Page 103 - JSOM Fall 2019

An Ongoing Series

Human Performance Optimization

An Operational and Operator-Centric Approach

Travis Lunasco, PsyD ; Rachel A. Chamberlin, PhD, MPH ;
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Patricia A. Deuster, PhD, MPH, FACSM *
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ABSTRACT

USSOCOM invests millions of dollars in the assessment, selec- Introduction
tion, and training of its Operators. Handpicked and forged to
defend their nation, each Operator emerges from initial and ca- A memo released by Secretary of Defense Mattis in 2017
reer field training with unique skills and honed talents integral called for building a more lethal and agile force by returning to
to their unit’s effectiveness, sustainability, and mission success. the art and science of warfighting and supporting Warfighter
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The need for SOF unit commanders to optimize and preserve core tasks. The 2018 National Defense Strategy emphasized
the talents of their Operators was highlighted as a top priority the need to modify business practices as a top priority, stating:
in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Human performance
optimization (HPO) offers a paradigm shift to support that “Cultivate workforce talent—Cultivating a lethal, agile force
priority by grounding health and performance services in the requires more than just new technologies and posture changes;
unique needs, cultures, skills, and missions of SOF Operators it depends on the ability of our Warfighters and the Depart-
at the career field and unit level. Currently, HPO efforts con- ment workforce to integrate new capabilities, adapt warf-
tinue to inform Military Health System (MHS) realignment ighting approaches, and change business practices to achieve
efforts towards this paradigm shift; however, significant gaps mission success. The creativity and talent of the American
still exist due to a lack of definitional clarity around HPO as a Warfighter is our greatest enduring strength, and one we do
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conceptual framework and to the unequal operationalization not take for granted.”
of HPO across the Department of Defense (DoD). To syner-
gize health and performance efforts through HPO and provide HPO continues to fuel the DoD and the MHS realignment
SOF unit commanders with the tools they need to sustain the efforts and is promoting the transition from a reactive, ill-
optimal performance of their operational forces over a career ness-based, and siloed model of healthcare delivery to one that
lifespan, this review builds upon previous work in HPO and supports the optimization of diverse SOF Operator capabili-
highlights the operationalization of HPO on a tactical level to ties to execute their CTs in support of their unit’s METL. De-
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support units’ Mission Essential Task List (METL) and Opera- spite the recognized need for HPO integration in 2006, DoD
tor’s Core Tasks (CT). Through returning to HPO’s tenets, this and Service’s progress toward realigning policies and struc-
review discusses how performance and health priorities of an tures to support the holistic and performance-based needs of
Operational community can be identified in order to enhance Warfighting communities has been slow and difficult to imple-
the targeting of performance and health efforts. Last, we pres- ment. In part, HPO implementation has been difficult because
ent a community-based model for mapping these priorities. of ongoing processes in the current MHS delivery system (e.g.,
illness-based, disease-focused, and military treatment facil-
ity [MTF] management-based business model), which does
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Keywords: core tasks; mission essential task list; precision not support the diverse METLs and CTs of its Warfighter
health care
customers.

*Address correspondence to patricia.deuster@usuhs.edu
1 Dr Lunasco is the director of HPO Future Operations/senior human performance integrator for the Consortium for Health and Military Perfor-
mance, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, and is affil-
iated with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. Dr Chamberlin is the human performance optimization
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integrator and qualitative researcher at the Consortium for Health and Military Performance and is affiliated with the Henry M. Jackson Founda-
tion for the Advancement of Military Medicine. Dr Deuster is a professor and director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance.
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