Episode 5 – Ash Hess, Writing Army Marksmanship Doctine

In Episode 5 of the So There I Was podcast, host Travis Womack interviews Ash Hess, a retired Army veteran with 22 years of service and a key figure in the modernization of Army marksmanship doctrine. The episode delves into Hess’s career journey, particularly his pivotal role in rewriting TC 3-22.9, the Army’s rifle marksmanship manual, replacing outdated “fundamentals” with the “shot process”—a method rooted in sports psychology and real-world application. Hess shares how he crowd-sourced the manual with input from over 150 passionate shooters, turning it into one of the Army’s most downloaded documents since its 2016 release. The conversation also explores how Hess influenced the redesign of the Army rifle qualification, emphasizing realistic combat conditions like magazine changes and position transitions. Through innovative dissemination—targeting both junior leaders via board prep and commanders via qualification performance—Hess and his team effectively reshaped Army training culture. Beyond his military contributions, Hess discusses his seamless transition into the defense industry with Knights Armament, fulfilling a personal goal of remaining active in the firearms community. He also shares insights into launching his own shooting competition company, Quantified Performance, and leveraging LinkedIn as a tool for marketing and networking. The episode offers rich, candid reflections on military service, institutional change, veteran entrepreneurship, and the power of purpose-driven innovation. The post Episode 5 – Ash Hess, Writing Army Marksmanship Doctine first appeared on Womack C3.