GAO urges DOD to assess resources for blast-related brain health program
The Department of Defense must evaluate staffing and technology needs for cognitive testing and blast exposure tracking, affecting all service members.
The Government Accountability Office's report GAO-26-107829 recommends that the Secretary of Defense ensure a comprehensive assessment of the resources required to implement DOD's cognitive-assessment and blast-overpressure tracking requirements. The recommendation applies to all DOD components, including the Army, Navy and Air Force.
DOD began routine brain-health monitoring and blast-exposure tracking in 2024. A baseline cognitive assessment is required for high-risk active-duty service members in fiscal year 2025 and for all new service members during initial military training. The agency also updated a centralized data system to record weapon-system use and blast exposures.
Interviews with DOD officials reveal resource constraints that impede implementation. Officials cite insufficient staff and technology for conducting assessments and a shortage of industrial-hygiene personnel for exposure tracking. A one-year pilot of a new cognitive-assessment tool started in summer 2026, but DOD lacks a documented plan to evaluate the pilot's effectiveness.
GAO's two recommendations call for a comprehensive resource assessment that (1) evaluates the pilot's ability to address component staffing and technology gaps and (2) determines the industrial-hygiene staffing needed for tracking requirements. DOD has agreed with the recommendations and outlined planned actions, but GAO lists both recommendations as open pending confirmation of agency actions.
The assessments are intended to strengthen DOD's capacity to identify service members who may require treatment for blast-related brain injury and to maintain accurate exposure records throughout military service.