Protecting brain health is inseparable from sustaining combat lethality and readiness; mitigating the effects of Blast Overpressure (BOP) should be viewed not a constraint on training, but as a force‑preservation requirement that enables more effective, high‑fidelity training. From the Service Secretariats to the unit-level commanders, we must actively implement, sustain, and champion information and educational initiatives to reinforce our commitment to the readiness and the well-being of our force.
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Key Documents
August 2024 Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum “Department of Defense Requirements for Managing Brain Health Risks from Blast Overpressure
This memorandum establishes requirements to mitigate and track BOP exposures and institutes the 4-psi interim safety guidance.
This reference and information guide provides BOP monitoring data for high-risk weapons systems, recommended personal protective equipment and stand off distances.
General
This site aims to serve as a central repository of information and educational resources for DoW Personnel on Blast Overpressure. The chart below highlights existing DoW resources that components are encouraged to leverage, tailoring dissemination to the needs and consumption habits of their audiences.
In the right margin you will find additional Component-specific resources. Services are encouraged to explore the products and information being developed across the Enterprise to promote unity of effort, opportunities for cross-collaboration, lessons learned, and to avoid duplication and inconsistencies in product messaging.
Related Links
| Product | Description | Audience | Link/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Specialties-Increased Risk to BOP | This provides a listing (not all inclusive) of occupational specialties at increased risk of exposure to Blast Overpressure | All | View here |
| Interim Safety Guidance for Managing Brain Health Risk from Blast Overpressure | This document provides background information for the recommendation to use 4 pounds per square inch (psi) as a safety guideline in preventing performance degradation and adverse health effects. | Leaders, Training & Range Managers, BSOs, Operators, IH and Test Community | View here |
| BOP Exposure Mitigation, Brain Health, and Performance Readiness Professional Military Education (PME) Program of Instruction | Comprehensive slide deck providing an overview of BOP, impacts of exposure, way to minimize or prevent exposure, and DoW Policy & Guidance information | Leaders, Training & Range Managers, Operators | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| BOP Provider Support Tool | Fact sheet with information on how to best document, code, and manage care for your patients. | Medical Providers | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| Service Member Fact Sheet | Fact sheet with information on types of BOP, recognizing, limiting, and reporting BOP exposure. | Leaders, Training & Range Managers, Operators | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| Brain Health Resource Card (Digital & Printable Format) | Serves as a centralized guide, helping users quickly recognize concussion symptoms, and find connections for seeking medical care, accessing recovery resources, and supporting long-term cognitive health. | Leaders, Training & Range Managers, Operators | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| Educational Video: TBI and Low-Level Blast Exposure: What Medical Providers Need to Know | This educational video, produced by the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, focuses on the effects of low-level blast and traumatic brain injury. Its purpose is to provide supplemental information on low-level blast to health care providers and beneficiaries. | Leaders, Medical Providers | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| Blast Research Injury Coordinating Office (BIRCO) BOP Tool | Software for monitoring & recording BOP exposure. | Training & Range Managers, BSOs, Operators, IH and Test Community | Flyer |
| Department of War Occupational Exposure Assessment Data Collection Protocol | This exposure assessment protocol will be used for evaluating blast overpressure (BOP) hazards and collecting blast exposure data for weapons systems that present a BOP hazard. | IH and Test Community | View here |
| ICD-10 Coding Guidance Clinical Practice Guidance for high and low-level blast exposure | This document is designed to be a single reference to standardize brain injury and exposure coding across the MHS. | Medical Providers | Warfighter Brain Health Hub |
| TBICoE Provider Newsletter | Monthly newsletter with clinical tools, research updates, and more! | Medical Providers, IH and Test Community | Subscription Link |
| TBICoE Patient and Caregiving Newsletter | Monthly newsletter for patients, caregivers, and families with important TBICoE information and resources | Operators, Family Members | Subscription Link |