In the face of wartime scenarios, optimizing training prior to deployment is vital, but maintaining the level of performance from that training over extended fighting conditions is also essential.
The intent is to raise the ceiling of performance while also raising the floor of performance.
For example, if an individual can run a 4-minute mile under ideal conditions, can we keep his mile time as close as possible to 4 minutes under stress, fatigue, and prolonged deployment conditions?
Vestibular training has been shown to be retained even over a 6-month period in astronauts. With pre-flight preparation including vestibular training that allows for improved movement and multi-tasking capabilities in novel situations. [1]
NASA considers preflight vestibular training as “inoculation” that does not require significant amounts of crew time preflight and may only require infrequent “booster” training to maintain the training effect. [1]
This is significant in application to Warfighters.
While direct comparisons between astronaut and Warfighter vestibular training are limited by their distinct operational demands, the durability and adaptability of vestibular functions demonstrated in astronaut training remain instructive. Moreover, implementing periodic “booster” vestibular training may be considerably more feasible for Warfighters than for astronauts.
This also highlights how important it is to incorporate vestibular training that does not require specialized equipment, allowing Warfighters to continue to train regardless of setting.
References:
- Bloomberg, J. J., Reschke, M. F., Clement, G. R., Mulavara, A. P., & Taylor, L. C. (2015). Risk of impaired control of spacecraft/associated systems and decreased mobility due to vestibular/sensorimotor alterations associated with space flight (No. JSC-CN-34446).