Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Friday unveiled a new policy aimed at addressing the exposure of US troops to blasts, as evidence mounts that mortar fire, including during training missions, is increasing. the risk of brain damage.
In a memo addressed to senior defense officials and military commanders, Hicks said the new policy would establish requirements to reduce the risk of blast overpressure resulting from heavy weapons fire.
She said evidence indicates “possible adverse effects on brain health and cognitive performance” from rape charges, shoulder-fired weapons such as blasters, .50-caliber rifles and other indirect fires.
In a separate statement, Hicks said the new Warfighter Brain Health (WBH) initiative would focus on “identifying and implementing best practices to promote overall brain health and combat traumatic brain injuries.”
“Blast overpressure is one of many factors that can negatively affect warfighters’ brain health,” she said. “We owe it to our military, civilian personnel and their families who defend our nation and entrust us with their care to ensure that we are using all available resources to advance research to better understand the effects of blast exposure and to provide the best care. possible.
“That’s what it means to take care of our people, and we will continue to make that a top priority.”
Exposure to the blast has become a growing concern on Capitol Hill, where a bipartisan bill was introduced in the House this year to address the issue with a series of solutions.
The Pentagon, however, has so far largely failed to respond to concerns. The New York Times reported earlier this year that interviews with more than two dozen soldiers showed they showed symptoms of brain damage related to blast exposure, but the Defense Department identified only a few circumstances that present risk, such as firing from powerful anti-tank weapons.
Under the WBH initiative, an initial blast overpressure exposure rate of 4 pounds per square inch would be a threshold for risk management, Hicks said, although the exact details of the problem remain largely unstudied.
The memo to senior defense and military officials also directs them to conduct cognitive assessments of all active and reserve service members, to provide more training on blast exposure, and to further document and track the issue for study.
Additionally, it mandates new training and operations standards to take into account blast exposure mitigation, including distances from heavy weapons and use of personal protective equipment.
And Hicks called on officials to minimize the number of troops around blast exposure weapons and limit the use of any technology that might be above the 4 PSI limit.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
