Business & Finance
GAO report finds Pentagon struggling to implement troop brain health tracking
Resource shortages leave military services unable to meet blast exposure monitoring requirements set in 2024.
The short version
- A Government Accountability Office report shows the U.S. military is struggling to execute a 2024 Pentagon initiative to monitor troop brain health and blast exposure.
- Resource, staffing, and equipment shortages have slowed progress, leaving the Army with exposure tracking initiated for less than 2% of its 142,000 high-risk service members by late fiscal year 2025.
- The Defense Department has not yet documented how it will evaluate whether a new one-year cognitive assessment pilot program will alleviate these resource constraints.
Key facts
- In 2024, the Pentagon directed military services to track blast overpressure exposures and mandate cognitive testing for personnel in high-risk roles.[Business Insider]
- The GAO found that shortages of staff, equipment, and resources prevent military services from completing all mandated cognitive assessments.[Business Insider]
- By the end of fiscal year 2025, the Army had initiated exposure tracking for under 2% of approximately 142,000 potentially exposed troops.[Business Insider]
- Army and Navy officials reported lacking sufficient industrial hygienists to fulfill monitoring requirements.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unverified how effective a one-year pilot program for a new cognitive testing tool will be in resolving the military's resource deficits.[Business Insider]
- The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to requests for comment regarding the watchdog findings.[Business Insider]