Improving Human Performance through Neuroenhancement (#2)

Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators are among the most elite and highly qualified individuals in the U.S. military. As such, extraordinary physical and mental demands are placed upon them, including superior performance standards, high operational tempos, and the ability to excel in extreme environments for extended periods of time. Injuries that require surgery are the norm rather than the exception, and prolonged stress causes a variety of mental and physical issues that SOF operators know all too well. This unrelenting cycle of combat deployments and intense pre-deployment training shortens the functional life of operators, a highly undesirable outcome given that “SOF operators cannot be mass produced”.1 As the demand for SOF around the globe continues to increase, SOCOM will need to invest next-generation technology into its most precious resource: people. In order to increase SOF operational life-span and decrease the adverse effects of physical trauma, we will need to increase endurance, speed of recovery, peak performance sustainability, metabolic efficiency, improve cognitive ability and improve the ability to acclimate to severe environments.