FIT FOR THE FUTURE
B
uilding the Army of the future requires much more than strategic investments in modern weaponry. From improving the speed and accuracy of informa- tion-sharing to piloting innovative talent management
structures, the Army continues to focus on investing thought- fully and extensively in its greatest asset: its people.
While future readiness efforts span the Army’s Soldier and civilian workforce, they are especially important for members of the close combat force, who are likely to encounter increas- ingly dynamic, fast-paced and demanding forms of warfare in the years to come. As such, a number of Army modernization initiatives are studying how the Army can rapidly and effectively enable optimal warfighter health.
Included in these efforts are applied research programs that assess the utility of personal fitness trackers and the data they produce, as well as in-depth research on challenges to peak Soldier wellness. Te Holistic Health and Fitness Management System (H2FMS) and Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) are two such programs examining how the Army can
better gather and use human performance data, so that leaders— and Soldiers themselves—can implement intentional changes to strengthen readiness and solidify resiliency.
HOLISTIC HEALTH AND FITNESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Trough the H2FMS health and fitness management program, which commenced in August 2021, the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) is exploring the power of enhanced health monitoring and streamlined data management.
H2FMS seeks to identify the best athlete-management system applications available on the commercial market and test their effectiveness on Soldier populations, with the eventual goal of implementing use across U.S. Army Forces Command.
Te project—which launched a six-month pilot in May to test three athlete-management system apps—evolved out of an 82nd Airborne Division request to the lab for assistance with find- ing tools to advance human performance and readiness while enhancing data-driven decision making.
“Operational units demand that we have solutions to improve our humans so they can be ready and lethal once they reach the battlefield,” said Maj. Nick Rinaldi, project manager for the H2FMS program. Rinaldi noted that the lab is well-suited to handle the task because the center focuses at “the warfighter level to identify pain points, refine and curate problems, and then source solutions where we see gaps.”
He added that the need for H2FMS reflects “a unit problem that every military entity with humans has: We can’t see ourselves well enough to make informed decisions on our human perfor- mance as it relates to Soldier lethality.”
By “see,” Rinaldi means more than just observe in action over a brief period of time. He and his team are interested in under- standing the bigger and more enduring picture of individual and unit health through rigorous, long-term data collection and analysis—the type that can illuminate issues a person may not even be aware of.
MORE TO IT
Sgt. Patrick Hill of the Texas National Guard participates in the Army Futures Command Murph Challenge at Camp Mabry, Texas, in May. Completing the strenuous workout—held in honor of fallen U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy—requires both physical and mental toughness.
“Tis isn’t just about the technology,” Rinaldi said. “It’s about culture and habit-forming.”
Trough conversations with Soldiers and leaders, as well as inte- gration with broader Army holistic health and fitness efforts, AAL ascertained that the most compelling solutions would address a
20 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2022
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