Congress on soldier performance a success

DST hosted the 4th International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance, held in Melbourne with a program of high profile speakers.

Widely recognised as the most important international conference in applied military human performance research, the congress attracted nearly 500 experts from around the world in almost every conceivable aspect of soldier performance including physical training, nutrition, injury prevention, soldier psychology and everything in between.

Dr Karl Friedl, a keynote speaker from the US described it as a 'gathering of military performance research stars’.

The congress was the brainchild of a group of Finnish military scientists and one of the founding members, Professor Heikki Kyröläinen, a keynote speaker this year, presented on the optimisation of physical training adaptations and military performance.

Congress Chairs, DST’s Dr Dan Billing and Dr Jace Drain were thrilled with the level of interest the congress attracted.

“The congress has gone from strength to strength over the years, which reflects the value militaries around the world are placing on research into enhanced physical performance,” Dr Billing said.

This year’s Congress was hosted by DST in partnership with the Australian Army, the Defence Science Institute, the International Military Sports Council and conference organisers, ICMS Australasia.

More information about the congress is available from the Congress website.