Real-time monitoring of military health and readiness: a perspective on future research
Herman de Vries, Sija J. van der Wal, Roos Delahaij, W. Venrooij, W. Kamphuis
Abstract
Military personnel face significant physical and mental demands, making continuous physiological monitoring essential for understanding health status, managing long-term health risks, and predicting a soldier's readiness to perform in military operations. Recent advancements in wearable technology enable the tracking of biomarkers and psychophysiological indicators, yet current approaches remain fragmented, often focusing on isolated health outcomes rather than comprehensive, actionable insights. This perspective article reviews overarching theoretical health models and examines statistical modeling approaches to better capture the multidimensional nature of health and readiness. Building on these insights, a vision is presented for developing a military health and readiness monitoring system that integrates wearable technology with tailored health indicators and outcomes, aligned with the specific demands of military tasks. The role of advanced tools, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Knowledge Graphs in contextualizing health data with operational demands is highlighted, offering a pathway to more accurate and actionable assessments of readiness. This vision outlines key considerations for future development, aiming to empower service members and military leadership with effective tools for health and readiness management.