NATO STO

The objective of the research specialists’ meeting (RSM) is to convene a strategic forum where leading NATO subject matter experts, program managers, and scientists can present and establish an increased understanding of Service member occupational health hazards resulting from repetitive use of weapon systems and explosives during a military career. The secondary objective will be to recommend in meeting proceedings strategies that will inform the development of standards to monitor and potentially mitigate unnecessary exposures in training and combat to sustain Service member’s health and performance during their careers. RSM tasks will be: 1) Identification and classification of established or potential health hazards resulting from repetitive use of weapon systems and explosives and their effects on health and performance. 2) Identification of effective training range safety and monitoring methods of environmental exposures resulting from repetitive use of weapon systems in current NATO operations. 3) Characterization of medical and/or personnel protection strategies for the prevention and mitigation of potential injuries due to single and repetitive heavy weapons exposure(s). 4) Best practice recommendations to inform future blast exposure surveillance activities. The kick-off meeting (2 days) would be held at the CSO to finalize agenda, speakers, and logistics for the RSM. The RSM would likely be 3 days with the location still to be determined factoring in travel time and costs. RSM end products will be: 1. Report documenting (1) leading blast injury research in the form of conference proceedings that will provide the necessary foundation to increase understanding of current health risks related to blast overpressure (BOP) exposure and impact on health and performance, (2) a research framework for subsequent NATO Research and Technology Group (RTG) work that will determine relationships between environmental exposures and potential injury risk and other poor health outcomes resulting from blast exposure, (3) an initial compendium of research progress that can be used as a reference source for other NATO organization efforts, and (4) recommendations for developing standardized processes to fully characterize exposures from firing weapon systems and explosives in military training and combat environments that can inform medical blast exposure surveillance programs. 2. Research proceedings documenting known and unknown relationships between blast exposure and health and performance, and strategies used by NATO members to mitigate unnecessary blast exposures and brain health degradation.