Part 1 – Understanding human augmentation

Human augmentation is relevant across society and Defence. People are constantly

affected by internal factors (for example, ageing, hydration or disability) and external

factors (for example, weather, pollution or disease) that lead to fluctuations in performance

that can be fleeting or enduring. The effect of human augmentation can therefore

vary at any given time as outlined in Figure 2. For example, the same brain computer

interface could be used to mitigate the effects of a stroke, help to optimise a layman to

perform a specific function, or enhance a specialist who needs to be even better. Human

augmentation is therefore relevant across society and across Defence; it can mitigate

shortfalls, optimise existing performance and extend performance beyond biological limits.

Figure 2 – Human augmentation and the fluctuation of human performance

Section 2 – The human platform

Conceptualising the human as a platform is fundamental to thinking about human

augmentation and this project offers a model to do this. The performance of traditional

military platforms – vehicles, aircraft and ships – is routinely monitored and analysed

but it is remarkable that our ability to understand our most critical capability – people

• is so under-researched. Central to the approach of this project is the idea that each
  person must be understood at the individual level. Successful application of human
  augmentation demands a more sophisticated approach to understanding our people and
  a way of achieving this is to define the key elements that collectively represent the human
  platform; these are physical, psychological and social in nature. It is recognised that it is
  impossible to neatly separate the human into three distinct areas and that this model is a
  conscious oversimplification.

The Integrated Operating Concept places a premium on

operating, it also places a premium on adaptability – the ability to

adapt to war fight. And this in turn emphasises the importance

of our people – who have always been our adaptive edge.

Chief of the Defence Staff,

launching the Integrated Operating Concept, September 2020

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1 Current performance – baseline

2 Optimised up to biological potential

3 Enhanced beyond biological potential

4 Underperformance Exploit

Mitigate

Optimise

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Individual indicative lifetime

Human performance

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