The US Department of Defense has issued a new policy guideline aimed at reducing the risk of brain injuries among soldiers due to prolonged exposure to blasts.
In a memorandum released Friday, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the department will improve the tracking of all service members’ cognitive health by regularly conducting assessments.
This is meant to spot potential effects on soldiers of repeated blast exposures from early career onward.
At present, the military only provides baseline cognitive testing to soldiers ahead of their official deployment. This often results in failure to spot potential brain injuries from training or combat missions.
“Experiences by [soldiers] in training and operational environments demonstrate possible adverse effects on brain health and cognitive performance (e.g., headache, decreased reaction time, attention difficulty, memory loss),” Hicks wrote.
“Brain health effects from [blast] exposures are not yet fully understood, but adverse health and cognitive performance impacts have been reported.”
The long-term cognitive testing for active-duty troops will begin in 2025.
Standoff Distance
In addition to regular cognitive assessments, the new policy will ensure that protective equipment is provided to anyone firing certain weapons.
There will also be specific safe distances for instructors to follow depending on the weapons being used during training.
For example, instructors should stand 16 feet (4.9 meters) farther from a soldier firing an M3 anti-armor and anti-personnel weapon.
They are also obliged to be at least 7 feet (2.1 meters) away from personnel training with an M107 sniper rifle.
When firing indirect fire systems or mortars, soldiers should assume a posture as close to the ground as possible to avoid blast effects.
Long Called For
The new blast policy comes amid growing pressure from American lawmakers for increased troop protection from blasts.
Earlier this year, a panel of experts told the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel that even low-level blast exposure can cause symptoms similar to traumatic brain injury.
The policy was released nine months after a US Army reservist went on a shooting rampage in Maine and killed 18 people.
An autopsy report revealed that the suspect likely suffered from a traumatic brain injury as he was a longtime instructor at a hand grenade training range.
