Washington — A latest memo from the Department of Defense lists new necessities meant to protect army personnel from mind and cognitive trauma related to blast overpressure.
DOD has outlined BOP as “the sudden onset of a pressure wave from explosions occurring with the use of shoulder-carried artillery and heavy armor in both training and deployment, in breaching buildings, and from improvised explosive devices.”
BOP’s results on mind well being “are not yet fully understood,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks writes within the memo, “but adverse health and cognitive performance impacts have been reported from acute exposures to BOP above 4 pounds per square inch.”
Among the brand new necessities:
- Baseline cognitive assessments for brand spanking new and reserve army members as a part of the entry course of
- Tracking of personnel uncovered to BOP.
- Creating coaching and operations provisions that enable for BOP threat administration, reminiscent of establishing standoff distances for particular weapons methods
- Developing procedures to guarantee service members acknowledge BOP signs, report exposures to their command and request a medical analysis if signs persist
- Personal protecting tools for weapons firers, trainers and different personnel at greater threat of BOP publicity
The memo provides that the coverage “is not meant to preclude or reasonably restrict commanders from conducting mission-essential weapons training” however quite to set necessities “for practical risk management actions to mitigate and track BOP exposures across the DOD.”
Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who in July wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting instant motion to conduct baseline brain-injury screenings for service members, applauds the transfer.
“The more we focus efforts on the effects of blasts, the more we learn about the direct link to brain injury and how we can prevent these injuries in the future,” King mentioned in a press launch.
“By beginning a cognitive test program this year to screen every service member upon entry to the military, as well as screen current at-risk service members, we can learn how to manage these exposures with the aim of protecting their well-being and saving lives.”
