Five different Navy SEAL units are testing “transcranial electrical stimulation,” reports Military.com, with one command’s spokesperson saying the early results “show promising signs… we are encouraged to continue and are moving forward with our studies.” The device’s manufacturer says the number of devices being tested is “in the double digits,” and believes the “neuro-priming” device could improve shooting performance, adding “it’s kind of all about just training a little bit smarter.” schwit1 quotes their report:
Transcranial electrical stimulation was one of the technologies touted by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter in July 2016 as part of his Defense Innovation Unit (Experimental) initiative. Since then, multiple SEAL units have begun actively testing the effectiveness of the technology, officials with Naval Special Warfare Command told Military.com… At a conference near Washington, D.C., in February, the commander of all Navy special operations units made an unusual request to industry: Develop and demonstrate technologies that offer “cognitive enhancement” capabilities to boost his elite forces’ mental and physical performance. “We plan on using that in mission enhancement,” Rear Admiral Tim Szymanski said.
Admiral Szymanski says experiments found that operators monitoring screens reportedly maintained peak performance for 20 hours — rather than experience the usual drop-off in concentration after 20 minutes.
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