Page 96 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2014

An Ongoing Series

An Integrated Approach for Special Operations

Patricia A. Deuster, PhD, MPH; Neil E. Grunberg, PhD;
Francis G. O’Connor, MD, MPH

ABSTRACT
The Department of Defense (DoD) faces unprecedented The term HPO is now ingrained throughout the DoD—
challenges as the Nation confronts balancing a strong and it is of paramount importance to Special Operations
military to confront threats with the realities of diminish- Forces (SOF) and Special Operations Medicine (SOM).
ing financial resources. That each warfighter is a critical What does the term actually mean? HPO is defined as
resource was underscored the Special Operations princi- the process of applying knowledge, skills, and emerging
pal tenet “humans are more important than hardware.” technologies to improve and preserve the capabilities of
These challenges have popularized the term “human per- SOF personnel to execute essential tasks. In this inau-
formance optimization” (HPO), which became ingrained gural article on HPO, we will introduce the science and
in DoD around 2005. This article is the first in a new se- evidence supporting this term, and during the upcoming
ries relating to HPO, and we define the term and concept years, state-of-the-science information on various HPO
of HPO, describe other phrases used (e.g., performance topics will be offered. But first, a model of HPO will be
enhancement; performance sustainment, performance provided as a conceptual framework and point of refer-
restoration; and human performance modification). Last, ence to identify key issues and gaps; advance change;
we introduce an integrated model for HPO. build new skills, knowledge, and attributes; and im-
prove/eliminate current myths. We hope JSOM readers
Keywords: human performance optimization, demands, re- will provide feedback and suggestions about this initial
sources, OODA loop model, because our goal is to elucidate creative new ap-
proaches to how performance can be improved through
integrative processes, rather than through drugs and ge-
netic engineering, while recognizing the importance of
Introduction
other new technologies. New technologies may be a par-
The term “human performance optimization” (HPO) ticular point of interest because technologies for sensing
has been widely used in the DoD since 2005, but the and assessing may be critical to HPO.
concept has been appreciated for a long time. In 1933,
U.S. Army General (then COL) George S. Patton wrote, Importantly, this section is intended to be creative, col-
“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won laborative, thought provoking, and dynamic. We will
by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the have an ongoing dialogue with options and encourage-
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man who leads that gains the victory.” In 1946, Gen- ment to contact us—all for the purpose of trying to cre-
eral Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Guns and tanks and ate the healthiest environment possible to be successful
planes are nothing unless there is a solid spirit, a solid in the extraordinary work demanded by SOF, but also to
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heart, and great productiveness behind it.” In 1987, ensure positive, safe, and meaningful ways to reconnect
U.S. Army SF COL (ret.) John Collins emphasized that and reintegrate.
“hardware” is only a tool and that it is the person who
determines success or failure. In 2003, then Army Chief Another important consideration is the language of
of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker stated, “we must al- HPO. A number of terms have been considered to de-
ways remember that humans are more important than scribe this concept: “performance enhancement,” “per-
hardware.” 3 formance sustainment,” “performance restoration,”

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