Pentagon updates guidance for protecting military personnel from ‘blast overpressure’

The U.S. Defense Department is going to require cognitive assessments for all new recruits as part of a broader effort to protect troops from brain injuries resulting from exposure to blasts, including during training.

The new guidance also requires greater use of protective equipment, minimum “stand-off distances” during certain types of training, and a reduction in the number of people in proximity to blasts.

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The cumulative effect of milder “subconcussive” blasts repeated hundreds or thousands of times during training can produce traumatic brain injuries similar to a single concussive event in combat, said Katherine Kuzminski from the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank focusing on national defense and security policies.

“This is a step in the right direction in that the Defense Department guidance clearly states that we’re not trying to hamstring our commanders, but there are ways that we can be more thoughtful about this,” she said.

Read the full article and more from the Associated Press.