MD82 CREW MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD A RWY INCURSION AT DCA. NEW COMPANY POLICIES TAKE THE FO OUT OF THE TAXI LOOP.

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WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 19 BY TXWY J; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 15. IN ANOTHER XMISSION; GND SAID TO TAXI STRAIGHT AHEAD TO TXWY J; AND I THOUGHT; TAXI TO RWY 19. APCHING RWY 15; FO CALLED OUT 'RWY; RWY;' JUST AS THE GND CTLR ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTINUE ACROSS RWY 15 AND HOLD ON THE BLACKTOP ON THE OTHER SIDE. I BELIEVED WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO RWY 19 IN THE GND CTLR'S SECOND XMISSION. THE FO DID NOT HEAR THIS. I STILL AM NOT CERTAIN. THE CTLR'S THIRD XMISSION WAS RECEIVED AS WE WERE XING THE RWY BOUNDARY. I ASKED THE CTLR AFTER XING THE RWY IF WE HAD IN FACT BEEN CLRED TO CROSS; AND HE TOO SEEMED UNSURE IN HIS ANSWER; BUT ANSWERED THAT WE HAD. I AM STILL UNSURE. I AM SURE OF ONE THING THOUGH. IF WE DID NOT; WE HAD AN INCURSION BECAUSE I MISHEARD AN INSTRUCTION. I SAY THAT I MISHEARD; LEADING TO AN INCURSION; BECAUSE OUR COMPANY'S TRAINING DIVIDES THE COCKPIT DUTIES; LEAVING THE FO OUT OF THE LOOP DURING TAXI AND THUS LEAVING THE CAPT ON HIS OWN.' APCHING RWY 15; THE FO WAS INVOLVED IN THE LENGTHY BRIEFING OF NEARLY EVERYTHING ON THE TKOF DATA SHEET THAT IS TAUGHT IN TRAINING; AND INCIDENTALLY NOT REQUIRED BY ANY PROC. APCHING THE RWY; I CALLED OUT 'CLR L;' AND REACHED OVER AND TURNED ON THE WING/NACELLE LIGHTS. HE DID NOT ANSWER; BUT CONTINUED THE BRIEFING. I CALLED OUT 'CLR R;' AND WE BEGAN TO CROSS THE RWY. ONLY AFTER THE THIRD XMISSION FROM GND CTL DID HE REALIZE WHERE WE WERE. I AM NOT TRYING TO PLACE BLAME ON THE FO. HE DOES A GOOD JOB. HE DOES WHAT HE WAS TRAINED TO DO. THIS TRAINING TAKES HIM; AND ALL THE FO'S; OUT OF THE LOOP AT CRITICAL TIMES; ESPECIALLY DURING TAXI; WHILE ACCOMPLISHING ALMOST NOTHING. WE MAY HAVE HAD A RWY INCURSION. I AM STILL NOT SURE. IF WE DID; I MADE THE PRIMARY MISTAKE. OUR COMPANY TRAINING CONTRIBUTED BY TEACHING A TECHNIQUE THAT IS NOT REQUIRED BY PROC; THAT EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATES THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT REASON TO HAVE 2 PEOPLE IN THE COCKPIT; WHICH IS TO HAVE 2 MINDS AND 2 SETS OF EYES ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE OP OF THE AIRPLANE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 617643: RIGHT BEFORE XING RWY 15; I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I DID NOT THINK WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS RWY 15. I WAS ACCOMPLISHING CHKLIST DUTIES WHILE THE CAPT TAXIED ALONG TXWY J; AND I DID NOT LOOK UP UNTIL THE LAST MIN. PERHAPS HAD I BEEN BREAKING UP MY CHKLIST; I WOULD HAVE QUERIED THE CAPT AND GND SOONER. I REPEAT; I DO NOT THINK AN INCURSION OCCURRED; BUT I MAY BE WRONG.