Human performance and medical treatment during cold weather operations – synthesis of a symposium

In October 2022, the Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) panel of the NATO Science and Technology Organization convened a review of progress in military biomedical research for cold weather operations. This paper represents a summary of the research presentations and future directions. The importance of realistic training was an overarching theme. Many reported studies took advantage of cold weather training exercises to monitor soldiers’ health and performance; these are valuable data, using winter exercises as a platform to gain further knowledge regarding human performance in the cold and represent an excellent extension of controlled laboratory studies. Topics also included prevention of Cold Weather Injuries (CWI); effects of cold weather stressors on cognitive function; field treatment of freezing cold injuries (FCI); and new consideration to injury and trauma care in the cold. Future work programmes re-emphasise development of cold weather training and establishment of consensus diagnostic criteria and treatments for FCI and non-FCI. CWI prevention should take advantage of biomathematical models that predict risk of CWI and provide guidance regarding optimal clothing and equipment and move from group averages to personalised predictions. The publication of selected presentations from the symposium in this special issue increases attention to military cold weather research.