April 30, 2018
Report to Army Finds Blast from Some Weapons May Put Shooter's Brain at Risk
Military personnel may be endangering their own brains when they operate certain shoulder-fired weapons, according to an Army-commissioned report released Monday.
The report, from the Center for a New American Security, says these bazooka-like weapons pose a hazard because they are powered by an explosion just inches from the operator's head.
When you fire it, the pressure wave feels like getting hit in the face," says Paul Scharre, a former Army Ranger who directs the technology and national security program at the Center. Scharre is a co-author of the center's report: Protecting Warfighters from Blast Injury.
The report looks at a range of injuries caused by blast waves — pulses of high pressure air that emanate from an explosion and travel faster than the speed of sound.
Read the Full Article at National Public Radio
More from CNAS
-
Summary of Findings and Recommendations
Reports
KEY FINDINGS Soldier survivability is a function of protection and other relevant operational factors, such as situational awareness, mobility, and lethality. Throughout histo...
By Paul Scharre, Lauren Fish, Katherine Kidder & Amy Schafer
-
Human Performance Enhancement
Reports
Executive Summary No attributes are more foundational to success in combat than the physical and cognitive performance of warfighters. Technological advantage has always playe...
By Paul Scharre & Lauren Fish
-
Human Performance Enhancement TEST
Reports
No attributes are more foundational to success in combat than the physical and cognitive performance of warfighters. Technological advantage has always played a central role i...
By Paul Scharre & Lauren Fish
-
Ep. 27: CENTCOM's Gen. Votel; Exosuits and super soldiers; Weaponizing social media and more
Podcast
This week on the program: • During a flight over Turkmenistan this week, America’s top commander in the Middle East spoke by phone with Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baro...
By Paul Scharre & Lauren Fish
