The Army’s Mission to Understand & Optimize Soldier Performance

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By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

When facing a high-speed enemy attack and dodging incoming enemy fire, a soldier’s heart rate rushes up, breathing intensifies and cognition can greatly accelerate. While these things may seem overly obvious, they introduce interesting and extremely significant tactical implications.

Perhaps an infantry soldier maneuvers quickly, jumps, ducks for cover or runs to contact to close with an enemy? There will be elements of fatigue of potential physiological significance. If a soldier has not rested in several days, performance, concentration and speed of movement might well be impaired.

Not only are these variables of great relevance to combat, but they are also increasingly measurable. While stress can of course generate a wide range of physiological impact, one lesser recognized reality is that it might actually improve performance, according to Army scientists now researching and experimenting with ways to measure and analyze physiological nuances.

While under stress, a soldier may become more vigilant and operate with must sharper, faster focus. Fear, anxiety and a jumping heart rate can streamline or even sharpen senses to some extent, making a soldier a bit quicker, precise or more reactive.

“Stress is not always bad. Complacency gets us hurt,” Joseph E Patterson, Soldier Performance Strategist Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) Project Lead, Army Futures Command, DEVCOM Soldier Center, told The National Interest in an interview.