Seeking to reduce the risk of brain injury, the Army has begun baseline cognitive assessments for soldiers entering basic training.

The Army, which is spearheading the brain health initiative within DoD, will take a multilayered approach to brain health risks, protective measures and care, according to an Army news release.

The initiatives include increasing awareness in the force through a force health protection information campaign; more thoroughly monitoring brain health; identifying protective measures for blast overpressure; and tracking and monitoring blast exposure.

In addition, the Army is developing a strategy to enhance and advance the science and medical care for brain injuries, Col. Jama Vanhorne-Sealy, who oversees the Occupational Health Directive, Force Health Protection in the Office of the Surgeon General, said in the release.

The first permanent cognitive testing program was launched in July at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with all services scheduled to roll out testing at initial entry training locations by the end of 2024, according to the release.

Testing began at Fort Moore, Georgia, on Aug. 26 and was slated to begin at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, by the end of September, according to a report in Stars & Stripes.

The Army conducted baseline cognitive testing in June for Army ROTC juniors and seniors and plans to conduct such testing by the end of the year for officer trainees and cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, according to Stars & Stripes.

Soldiers will be evaluated at least every three years after initial screening, which can help identify any unusual cognitive changes, Vanhorne-Sealy said. Early detection allows for early intervention to restore or enhance cognition, should it be necessary, she said.

With the new program, a cognitive assessment program that began in 2007 primarily as a pre-deployment and injury-centric tool is now a regular monitoring program, Steven Porter, the chief of Neurocognitive Assessment in the Office of the Army Surgeon General, said in the release. This gives military health authorities a head-start on helping soldiers throughout their careers, he said.

The Cognitive Monitoring Program, much like the Army’s ongoing hearing tests, is a screening tool to assess for cognitive change in soldiers, documenting the way an individual thinks, reasons and remembers, the release said.

“Without ongoing testing, changes to a soldier’s thought processes may not be evident until an event that could put both the service member or their unit in jeopardy,” Porter said.

Since June 2007, more than 3.4 million assessments have been collected, processed and stored at the Neurocognitive Assessment Branch Data Repository at Joint Base San Antonio to aid in treatment and track recovery after a concussive or suspected concussive event, Porter said. The testing identifies cognitive changes to help inform a soldier’s need for medical care, rest and recovery. Early identification can help avert further potential injury.