Velocity by Booz Allen

Personalized intelligence enhances cognitive and mission performance POTENTIAL HUMAN UNLOCKING PERFORMANCE

Wade Spann, a Marine corporal from Virginia, arrived at the 2023 Department of Defense Warrior Games Challenge to compete as an ultimate champion in eight individual events spanning categories from cycling to powerlifting. Like other elite athletes onsite, he donned a wearable device that was tracking physiological data throughout the week.

“Having eight events, it’s really critical for me to relax, unwind, let my body recuperate,” Spann said. “For me, I’m actually using [the wearable] not to make sure I hit my 8 hours of standing but to really try to make it purposeful, to rest while I can, so that way my recovery the next day is not as harsh.” In elite athletic environments like the Warrior Games, human- worn technologies are increasingly used to provide insights for individuals and teams to train and perform at their best. But as Spann emphasized, peak performance is not just about physical training; it hinges on cognitive readiness and purposeful recovery. Although sports science has traditionally focused on enhancing performance through physical training and fortitude, many practitioners of the discipline today embrace a human-as-a-system perspective, which links the brain and the body to optimize individual physical and psychological readiness, well-being, performance, and rest. From competitive games to real-world combat, the U.S. military is integrating this sort of human performance science and technology to keep service members in peak shape to succeed in their critical missions. While coaches

continue to collect and analyze physical data—for example, information related to cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal systems—the cognitive domain is one of the most impactful components of warfighter readiness and resiliency. Researchers are increasingly investigating the important effects that mental preparedness, stress, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and other factors have on training, performance, recovery, and injury prevention and management in the military context. But now, leaders in the field of mission readiness are taking this holistic view a step further, combining cognitive and physical analytics with mission analytics to provide a fuller picture of a warfighter’s performance and resilience. This data-driven insight into individuals can optimize performance and accelerate readiness of the entire unit, which in turn fuels mission success. And analysis of biometric and mission performance data supports leaders in making responsible, effective decisions about their formations. Let’s explore the powerful effect of combining these disciplines.

Munjeet Singh, Cameron Mayer, and Dave Prakash Contributions from Irik Johnson, Andie Rauta, and Sonya Rahmani

Having eight events, it’s really critical for me to relax, unwind, let my body recuperate,” Spann shared. “For me, I’m actually using [the wearable] not to make sure I hit my 8 hours of standing but to really try to make it purposeful, to rest while I can, so that way my recovery the next day is not as harsh.”