As part of newly established DoD guidelines to protect service members’ brain health, the military will conduct cognitive assessments for all troops in basic training and cadets prior to commissioning by Dec. 31, according to a memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

“The Department is committed to advancing combat readiness while reducing risks associated with blast overpressure,” Hicks writes. The heads of DoD components will “ensure all new Active and Reserve Component accessions undergo cognitive assessments as part of the entry process” and “accelerate … baseline cognitive assessments for currently serving high-risk active-duty service members.”

Service members are exposed to low-level blasts from firing heavy weapon systems or explosives in combat or training environments, according to a Military Health System webpage.

The memorandum also requires the services to implement procedures to minimize the risk of brain injury during training and operations, including standoff distances for specific weapons systems, proposed limits on expending excess rounds after training requirements are met, and collecting blast overpressure data, among others.

Though the “brain health effects from blast overpressure are not fully understood,” service members exposed to blasts experienced headaches, decreased reaction time, attention difficulty and memory loss, according to the memorandum.

“Experiences by DoD personnel in training and operational environments demonstrate possible adverse effects on brain health and cognitive performance … resulting from acute … and chronic … exposure to [blast overpressure],” the memorandum found.  

The new policy will enhance readiness, said Kathy Lee, director of the DoD policy for warfighter brain health. “It will enhance training because you will have healthier warriors who know that they're being taken care of, and they're being protected from unnecessary blast exposures,” Lee said in a DoD news release.

Read the full memorandum here.