Up to 400 Defence Force personnel will be tracked during weapons training as part of a sophisticated study that follows years of growing complaints about a lack of action on alarming reports of blast injuries among military veterans.
In the first-of-its-kind study, researchers will cross-reference blast pressure readings from gauges on soldiers’ helmets with blood tests and neurological data conducted within a day of exposure to blasts.
Blood tests analysed at Monash University’s Melbourne laboratory will be used to detect tiny amounts of proteins known to be released in the bloodstream during a traumatic brain injury.
The study is a response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, which recommended the government establish a brain injury program to better understand the impact of repetitive low-level blast exposure on brain processes.
Retired army lieutenant colonel Paul Scanlan has led a veterans’ push for greater action from government and the Australian Defence Force on brain injuries among current and former service personnel.
“From Afghanistan, there are guys now from that who have committed suicide,” Scanlan previously told this masthead.
“And not just suicides. Families are being destroyed because of the effect it’s having. I think they deserve a lot better.”
Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of current and former serving Defence Force personnel is my highest priority.
“As part of our response to the royal commission, we’ve been investing in research and monitoring to better understand the complex nature of brain injury and its causes.
“While a co-ordinated effort is under way to decrease risks where possible, in line with international research, we know we need to do more.”
In a 2024 interview with this masthead, then-army chief Simon Stuart apologised to veterans suffering from potentially avoidable impacts of blast trauma.
“There have been research and trials and other work going on since 2010, so far as I can ascertain. I think what’s been missing is sort of the golden thread of logic,” he said.
Previous ADF studies have recorded blast pressure via the helmet-mounted gauges, but have not cross-referenced the results with blood and neurological data to determine the actual effect of blast pressure in real time.
Professor Sandy Shultz, a principal investigator at Monash’s school of translational medicine, said: “There has been very little research on brain injury as a result of low-level blast exposure, despite this being such a common experience across the defence sector.
“Exactly how and to what extent low-level and repetitive exposures to blast affects the brain is really unknown.
“The knowledge gained from this research will help inform policy and guidelines around what thresholds can result in a brain injury and when ADF personnel should be removed from further exposure.”
The study, which will be conducted over the next four years, will focus on how repeated, low-level blast exposures may impact brain health across a military career.
More is known about high-level blast events, which can result in immediate traumatic brain injury.
The study will focus initially on the army but could later be extended to the navy and air force.
“By combining blast monitoring, blood-based biomarkers and cognitive and psychometric assessments, we’re building the evidence needed to strengthen force health protection,” said army neurologist Lieutenant Colonel Antony Sutherland, a member of the study team.
The royal commission, released in 2024, found that traumatic brain injuries are associated with a heightened risk of death by suicide in veteran and civilian populations.
“Traumatic brain injury from blast exposure is common in active-duty military personnel,” the final report found.
“Many researchers believe that the pressure wave passing through the brain significantly disrupts brain function, causing damage.”
The royal commission found current and ex-service members “reported receiving insufficient support from the ADF for brain injury and having difficulty obtaining compensation”.
If you are a current or former ADF member or a relative and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.
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Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.From our partners
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