FIT, NOURISHED AND RESILIENT


Benning, Georgia, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, administering a robust battery of physical perfor- mance tasks and questionnaires before and after training. Tis effort resulted in the OPAT, which contains a battery of four tests: a standing long jump, a medicine ball throw, an incremen- tal squat lift and an interval aerobic run. During this project, the USARIEM team validated the predictive ability of the OPAT to accurately place Soldiers into seven combat specialties.


As a result of their efforts, the OPAT was fully implemented starting in 2017; it is now required for all Army candidates seeking to enter active, reserve or National Guard duty. Te USARIEM team now is conducting a longitudinal study in which it is following volunteers for the next two years of their service to assess how successful they are in their assigned special- ties after receiving their OPAT results. Tis data will provide the Army information on injury and dropout rates in basic training, showing how much time and money used to rehabilitate and recycle Soldiers could be saved.


Te Combat Rations Database (COMRAD) is an interactive, educational website that provides warfighters and military dietitians with information about military rations and the potential for affecting warfighters’ diets and mission readi- ness. With COMRAD, warfighters and dietitians can view nutrition information for entire menus and even specific food components, like drinks and side dishes, in three types of rations: Meals, Ready to Eat; First Strike Ration; and Meal, Cold Weather/Long Range Patrol. COMRAD is based on a nutritional database created in collaboration with USARIEM’s Military Nutrition Division. All nutritional information is accurate, and all menu components have been chemically ana- lyzed, making COMRAD the go-to application for precise,


FUEL FOR THE BODY


A Soldier uses COMRAD, an online resource that gives troops, military dietitians and food service officers the opportunity to learn about the nutritional value of the food they eat. The database is the result of a collaborative effort between NSRDEC, USARIEM and DOD’s Human Performance Resource Center. (U.S. Army photo by Mallory Roussel, USARIEM)


easily accessible nutrition information on individual items, menus and daily food intake.


FUTURE RESEARCH TO OPTIMIZE THE WARFIGHTER Warfighters engage in combat in all kinds of environments, including cold weather, such as in the Arctic. Te question is: Are they prepared? USARIEM is conducting multiple research efforts, called Cold Weather Dexterity in Arctic Warfare, related to cold weather fighting protection. One of the biggest prob- lems Soldiers can face is the loss of hand function and manual dexterity in the cold. Tis can happen when Soldiers do not wear gloves, causing the blood flow to the hands and fingers to decrease. Yet Soldiers can also experience reduced touch sensa- tion and fine-motor dexterity by wearing gloves.


Either scenario could prevent warfighters from using their weap- ons or other sophisticated equipment that is required for the mission. USARIEM is collaborating with U.S. Army Alaska and the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School to research and develop technologies to increase warmth and blood flow to the fingers and face. Tis effort could optimize performance in Arc- tic missions while preventing frostbite and other cold weather injuries.


Because of the unique multistressor environment of Army basic combat training, musculoskeletal injuries are com- mon in recruits. Te ARIEM Reduction in Musculoskeletal Injuries (ARMI) Study is a four-year research collaboration between USARIEM and the U.S. Army Public Health Cen- ter to develop evidence-based, actionable recommendations to Army leadership for strategies to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in basic combat training without reducing training standards.


154


Army AL&T Magazine


January-March 2018


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