Пентагон усиливает контроль за черепно-мозговыми травмами от взрывов, но не хватает персонала для отслеживания

GAO: Pentagon deepens blast brain injury review but lacks staff to track troops WASHINGTON (WGME) -- The Pentagon is taking new steps to better understand and prevent brain injuries linked to blast exposure among service members, but a new federal report says the military still lacks the staffing and resources needed to properly track the problem. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the Defense Department is looking into blast-related health risks more deeply for the first time. The report also found the Pentagon does not have enough staff or equipment to adequately monitor and track blast exposure and related brain injuries among troops. The Defense Department was required to assess, monitor and improve health risks from blast exposure in the military, a step taken in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting three years ago. An investigation found the shooter, who killed 18 people and wounded many more, had brain damage likely tied to his years as an artillery instructor in the Army. Sen. Angus King said the GAO report found the Defense Department is now taking critical steps to identify and prevent blast exposure, but he said progress remains slow. “They claim that the problem is not enough technicians, not enough people who are skilled in administering these kinds of tests. Well-- they need to hire them. This is a priority. This is a responsibility to these troops and also to our communities,” King said. Maine Sens. King and Susan Collins pushed for testing aimed at tracking brain injuries in the military after it was determined the Lewiston mass shooter suffered repeated head trauma and damage from artillery and grenade training. King said the report identified roughly 145,000 Army members as potentially at risk from these types of brain injuries, but so far only about 2% have received the required baseline testing needed to adequately track the injuries.