No effect of increasing protein intake during military exercise with severe energy deficit on body composition and performance.

In this study, we compare the effects of isocaloric high- (HIGH: 2 g kg-1  d-1 , n = 19) and low-protein diet (LOW: 1 g kg-1  d-1 , n = 19) on changes in body composition, muscle strength, and endocrine variables in response to a 10-day military field exercise with energy deficit, followed by 7 days of recovery. Body composition (DXA), one repetition maximum (1RM) bench and leg press, counter-movement jump height (CMJ) and blood variables were assessed before and after the exercise. Performance and blood variables were reassessed after 7 days of recovery. The 10-day exercise resulted in severe energy deficit in both LOW and HIGH (-4373 ± 1250, -4271 ± 1075 kcal d-1 ) and led to decreased body mass (-6.1%, -5.2%), fat mass (-40.5%, -33.4%), 1RM bench press (-9.5%, -9.7%), 1RM leg press (-7.8%, -8.3%), and CMJ (-14.7%, -14.6%), with no differences between groups. No change was seen for fat-free mass. In both groups, the exercise led to a switch toward a catabolic physiological milieu, evident as reduced levels of anabolic hormones (testosterone, IGF-1) and increased levels of cortisol (more pronounced in HIGH, P < .05). Both groups also displayed substantial increases in creatine kinase. After 7 days of recovery, most variables had returned to close-to pre-exercise levels, except for CMJ, which remained at reduced levels. In conclusion, increased protein intake during 10-day military field exercise with severe energy deficiency did not mitigate loss of body mass or impairment of physical performance.

Self-Regulation and Cognitive Agility in Cyber Operations.

Reliance upon data networks to conduct military operations presents new challenges to the competence profiles of military personnel. Specifically the increased demand for the new category of military cyber personnel is a direct consequence of the utility of the cyber domain in contemporary military operations, both to support leadership processes and as a domain of operations on its own. The conflation of the cyber and physical domains empowers cyber operators to influence events beyond their immediate physical environment. Proper education and training of such personnel requires new insight into the competencies that are beyond cyber specific technical skills, to govern the complexity of operating in a cyber-physical hybrid environment. This pilot research contributes to the debate on military cyber personnel competencies by investigating how cyber defense operator's level of self-regulation can contribute to their performance in operations. We hypothesize that higher levels of self-regulation predicts higher levels of cognitive agility as measured by cognitive movement in The Hybrid Space conceptual framework. Displays of cognitive agility within The Hybrid Space have previously been linked to performance in defensive cyber operations. A positive association was therefore expected between levels of self-regulation and displays of cognitive agility. N = 23 cyber cadets from the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy (NDCA) completed self-regulation questionnaires (SRQs) and self-reported their cognitive location in The Hybrid Space during a 4-day cyber defense exercise. Data showed that higher levels of self-regulation were associated with displays of cognitive agility. According to the regression models in use, self-regulation could explain 43.1% of the total cognitive movements in The Hybrid Space. Understanding factors that contribute to cyber operator performance are needed to improve education and training programs for military cyber personnel. Validating self-regulation as a contributing factor to cognitive agility is important as this can be a pathway to empirically underpin individual cyber operator performance.

Interoceptive sensitivity as a proxy for emotional intensity and its relationship with perseverative cognition.

BACKGROUND: Technical advancement in military cyber defense poses increased cognitive demands on cyber officers. In the cyber domain, the influence of emotion on decision-making is rarely investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess psychophysiological correlation with perseverative cognitions during emotionally intensive/stressful situations in cyber military personnel. In line with parallel research on clinical samples high on perseverative cognition, we expected a decreased interoceptive sensitivity in officers with high levels of perseverative cognition. METHOD: We investigated this association in a sample of 27 cyber officer cadets. RESULTS: Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no relationship between the factors. DISCUSSION: Cyber officers might display characteristics not otherwise found in general populations. The cyber domain may lead to a selection process that attracts different profiles of cognitive and emotional processing.