There are many connections between the military and the Olympics. One of them is the World Athlete Program (WCAP), which allows military members to devote themselves to preparing for their specific event at the next Olympic Games. Another is how the military borrows concepts from Olympians and elite athletes to improve the training and readiness of its warfighters. These examples include The Army’s Comprehensive Health and Fitness (H2F) program. as well Total Force Fitness (TFF).
There are also organizations aimed at supporting service sectors through education, which can sometimes include the wisdom, experience and guidance of those who have competed on the sport’s biggest stages.
One such organization is the Defense Strategy Institute (DSI), which is hosting its Human Performance and Biosystems Summit June 10-11 in Harbor, MD. The two-day event will feature military leaders and experts covering many aspects of health and wellness, such as SEAC David Isom, sleep experts Dr. Tina Burke and Dr. Sarah Algar, and retired Army Sergeant Michael Greenston.
Olympic athletes spoke
There will also be a panel hosted by M&F Military Editor Rob Wilkins, who is attending the conference for the fourth year in a row.
Wilkins said, “I’m excited to moderate a panel Human Performance and Biosystems Summitwhere leaders in military training, science and elite sports come together to share practical information and evidence.
Speakers include Hawapaymo, three-time Olympian in freestyle swimming and 2024 silver medalist Anita Kay Alvarez, and Army Lt. Col. Dan Brown, who competed in the 2004 Summer Games as a distance runner and turned coach after his career ended.
“Our discussion will focus on the WCAP, which allows elite athletes to serve in the US Army or USAF while training and competing on the world stage,” Wilkins said. Both Alvarez and Brown were recruited as part of their service with their branch’s WCAP program.
While Wilkins and his team will highlight and discuss the WCAP, several other discussions will take place, all focused on maximizing human performance for those who wear the national uniform. According to DSI Program Manager Melina Panagakos, supporting the War Department, the military branches and those who serve in them has been their mission for the past few years, and they are only going to cover more than that.
“We run events from human performance to aviation and fire events, automotive, energy events, insider threats, insider risks and all of that. So we cover a lot of things in our events, and so human performance is one of them.”
DSI’s Rich Giordanno added that their two priorities for ensuring their participants are education and access. Whether these participants are from the military, the private sector, or small to medium businesses, the focus is on providing maximum value for their time. That’s why their summits are organized more like fireside chats than lectures on stage.
“They can talk to some of these senior leaders like H2F, like somebody who’s in charge of TFF or one of those big programs across the services.”
The conference will be moderated by the former Executive Director of the Office of Counterinsurgency and former Acting Assistant Secretary for Preparedness, Dr. Elizabeth Van Winkle. This will be his second year in the role, which both Giordano and Panagakos appreciate.
“He’s been great. A big part of that is the moderator support, and he’s been amazing to work with.”
The conference is closed to the media, but registration is open for those interested in learning more about the topic of work and human preparedness.
Panagakos said, “Anyone who is interested in this field, they are more than welcome to register on our site. This is for everyone across the service and defense and anyone who is interested in human performance and fitness and all that can find something in this event.”
There will also be exhibitors and networking opportunities throughout the two days. You can learn more about DSI, the Human Performance & Biosystems Summit, and their upcoming events by visiting their website.
