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International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance 2017: Research priorities across the service members operational lifecycle

2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 20; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jsams.2017.10.025

1440-2440

Dan C. Billing, Jace R. Drain,

Physical Education and Training Studies

The International Congress on Soldiers' Physical Performance 2017 (ICSPP2017) Melbourne, Australia continues the rich legacy originally started by a partnership between the University of Jyvaskyla and the Finnish Defence Forces in cooperation with the Conseil International du Sport Militaire in 2005 (ICSPP2005) and 2011 (ICSPP2011) and later the Medical Research and Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (ICSPP2014). The focus of the ICSPP series is the individual service member and the fundamental premise that the service member is the centre of military capability, and that the human is the key enabler of all warfighting systems. Topics covered include physical training programs and adaptations, occupational and physical performance testing injury prevention, nutritional considerations, human factors, ergonomics, equipment design, biomechanics, load carriage, gender integration issues, environmental issues, health promotion and public health, deployment considerations, pedagogy, psychological and cognitive factors, leadership, and social factors. ICSPP2017 applies a lifecycle theme whereby the congress content is organised across key areas of the operational lifecycle of military personnel (Fig. 1). Different terminology is used across nations to define the operational lifecycle but it is generally accepted that it includes the following key stages:•Workforce generation: basic recruit training and initial employment training.•Workforce sustainment: a repeated, cyclic process involving pre-deployment preparation (readying), operational deployment (ready) and post deployment recovery (reset). A coherent, well-articulated training continuum across the key stages of the service member's lifecycle is critical to the optimal development and maintenance of physical performance. Within each of the broad stages that encapsulate the operational lifecycle of the service member there are opportunities to enhance physical performance and readiness through research and/or evidence-based interventions. We believe there are four important considerations in achieving this:1.Consider the whole service member's lifecycle: research or interventions often focus on isolated time-points within the lifecycle. However, these actions often lack consideration of mutual dependencies that are critical to achieving systematic and/or enduring change. Furthermore, the service member's lifecycle involves critical points that need to be managed, such as the transition through various stages of workforce generation. Periodisation methodologies should be employed for the cyclic management of training and performance peaking throughout the service member's lifecycle.2.Multidisciplinary science teams: often a single science discipline is applied when conducting research. A systems approach to human performance development is required that recognises humans as a 'system-of-systems' and incorporates physical, cognitive, and psychosocial streams as well as the technologies, tools and equipment that enable, augment and protect them.3.Achieve applied outcomes through mechanistic research: purely applied research may solve an applied problem of today but may not help inform future problems. Whilst military commanders may not necessarily be interested in the mechanisms that underpin outcomes, it is critical that we continue to advance the knowledge base. It is acknowledged that such research is not always possible, however, if critical thought is applied at the early research design stage both immediate and mechanistic outcomes can often be achieved.4.Consider the research impact pathway: in order to ensure service members realise benefits from research activities it is critical that the pathway to impact is clear. This includes analysis of the contextual environment, the key stakeholders, pathway linkages (from inputs to activities, outputs, outcomes, and finally benefits), innovation transition path, and actions that could be undertaken within the research activity to increase the likelihood of the outcomes being disseminated and operationalised. The Co-Chairs for ICSPP2017, Dr Daniel Billing and Dr Jace Drain, together with the host, Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group gratefully acknowledge the support of the international scientific community for their willingness to participate in this important event. We would like to thank the invited speakers, oral presentation and poster presenters, exhibitors, Scientific Advisory Committee members and everyone who has assisted with the Congress, including ICMS Australasia Pty Ltd for their excellence in planning support and the arrangements of all aspects of the Congress. Special mention goes to the planning and organising committee: Professor Bradley Nindl, Mr Craig Butler, Professor Yoram Epstein, Dr Graham Fordy, Mr Patrick Gagnon, Dr Herb Groeller, Associate Professor Jason Kai Wei Lee, Associate Professor Rob Orr and Associate Professor Nigel Taylor. We would also like to acknowledge the substantial contribution made by Dr Herb Groeller and Dr Andrew Hunt in the review and editing of abstracts. We are delighted that accepted congress abstracts are available through this online Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport supplement. This Special Issue will highlight the important work being undertaken as well as help to identify research gaps. The supplement is structured in the sequence in which content is presented during the congress program and includes 23 featured science sessions, 17 oral free communication sessions, 9 thematic oral poster sessions, and 3 poster free communication sessions. As guest editors, we are confident that you will find papers in this supplement of scientific substance and of military relevance. Finally, we encourage your attendance and participation at ICSPP2020 in Ottawa, Canada. ICSPP2017 organising committee members•Dr Daniel Billing (AUS, Co-Chair)•Dr Jace Drain (AUS, Co-Chair)•Professor Bradley Nindl (US)•Mr Craig Butler (AUS)•Professor Yoram Epstein (ISR)•Dr Graham Fordy (NZ)•Mr Patrick Gagnon (CAN)•Dr Herb Groeller (AUS)•Associate Professor Jason Kai Wei Lee (SIN)•Associate Professor Rob Orr (AUS)•Associate Professor Nigel Taylor (AUS) ICSPP2017 abstract editorial committee members•Dr Daniel Billing (AUS, Co-Chair)•Dr Jace Drain (AUS, Co-Chair)•Dr Herb Groeller (AUS)•Dr Andrew Hunt (AUS) ICSPP2017 scientific committee members•Dr Daniel Billing (AUS, Co-Chair)•Dr Jace Drain (AUS, Co-Chair)•Dr Chris Connaboy (US)•Dr Kane Middleton (AUS)•Professor Rezaul Begg (AUS)•Dr Leif Hasselquist (US)•Dr Mark Jaffrey (AUS)•Dr Mike LaFiandra (US)•Mr Alistair Furnell (AUS)•Ms Linda Bossi (CAN)•Dr Bruce Jones (US)•Dr Jeremy Witchalls (AUS)•Dr Phil Newman (AUS)•Associate Professor Rob Orr (AUS)•Professor Rod Pope (AUS)•Dr Sarah Jackson (UK)•Dr James McClung (US)•Dr Kim Beals (US)•Professor Brad Nindl (US)•Professor David Bishop (AUS)•Professor Dieter Leyk (GER)•Professor Heikki Kyröläinen (FIN)•Dr Herb Groeller (AUS)•Ms Hilde Kristin (NOR)•Dr Karen Kelly (US)•Dr Karl Friedl (US)•Ms Marilyn Sharp (US)•Dr Mike Spivock (CAN)•Ms Nicky Armstrong (UK)•Mr Pat Gagnon (CAN)•Associate Professor Paul Gastin (AUS)•Dr Rachel Izard (UK)•Dr Sam Blacker (UK)•Professor Steve Myers (UK)•Dr Tara Reilly (CAN)•Dr Graham Fordy (NZ)•Ms Helen Kilding (NZ)•Dr Thomas Wyss (SWI)•Professor Yoram Epstein (ISR)•Dr Eugene Aidman (AUS)•Dr Richard Keegen (AUS)•Professor Sam Marcora (UK)•Associate Professor Jason Lee (SIN)•Dr Andrew Hunt (AUS)•Dr Mark Buller (US)•Dr Mark Patterson (AUS)•Associate Professor Nigel Taylor (AUS)•Dr Catriona Williams (AUS)•Dr Angela Boynton (US)•Dr Ben Rattray (AUS)•Dr Greg Peoples (AUS)•Dr John Sampson (AUS)•Dr Piete Brown (UK)