Enhancement of Physical and Combat Preparedness of SAF Members
Condition: Physical Fitness; Combat Readiness; Injury Prevention; Validation of Testing Batteries
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Regular and optimal fitness training has a positive effect on reducing risk or injury in
      addition to enhancing psychophysical and combat skills. On the other hand, excessive fitness
      training is one of the risk factors for injuries in soldiers. For this reason, it is
      necessary to establish a new system of the training process and regular monitoring of
      physical and combat readiness of the SAF with the help of scientific and professional
      methodology. The proposed research project will run for two years. The main goal of the
      project is to enhance physical and combat readiness and determine the epidemiology of
      injuries of members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF). Within this aim, we will also run a
      validation study aimed to improve existing testing batteries for armed forces.
    

Detailed description: 
      The doctrine of Slovenian Armed Forces defines combat morale, which includes the readiness of
      the members of the Slovenian Armed Forces, as the greatest physical effort to overcome
      natural or artificial obstacles that must be overcome in the workplace or battle. Therefore,
      the military has specific requirements for military service. One of these is combat
      readiness, with physical fitness being the basis for action at the level of the human body
      and mind, for those who wish to achieve the skills that enable the exercise required for the
      professional soldier. From the viewpoint of the individual, no matter if he/she is a soldier
      or officer, he must be able to withstand the stresses and strains of various situations in
      the field, even in emergencies. This means that the body must adapt to a given situation,
      which requires extensive psychophysical preparation for a given situation. The profile of a
      high-class soldier must meet the criteria of a top athlete who is psychophysically healthy
      and at the highest level of his abilities when it is most needed. Certainly, there is a
      direct correlation between a soldier's health and his fitness, individual performance, and
      professional development. Throughout a career, unhealthy habits inhibit a soldier's
      development in the operational, self-developmental, and institutional areas of an Army
      leader's development strategy. Regular and optimal fitness training has a positive effect on
      reducing risk or injury in addition to enhancing psychophysical and combat skills. On the
      other hand, excessive fitness training is one of the risk factors for injuries in soldiers.
      For this reason, it is necessary to establish a new system of the training process and
      regular monitoring of physical and combat readiness of the SAF with the help of scientific
      and professional methodology. The proposed research project will run for two years. The goal
      of the project is to enhance physical and combat readiness and determine the epidemiology of
      injuries of members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF). The results of the planned studies
      will be used in parallel to develop a mobile application that will facilitate the training
      process of SAF members and the transfer of knowledge to other interested entities and
      organizations. According to the project goals set, we will conduct several individual
      studies. Briefly, Study 1 will be a cross-sectional prospective study with the main aim to
      conduct an epidemiological screening of injuries and estimate the risk factors, addressing
      only the most common injuries (≥30 per year). Research 2 will be a longitudinal
      cross-sectional study in which we intend to validate testing batteries for the physical and
      combat readiness of SAF members. Research 3 will be a longitudinal intervention study in
      which we will compare the new strength and conditioning system with the existing system. We
      will sample adult subjects, i.e. officially employed members of the SAF (18-45 years of age,
      Study 1-3), of both genders, based on detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria for each
      study separately. The project will leave an extremely useful trail, such as a mobile
      application with a series of testing batteries aimed to determine physical and combat
      readiness, as well as preventive and rehabilitation practices for the most common injuries
      among SAF members. It should be emphasized that the project is limited to ensuring physical
      fitness for combat operations. For example, the project does not provide guidelines for the
      handling of firearms - that is, the accuracy of shooting, but the physical effort required to
      carry the weapon and prepare it for shooting. We believe that the new training system,
      supported by a mobile application, will come to life and provide SAF members with a more
      in-depth and better individualized approach to the training process, allowing individuals to
      optimally develop their physical and combative readiness, thus achieving greater visibility
      both domestically and internationally.
    

Intervention name(s): Strength and Conditioning
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): A specially designed strength and conditioning program will be delivered for a period of 6 months from the experienced strength and conditioning coaches. The program will consist of the basic aerobic and anaerobic exercises that could be practiced without additional equipment and with own body weight.
Other intervention name(s): Strength and Conditioning programme
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized controlled trial
Masking: Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Slovenian Army; Physical Fitness; Combat Preparedness; Strength and Conditioning practice; Health; Injury prevention; Validation