating within DoD limits related to medical relief and infrastructure repairs. Trainee actions in the exercise can impact future interactions and may also influence the overall scenario.
DisasterSim is built upon the UrbanSim platform – an ICT-developed cognitive trainer widely used in Army classroom and operational settings to practice executing the “Art of Mission Command” in asymmetric or irregular warfare environments, including counterinsurgency and stability operations.
UrbanSim officially transitioned to the Army as part of two programs of records, Games for Training and the Low Overhead Training Toolkit. It is available at the Army’s MilGaming portal. DisasterSim is funded by PEO STRI and is developed in partnership with the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
ASYNCHRONOUS ANNOTATION EMBEDDED ENVIRONMENTS (A2E2)
The three projects above started over a decade ago, and have now transitioned from our ICT labs, and into warfighters’ hands.
Bringing us right up to date is a new project: Asynchronous Annotation Embedded Environments (A2E2). This is being incubated in our Mixed Reality (MxR) and Modeling & Simulation labs right now – and brings powerful simulation technologies to the battlescape itself, via HUD (Heads up Display).
The A2E2 project proposes that AR world-fixed information, (derived from collective intelligence encompassing, existing intel, crowdsourced information and user-generated observations) embedded geo-specifically into the environment compared to the conventional method of text and screen-based information delivery, will lead to improved performance by the downrange warfighter. Assessment of this capability will test its potential to increase situational awareness and understanding and improve decision making speed and quality.
To date the MxR team has created a virtualized Augmented Reality test-bed environment to assess information dissemination between two conditions: a) a current paradigm: ATAK tablet-based-style heads-down-display and b) a future-imagined Heads up Display (HUD) computational ecosystem; where information is presented spatially within the environment.
The team is now conducting a between-subjects user study employing an emergency response scenario, and will begin conducting experiments with subjects in Q4 FY24. Effectiveness of this future imagined capability will be assessed based on various task measures, including speed of decision-making, quality of decisions, post-tests of situational awareness and sense-making, as well as self-reported usability and perceived performance. Essentially, A2E2 is building grit and resilience for the warfighter while in combat itself.
NEXT GEN TOOLS
As both GEN Brown and Coach Carroll pointed out at ICT, leadership plays a critical role in fostering grit and resilience. Effective leaders set the tone for perseverance by modeling these qualities themselves. For example, when soldiers see resilience demonstrated at the highest levels, they internalize those values and develop their own capacity for perseverance.
The ICT projects discussed in this essay show that grit and resilience are vital outputs from our research. Deliberate exposure to controlled stressors—such as military drills, combat simulations, and leadership challenges—can enhance neural pathways associated with perseverance and emotional regulation.
At ICT we are committed to supporting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “Warrior Ethos” and understand the imperative to build excellence in America’s next gen warfighters.
The future of military grit training lies in blending psychological insights with practical application. Advances in neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and leadership studies will continue to refine our understanding of how perseverance can be nurtured.
Whether through immersive combat simulations, mentorship programs, or adaptive stress inoculation techniques, the key to unlocking human potential in military settings lies in fostering an unshakable belief in one’s ability to overcome obstacles. The message is clear: grit and resilience are not just qualities we admire in Soldiers—they are skills that must be deliberately cultivated to ensure success in the most demanding environments.
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