The war of cognition has become a major focus of the US military and its allies who recognize that optimizing the mind’s ability to act with agility, resilience, and to manage cognitive load is of significant importance to operational effectiveness and lethality. Yet training programs continue to rely on self-report, paper-based assessment, and limited performance metrics. Further, given the extensive maturity of technology that can objectively measure various cognitive actions related to learning, it is surprising that the US military has yet to fully embrace the capabilities these apparatus can provide, especially within the modeling and simulation community. Accordingly, we review the research literature to identify a) patterns of research findings and b) the gaps that should drive additional research and optimization efforts. By quantifying learning impact, defining neuro-signatures, and objectively assessing the building blocks of learning optimization, it is possible to enhance overall learning abilities in military personnel at the individual and collective levels.
Four hundred abstracts were reviewed and categorized by: Mental State, Attention, Processing, Learning, Operations, and Teaching. Major themes suggest three key observations. First, relatively few applied research studies have been conducted in the US that provide the data required to scale the use of EEG in military settings. Second, the majority of studies that used EEG outside the lab or medical setting focused on measurement and assessment rather than actionable intervention. Finally, the most recent study demonstrated a 44% improvement in learning outcomes when personalized neuro-driven feedback was compared to standardized feedback or lecture without interruption (Chae, 2020). Yet these research efforts are driven by our adversarial nations. Accordingly, this paper outlines the findings and concerns associated with the lack of robust and extensive testing of objective neuro-technology to enhance US military training, education, and operations.