H2F Director’s Corner

By: Marcus Wright\, COL | COL Wright serves as the Director of H2F for the U.S. Army.

Technology continues to make the battlefield more lethal, dispersed, and complex. However, war remains a fundamentally human endeavor that still requires ground Forces to achieve intended objectives. Modern conflict shows that neither technology nor human capability alone is sufficient. With the continual expansion of the battlefield and speed of targeting due to prolific sensing capability, not only are physical requirements of Soldiers increasing but so is the cognitive capability requirement. Cognitive capabilities such as focus, decision making, and reaction time are where Soldiers step in to make up the difference to accomplish the mission when technology is not enough. When technology fails, Soldiers have always been required to make up the difference to accomplish the mission.

The Army made great strides to close the gap in providing the Soldier Athlete with appropriate SME’s and resources to enable and improve performance on the battlefield. Yet, a significant gap remains in how we leverage modern technology for both the Soldier Athlete and the SMEs supporting them. The current facilities for H2F resemble the same set up I walked into during my time as a college athlete in 1995. Today’s athletic facilities should be outfitted with a robust network and a myriad of sensors to leverage data analytics informing both the Athlete and coaches on the effectiveness of the physical training programs as it relates to the sport training path.

If fitness remains the foundation of combat readiness and lethality, then we must adopt modern technologies that optimize Soldier performance on the battlefield, define future requirements for Soldier performance and lethality in combat, and establish capabilities across all domains that enable that performance. These enabling technologies and capabilities should not be confined to performance facilities but must also be present in our field training areas, dining facilities, and living spaces to maximize awareness of enabling factors that influence daily decisions and actions of Soldier and leaders.

Current conflicts across the world continue to show that rapid advancements in military technology provide a battlefield advantage only when paired with physically and cognitively prepared Soldiers. We must continually look at how we can further leverage technology to enhance preparation for combat. The Ukraine-Russia conflict has demonstrated when Soldiers are not physically and cognitively prepared and technology fails, the probability of mission failure significantly increases. We cannot assume technology will compensate for suboptimal readiness. Instead, we must ensure that modernization in both human performance and technology progress together.