Super Soldiers
Body armor saves lives. Modern ballistic body armor is truly a “game-changing” innovation that gives U.S. soldiers a significant battlefield advantage over adversaries. Militaries have long invested in protection, such as helmets and armor, but today U.S. troops have greater protection than their historical predecessors or contemporaries around the globe. Nevertheless, this protection has limitations and dismounted troops remain vulnerable to a range of threats.
Current body armor systems suffer from three major shortcomings:
- Current body armor does not adequately protect against blast-induced brain injury, a critical threat to soldiers.
- The weight of current armor negatively affects soldier performance.
- Despite their weight, current systems still leave vulnerable areas exposed.
The Super Soldiers series covers findings from the Center for a New American Security’s study on dismounted soldier survivability that was conducted for the Army Research Laboratory. The series examines opportunities to improve dismounted soldier survivability in the near-, mid-, and far-term through changes to policies, improvements in equipment, and by harnessing emerging technologies. There is no magic solution for improving soldier survivability, but there are many opportunities that the U.S. military can seize upon that can yield significant improvements.
Analyses in this Series
Super Soldiers: Summary of Findings and Recommendations
This report, the seventh and last in the Super Soldier series, covers findings of the Center for a New American Security’s study on dismounted soldier survivability. This repo...
Read More
Technology & National Security
Human Performance Enhancement
Executive Summary No attributes are more foundational to success in combat than the physical and cognitive performance of warfighters. Technological advantage has always playe...
Technology & National Security
Emerging Technologies
Executive Summary Changing the Survivability Paradigm In World War II, being an infantryman was the third deadliest job in the American military, behind bombardiers and submar...
Technology & National Security
The Soldier’s Heavy Load
Body armor saves lives. Modern body armor has given U.S. troops an unparalleled advantage on the battlefield, improving survivability and reducing casualties. This protection ...
Technology & National Security
Protecting Warfighters from Blast Injury
Executive Summary Key Findings Hundreds of thousands of servicemembers suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI), including from exposure to blasts from improvised ex...
Technology & National Security
Soldier Protection Today
Introduction The Super Soldiers series examines opportunities to improve dismounted soldier survivability in the near-, mid-, and far-term through changes to policies, improve...
Technology & National Security
A Strategy for Enhancing Warfighter Survivability
Introduction Survivability is an essential component of military effectiveness. Militaries have long invested in protection, such as helmets and armor, to improve the survivab...