Our nation’s heroes—military recruits, active-duty warfighters and veterans—should have the same resources to optimize their training as our sports heroes. Sports and sports heroes are deeply rooted in our culture, and that is reflected in the cutting-edge tech we apply to them. Today, most elite athletes across sports use human performance data to tailor their individual training and optimize their performance. But shouldn’t the heroes of our military community have tech that delivers that level of insight?

A pilot program at the recent Warrior Games underscored the importance of such an approach. The Warrior Games is an annual event that celebrates the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill and injured active-duty and veteran U.S. military service members. This year, 35 warrior athletes opted into the human performance program, where wearable technology was used to collect an athlete’s biometric data.

That data was then evaluated with the help of advanced analytics, data science and digital engineering to assist coaches and scientists in building the ideal training program customized to each individual’s distinct physiological needs.

The approach is holistic, shaping how to prepare, train, recover and optimize performance, focusing on nutrition, emotional health, physical health, sleep and more. The data-driven insights collected at the Games support the athletes’ year-round physical and mental health, helping them recover and remain active duty, perform and achieve mission success, and maintain resiliency.

The success of this program shows that we, as a nation, must invest in human performance technology and training to support the full lifecycle of our military service members—from recruitment to active duty to post-service.

Currently, mental and physical fitness contribute significantly to the nation’s military recruitment gap, with less than a quarter of military age Americans qualifying for service. The U.S. Army has had to establish pre-basic training courses to help ready recruits who could not meet prerequisites like body fat percentage. Moreover, Army recruits who make it to basic training are experiencing alarmingly high injury rates, depleting fighter reserves and costing the government millions in rehabilitation costs.

Training calibrated to individual differences can provide opportunities for early intervention and help retain recruits who may have otherwise been injured or unfit to continue their military occupations. In other words, a shift toward data-driven, human performance training could help reduce the number of non-deployable warfighters.

Human performance training combines human research with the latest advances in data science and technology, and can include wearable sensors, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). Warfighters, for example, can train in realistic VR and AR environments while wearables collect data on their responses to stress.

Not only does this provide opportunities to navigate stressful environments risk-free, it also prepares warfighters for the most up-to-date scenarios in the field. Simulated environments can be rapidly updated and shared with geographically dispersed teams for highly complex, tactical training.

During training exercises, by assessing physiological indicators like resting heart-rate, heart-rate variability and sleep hygiene— along with cognitive skills such as attention and reaction time, memory and recall—military leaders can test physical and mental resilience, monitor recovery times, and gain a comprehensive understanding of their warfighters’ readiness.

This data can then be used to develop personalized, holistic training programs that enhance performance, optimize recovery, foster persistent self-care practices, and improve overall physical and mental health throughout a military service member’s career and life.

Beyond active duty, issues like post-traumatic stress disorder often affect veterans. While recent data shows an encouraging trend of reduced veteran suicide rates, continued investment in mental health support is absolutely crucial. Human performance training can play a role in this, equipping warfighters with greater self-awareness and the ability to recognize personal triggers, practice self-regulation techniques, and develop long-term healthy habits.

The current warfighting landscape differs vastly from a decade ago, with technological innovations opening doors to unprecedented levels of physical fitness and mental fortitude. Embracing these technologies and human performance training methods can help our country stay ahead of our adversaries while providing much-deserved lifelong support to U.S. military service members.

Combining human coaching with wearables and performance data analysis offers near-limitless potential for optimizing training, nutrition, recovery and rehabilitation, improving the mental and physical health of our nation’s heroes on and off the battlefield.

It’s time for our country to adopt the same advanced training methods used by elite athletes for our military personnel. By investing in human performance technology and personalized training approaches, we can better prepare our warfighters for the challenges they face, support their long-term well-being, and ultimately strengthen our nation’s defense capabilities.

Dr. Maryrose (MR) Blank, PsyD, CMPC, supports the Booz Allen Human Performance team by providing subject matter expertise in performance psychology, health and cognitive readiness. With over 15 years of experience within the human performance industry, 13 of those years have been spent serving the Special Operations Community, training cognitive skills and delivering quantitative and qualitative data driven solutions to clients.

Kevin Forbes is director of advisory services at Sports Innovation Lab, leading custom research and analysis to power business strategy, developing market-facing thought leadership.