MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Modern militaries track everything from aircraft maintenance to satellite movement, but one area remains harder to measure in real time: the readiness of the warfighter. At Air University, Alpha Blue is taking on that challenge through Project ATLAS, a concept that uses wearable biometric data to give leaders a clearer picture of human performance.
“Today’s militaries run on data. We have predictive maintenance for every engine and the exact location of every satellite in orbit,” said Maj. Kasper Birkenfeldt, an Air Command and Staff College student from Denmark. “We monitor everything except our most valuable weapon system—our people.”
He said current readiness assessments often rely on periodic, subjective measures that don’t reflect day-to-day performance.
“We rely on subjective worksheets and months-old PT tests,” Birkenfeldt said. “Project ATLAS changes that by turning wearable biometric data into something leaders can actually use.”
The concept is built around a flexible system that works with a range of commercially available devices, allowing units to focus on what matters most for their mission.
“ATLAS is device-agnostic because different units care about different things,” said Tammie Cameron, an Air War College student. “While one team focuses on physical fitness before a deployment, another might prioritize stress levels and alertness.”
The system pulls in data like heart rate recovery and sleep quality and turns it into a readiness score, helping leaders spot trends early and act before performance drops.
“Our architecture ingests raw data from smart devices, normalizes it, and computes custom ATLAS scores,” Cameron said. “Commanders can adjust what matters most so the data reflects real operational demands.”
Elite athletic programs don’t wait for injuries to adjust training—they monitor performance daily to stay ahead of risk. Project ATLAS applies that same idea to the force, giving commanders a clearer sense of how their people are performing and when to step in. In high-tempo or contested environments, even small dips in performance can have real operational consequences.
The team said none of this works without trust. “Misuse of biometric data is a major concern,” said Maj. Derek T. Wibben, an Air Command and Staff College student. “ATLAS approaches data ethics from both individual and institutional perspectives.” Service members keep control of their personal data, while leadership sees only aggregated trends. “That gives commanders a way to make informed decisions—like adjusting tempo or managing fatigue—without compromising individual privacy,” Wibben said.
During a February 2026 field test at Maxwell Air Force Base, the team saw how the concept could work in practice.
“Our field test proved that leaders can sense strain before it becomes an injury,” said Lt. Col. Liridona Dauti, an Air War College student from Sweden.
The focus, she said, isn’t on one device, but on building something that works across systems and environments.
“Project ATLAS isn’t about one device,” Dauti said. “It’s about integration, customization, and privacy. We’ve optimized our machines and our missions—now it’s time to optimize ourselves.” Projects like ATLAS show how Air University develops joint Airpower warriors who can take emerging ideas and turn them into something operationally useful. By learning how to clearly communicate complex concepts, Alpha Blue supports leaders in better understanding readiness, reducing risk, and keeping forces ready to execute the mission.
The concept points toward a future where commanders don’t have to guess readiness—they can measure it and act before performance drops. As warfare becomes more data-driven, efforts like this ensure the Joint Force is not only optimizing its systems, but the people who operate them.