Performance Measures for Dismounted Warrior Encapsulation Effects

Research regarding the effects of encapsulation on soldier performance is critical for achieving effective mission performance as well as the survivability capabilities of dismounted soldiers of the Future Force. Soldier encapsulation is defined as enclosing the soldier’s body in such a manner that all skin is protected from exposure to the elements of the battlefield. The objective of this research is to identify the effects of encapsulation on mission performance and to develop methods for further research on encapsulation effects of Future Force soldier systems. This research investigated the effects of three equipment configurations (baseline and two encapsulation configurations) on soldier performance during three mission related scenarios. Encapsulation effects on soldier’s cognitive functioning and stress perceptions are discussed here. The characterization of cognitive performance and psychological state during military operations affords better understanding of human performance capabilities and opportunities to find predictors of future performance effectiveness.