Protecting Our Military: The Power of Predictive Maintenance
This is Part 3 of our 3-part series on the shift from preventative maintenance to predictive maintenance in the military. For a general overview of the two concepts and the difference between them, read Part 1 and Part 2.
Advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have allowed the military to adapt and make more cost-effective decisions. While the military has embraced the use of these technologies with machines, there remains untapped potential when it comes to the military’s most important weapon — the warfighter.
Over two-thirds of U.S. troop injuries occur gradually from cumulative micro-traumatic damage to the musculoskeletal system as a result of physical training. The training required to improve their physical performance is often also the same cause of their injuries. Musculoskeletal injuries represent a major threat to the health and fitness of soldiers and other service members, affecting military readiness and imposing significant costs in terms of medical needs, ongoing healthcare, and disability costs.
Basic Training, Basic Results
Attrition in the military is at an all-time high. The U.S. Army, Airforce, and Marines spend a combined $728,000,000 every year on medical costs related to musculoskeletal injuries, before accounting for the cost of delaying deployment. Warfighters are being assessed on a rudimentary scale that can be deployed en masse, but these assessments do not provide any insight on how to prevent musculoskeletal injuries — an endemic military challenge.
Although troops work as a unit, their physicalities are vastly different. For example, studies show that female troops are more likely to be injured in training. Data from the most recent volume of Military Medicine showed that in the Army, female soldiers had lower aerobic and muscular fitness performance that correlated with higher injury rates. Not surprisingly, older soldiers had a greater injury risk than younger soldiers. Ignoring, or being blind to, an individual’s strengths and weaknesses ultimately affects the entire squadron if that individual cannot be deployed. In order to ensure soldiers stay healthy and ready for deployment, the military must observe and accumulate data on individuals and prescribe a routine that meets their physical needs — setting them up for improved performance without risk of injury.
Empowering Individuals to Strengthen the Team
How can predictive maintenance benefit warfighters? With mechanical repairs, predictive maintenance can calibrate tune-ups to specific indicators in machines, effectively increasing productivity and reducing machine failures and repair costs. With warfighters, predictive maintenance can also prevent unexpected “breakdowns.” Just as with military machines, AI can highlight potential pain points and recommend solutions in order to prevent musculoskeletal injuries. Machine learning also provides the added benefit of empowering soldiers to understand where their weaknesses are and provide specific exercises they can practice to stay strong.
Identifying recruits’ physical limitations and starting them on a targeted fitness plan, helping them to understand where they could improve, and providing them with exercises specific to their physical needs will empower them throughout their career. As they move up, early warning signs will be more easily detected as they pertain to the individual, giving soldiers the ability to know what they can do to preempt a career-ending injury. Additionally, these analyses would give commanders and trainers the ability to comprehensively understand their units and make adjustments based on individual results.
Incorporating machine learning and AI will benefit troops by removing the “one-size-fits-all” approach and individualizing training programs on a large scale to help minimize injuries during combat, thereby increasing the medical readiness and the military life cycle of individuals and large teams of service members.
Utilizing Machine Learning and AI to Improve Soldier Performance
Deploying machine learning to scale requires flexibility and portability. Before Australia’s 3rd Brigade implemented Sparta’s Force Plate Machine Learning™, they faced a challenge common to many military leaders around the world. In order to conduct assessments at scale, they needed to be rudimentary. Sparta’s Force Plate Machine Learning™ was optimized for use in a conventional military setting and its unique technology predicted risks in recruits that otherwise may have gone undetected until it was too late.
Soldiers were directed to scan once per month to capture data about how they were moving and exerting force. The Sparta software then immediately analyzed the data and provided recommended actions. With every scan, the database improved the accuracy of its predictive capabilities. The Physical Training Instructors adapted five different training programs to emphasize or deemphasize specific types of exercises. This allowed individualization at scale by creating separate training programs for soldiers with similar strengths and weaknesses.
Sparta Science helped the Australian 3rd Brigade move past one-size-fits-all assessments to a more fine-tuned diagnostic approach that could identify risk and mitigate injury while providing individualized guidance and improving overall performance. The Sparta Science system could be efficiently and rapidly deployed for thousands of soldiers, allowing for increased testing frequency, which was a significant individual motivator. Moreover, the ease of Sparta’s use and commitment from the Sparta team allowed the system to be adapted for specific military needs, such as working within established training frameworks and providing for ongoing education as new military members transitioned into the Brigade.
Investing in Our Warfighters’ Health
Warfighters are the most valuable assets we have in our military. With attrition and costs associated with injured, non-deployable warfighters at an all-time high, the Department of Defense recognizes it cannot afford to ignore the costs of non-deployable assets. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a report by September 2021 that includes a list of the units using force plate technology and machine learning, its impact on readiness, analysis on how it could be used to create a more “deployable, resilient and sustainable combat force.” By proactively addressing this in the National Defense Authorization Act, Congress is investing in the readiness of the force, reducing taxpayer cost, and most importantly, preserving lifelong individual fitness for our service members and veterans.