Pilot program for integrated warfighter cognitive performance and readiness

(a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) long-term exposure to high-stress operational environments compromises cognitive performance, sleep quality, and psychological resilience, creating conditions for reduced readiness, impaired decision-making, increased behavioral health risk, and greater potential for anxiety, depression, and other stress-related conditions among members of the Armed Forces; (2) the Secretary of Defense’s May 6, 2026, directive establishing Warfighter Performance Optimization as a core Department of Defense priority directs a data-driven, outcomes-focused approach to scaling proven human performance capabilities across the force and mandates development of minimum standards for human performance programs; (3) commanders across multiple military services have independently invested in cognitive performance capabilities from local budgets due to existing programs have not consistently delivering measurable readiness outcomes, demonstrating demand for scalable, evidence-based solutions that bridge the gap between research and real-world military performance; and (4) commercially available, scientifically researched capabilities with documented real-world military performance, including measurable improvements in cognitive performance, sleep quality, stress resilience, and clinical care utilization, are immediately available for deployment and scaling through existing Federal acquisition pathways, with minimal cost or requirements to development of a new program, in direct support of the Department’s warfighter performance optimization priorities. (b) Establishment of pilot program Not later than March 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to modernize existing military resilience and performance programs in support of the warfighter performance optimization priorities of the Department of Defense. The program shall be designed to provide members of the Armed Forces and their dependents with an integrated cognitive performance and readiness capability that combines live performance training, cognitive training tools and technologies, always-on digital support, live coaching, care navigation, sleep optimization, and on-installation cognitive readiness infrastructure. In selecting capabilities for the pilot program, the Secretary shall give priority to commercially or federally available capabilities with documented success and prior performance in military or high-stress operational environments. (c) Elements The pilot program under subsection (b) shall be designed to include the following elements: (1) The demonstration of a substantial body of scientifically researched and evidence-based published evidence of measurable improvements in cognitive performance outcomes, including sustained attention, reaction time under stress, and stress regulation, in military or high-stress operational populations, including evidence derived from alpha-competitive and high-consequence operational environments such as military aviation, special operations, and elite performance contexts, demonstrating real-world military efficacy. (2) The demonstration of military cultural competence across all personnel delivering services, including coaches, facilitators, and support staff, through documented training requirements specific to military populations, operational environments, and families of members of the Armed Forces. (3) Content and curriculum developed in partnership with experts with documented service in military operational leadership roles, aligned to service-specific resilience and readiness frameworks and the unique demands of military life, deployment cycles, and family support, and continuously updated to reflect advances in cognitive performance science. (4) The delivery of cognitive performance capabilities through— (A) a holistic approach encompassing education, training, leadership development, and culture, providing tactical tools and skill sets applicable across the full spectrum of military service, any area of operations, and all phases of a member’s career; and (B) multiple complementary modalities including in-person instruction by certified facilitators, on-installation cognitive performance environments, and always-on digital access, ensuring continuity of support regardless of operational tempo, deployment status, or geographic location. (5) Interactive and contextualized live cognitive performance training— (A) provided by specialized training teams with expert knowledge of cognitive performance and how to apply skills across the phases of a military career, focused on development of a high-performance mindset to increase readiness, warfighter lethality, and leadership under stress, with certified facilitators embedded at installations to sustain program culture and common language within units between training events; and (B) that is delivered in-person at installations when operationally feasible, with alternative delivery modalities available for deployed or distributed environments. (6) Cognitive training tools and resources, including technologies and structured skill-building environments, designed to improve resilience, focus, decision making, and recovery under pressure, with documented peer-reviewed evidence of measurable improvements in cognitive performance outcomes including attention, stress regulation, and reaction time. (7) A commercially available digital component with demonstrated adoption by millions of users across civilian and enterprise populations, providing continuous on-demand access to cognitive performance support, sleep optimization, stress regulation, mental health and wellness content, and mental fitness resources, including content developed in partnership with experts with documented service in military operational leadership roles, accessible to members of the Armed Forcese and their family members between and independent of scheduled training events, including in deployed environments. (8) Evidence-based sleep optimization resources and interventions with documented peer-reviewed evidence of measurable improvements in sleep onset, sleep quality, and insomnia reduction, accessible to members of the Armed Forces and their families on demand. (9) On-demand access, at any time during the day or night, to live subclinical coaching support with response times less than two minutes on average as well as through scheduled video and text based sessions for members of the Armed Forces and their families, with demonstrated rapid-access connection capability, with military cultural competence training required of all coaching personnel as a condition of employment. (10) Validated assessments and structured care navigation connecting members of the Armed Forces to existing military and Department support resources, including base-level services, crisis pathways, and clinical referral infrastructure aligned to co-created protocols, optimizing the use of existing investments rather than duplicating such investments. (11) Evidence-based cognitive readiness environments at participating installations using sensory and cognitive stimulation technologies with documented peer-reviewed evidence of measurable improvements in stress recovery and cognitive performance outcomes following use. (12) Outcome tracking and data collection capabilities across its integrated components, including biometric, assessment-based, and clinical utilization measures of cognitive readiness, designed to support Department-wide warfighter performance reporting requirements. (13) Commercially availability and contractability under existing Federal acquisition pathways, with a preference for capabilities with documented prior performance in military environments, to enable rapid deployment following program authorization without delay to execution. (d) Metrics The Secretary shall evaluate the pilot program using the following metrics: (1) Cognitive performance outcomes, including sustained attention, reaction time under stress, and validated measures of stress and resilience. (2) Sleep quality indicators, including member survey data and sleep medication usage rates. (3) Behavioral health referral and counseling center usage rates at participating installations. (4) Related clinical care wait times and limited duty assignment rates attributable to stress and behavioral health conditions. (5) Use and results of cognitive training tools and technologies, including data on attention, focus, relaxation, and workload regulation. (6) The level of engagement of members of the Armed Forces and their families, including number of sessions and average hours of substantive program use per active participant. (7) Program cost efficiency indicators, including estimated reductions in clinical care use and behavioral health-related attrition. (e) Report (1) In general Not later than one year after the commencement of the pilot program under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the implementation and outcomes of the program. Such report shall include— (A) the evaluation of the pilot program using the metrics under subsection (d); (B) an assessment of whether the program reduced attrition and improved cognitive performance and resilience among participating members of the Armed Forces; and (C) a recommendation as to whether the Department of Defense should expand the program across additional installations or populations. (2) Form The report required under this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex.