DARPA seeking "Metabolic Dominance".. ie, super-soldiers... scary stuff

Atkins... eat your fat-filled heart out! Dunno if this has been touched on before, but DARPA has announced an RFC for a project aiming at enhancing human metabolism for soldiers... to incredible levels. One shudders thinking what will be involved in getting this to work. I hope there are no "mistakes" in the getting there...

The vision for the Metabolic Dominance Program is to develop novel strategies that exploit and control the mechanisms of energy production, metabolism, and utilization during short periods of deployment requiring unprecedented levels of physical demand. The ultimate goal is to enable superior physical and physiological performance by controlling energy metabolism on demand. An example is continuous peak physical performance and cognitive function for 3 to 5 days, 24 hours per day, without the need for calories.

for the official site, check out:

BAA03-02, ADDENDUM 2, SPECIAL FOCUS AREA: METABOLIC DOMINANCE

and an article:

www.theregister.co.uk...

-koji K.

[edit on 9-7-2004 by koji_K]

[edit on 9-7-2004 by koji_K]

Looks like the Uber soldat programs are alive and well. I wonder how they plan to keep the body from burning it self out after running at such levels for those periods of time. I sure any drug that would allow you to do that would have some bad side effects.

couple this with exoskeletons and you have unstoppable soldiers...

calm down. i bet we wont see this kinda stuff for 20-50 years. but then again im sure the us military has a few trump cards it doesnt want to reveal yet unless absolutely necessary.ie, outbreak of ww3 or something.

i bet America has a lot of trump cards tucked away...

but the thing is in the case of world war, these super troopers (sorry i think it sounds funnier) wouldn't be numerious enough to make a big difference and if there were, lots people would look upon them as non-human weapons of destruction

they'd probably be like the Delta force or something. An elite special task force to take down specific objectives.

DARPA?.....Modifying soldiers to improve combat efficiency?... where have I heard this?.....Ohhh that's right, Metal Gear Solid. I was able to take out the whole compund in that game, these guys should be a piece of cake

Originally posted by jrod8900
calm down. i bet we wont see this kinda stuff for 20-50 years. but then again im sure the us military has a few trump cards it doesnt want to reveal yet unless absolutely necessary.ie, outbreak of ww3 or something.

This research has been going on for decades in various forms. There are already some very interesting results, but everything has a price, and most of the more exotic options are not something we are currently interested in doing to our troops on a mass scale, even though volunteers for enhancements are by no means in short supply.

For what it's worth, "doping up the troops" is as old as humanity, transcends all cultures and has ranged from war dances, trances and rituals to the use of special diets, stimulants, painkillers and a variety of other substances to enhance combat performance. So it's not like this is a new idea.

DARPA, in its various incarnations, has accomplished amazing things, including bringing us the Internet, mankind's greatest invention. However, it's worth remembering that nothing deemed significant to national security or strategic interests is researched publicly -- at least not with openly stated goals.

This is a call for white papers, and is thus a way to fish for ideas that may have been overlooked. It is also, by being public, probably calculated to gauge public sentiment and aid in making the idea of openly using chemical and biomechanical enhancements in warfare, and not just in certain covert operations, acceptable to society.

A vast amount of research, engineering and application of technology in this field has already been done. It looks like we are now considering more widespread and public use of these technologies.

i can see why my earlier post may have thrown some of you you off. i was mentioning the use of exoskeletons as well as the combat enhancing drugs. The vikings, to my knowlege were using combat enhancing drugs hundreds of years ago, the drugged up warriors were called 'berserkers'.

i was recently prescribed a drug called 'provigil' (generic name: modafinil), for having difficulty staying awake... the same day, the drug was featured on CNN as being the future drug of choice for military pilots as it's less addictive than the amphetamines they are being giving currently. can't say it's terribly effective for me though, it's like having a big cup of coffee... far from providing 5 days of constant alertness.

-koji K.

The kinds of drugs that can keep you awake and functional for 5 days would be very unlikely to pass FDA trials.

Nothing is free, and 5 days of sleeplessness tends to produce undesirable psychological effects. Hallucinations and psychotic ideation are not unusual, and are accompanied by other physiological consequences. The stress of combat conditions would tend to complicate matters somewhat.

It is not difficult to understand why the government would not wish to place someone who is hallucinating and expressing psychotic ideation in control of weapons systems. It is also worth remembering that sleep disruption and deprivation methods are commonly used for interrogation purposes, since they are effective in producing confusion, suggestibility and other effects that would not be desired among friendly troops in combat.

As far as I know, there has been no success in counteracting the negative effects of sleeplessness over such a long period, although that does not mean it is not possible or has not been done. But it would not be easy.

Thats pretty cool though, i hope it some time in the next 15 years so i can join in on it. maybe the best choice of action for war though is to go all out nuts, Give strap as much flak jackets over vital areas a possible, give them some acid type drugs give them some hatchets and drop them in the middle of the battle. Just liek the vikings did (think some one mentioned this) beserkers, cant feel pain, pity, empathy, or remorse the perfect soldier.

I would not mind being retrofitted to be more efficient and having exoskeletons and advanced weapons to go with it but this has been going on for years I once had a former ranger who was medically discharged com in my history class to tell us some things (my teacher is a war buff) and he said he volunteered for a program which tried to make soldiers stronger and faster he said he was injected with a fluid and it did make his body stronger faster and tolerate pain more but it had one side affect it made a human hart the size of a horse hart but if they do prefect this combined with all of the other stuff that is one super military.

This is a very GREAT thread!!!

It makes sence, when the Army drew blood from me (not the first time either, the last) they took a couple (2), extra vials. I thought it was odd at the time, and never could place my finger on it.

I am diagnosed with hyper metabolism, it makes sence now...

This isn't cool...

Regarding Medical Research and Experimentation on Military Personnel

A great deal of valuable data has come from simple statistical analysis of medical information collected from military members. Health data of all kinds is compiled and analyzed. It is an incredibly valuable resource that has advanced medicine both within and outside the military. The results of many of these studies are publicly available, and are often cited in medical literature.

On the darker side, there have been several involuntary trials of a variety of things on service members, including vaccines, pathogens, exposure to hazardous substances and environments and yes, administration of performance-enhancing drugs.

In fairness, without any exception I am aware of, extensive research and testing is performed before widespread trials are elected. However, it would be dishonest to assert that such trials are without risks, and such decisions are not made casually. Having said that...

ADVISOR: Check your family history. If no one else related to you has been diagnosed with, shown symptoms of or has been suspected of having metabolic problems, that is worthy of note. If you have continuing contact with other members of your former units, ask them about this, and see if you can discern a pattern. Those two things alone can answer a lot of nagging questions you may have.

Even the most cynical program manager will be mindful that tests on service members are tests on human beings -- many of them exceptional human beings, and that there are typically several layers of oversight for both voluntary and involuntary programs.

The really exotic stuff has been confined to small, voluntary programs, and rest assured, significant testing is performed in simulations, in vitro, on animals and typically on non-military humans before tests involving military members are performed.

Most of the time, subjects are aware of what they are doing, and are advised of the risks before they consent with their signatures. They may not be told the precise nature of the drugs or methods being tested to avoid skewing the outcomes, but they will be advised that they are part of a test. Before, during and after the test, they will be carefully examined and closely monitored. That is the way it is supposed to be done.

Some unnamed heroes (all unmarried) have even volunteered for programs that have precluded their return to the civilian world ever again. To their relatives, they are dead, but to the few who know, they are immortal. God bless them.

Shamefully, this has not always been the case, and "consent" in some programs has consisted of waivers being handed out with orders from the CO to "sign this", with no indication of the actual nature of what service members were waiving. Sometimes, the "general waiver" that is incorporated in the thick pile of documents signed during induction processing has been considered adequate to establish "consent".

Needless to say, I have tremendous difficulty accepting the rationale behind such decisions, but I have never been in a position to make them, thank God. Every man has his reasons, I suppose.

Having said all that, there have been some amazing successes in these programs, but nothing is free. Drugs which enhance metabolism tend to cause undesired effects such as adrenal fatigue and organ failures. Stimulants which can increase stamina, quicken reflexes and accelerate mental activity also tend to cause psychosis. Nutrient "cocktails" which can combat fatigue can also have toxic, even cancerous side effects.

Hypnotic suggestions and psychological conditioning which can counteract fear and inhibitions and bolster a soldier's ability to fight can also lead to excessive self-injury or violence against friendly assets. Sensory enhancements can ultimately lead to sensory deprivation. Genetic alterations can open a Pandora's box of unforeseen and unfavorable consequences. Electrochemical and electromechanical enhancements can result in superior performance in specialized applications, but prove crippling in others.

Combinations of these techniques can overcome the limitations of some of them, but can also multiply their liabilities as well.

The human body is amazingly complex, and what is unknown dwarfs what is known. Nonetheless, progress has been made in this field, and progress continues.

Everything I have mentioned above has been pursued and tested. Some results have been very promising, and some methods are in use today.

Love it or hate it, research in this field will proceed, and advancements will continue to be made.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
This is a very GREAT thread!!!

It makes sence, when the Army drew blood from me (not the first time either, the last) they took a couple (2), extra vials. I thought it was odd at the time, and never could place my finger on it.

I am diagnosed with hyper metabolism, it makes sence now...

This isn't cool...

Thanks

I'm wondering... I've never been in the military, so I'm not sure how it works, but can you request (maybe through a FOIA request) your service/medical records? It would be interesting to see if there are any unusual markings that could be indicative that you were singled out for special research...

-koji K.

[edit on 13-7-2004 by koji_K]

Originally posted by Majic


Shamefully, this has not always been the case, and "consent" in some programs has consisted of waivers being handed out with orders from the CO to "sign this", with no indication of the actual nature of what service members were waiving. Sometimes, the "general waiver" that is incorporated in the thick pile of documents signed during induction processing has been considered adequate to establish "consent".

Needless to say, I have tremendous difficulty accepting the rationale behind such decisions, but I have never been in a position to make them, thank God. Every man has his reasons, I suppose.

I read in the book "Acid Dreams" and saw in some documentaries how a lot of the '___' experiment subjects were military prisoners (US prisoners I should make clear.) They were given a choice to take part in medical experiments for a reduction in their sentence. Not very ethical, but it would explain their motivation. I can probably find some information on the net to back this up if you like.

However, I'd like to think we've learned from our mistakes. By the very fact that DARPA put up a public request for white papers, I think this particular experiment should be done with a degree of openness. But then, maybe once they reach a breakthrough, they'll go "underground"?

I dunno. What scares me most about this is the possibility that in the future, the military might have something like this but its effects are irreversible, or cause major biological changes or effects requiring constant medical care. I don't like the thought of living in a society where the soldiers are not just divided from the citizenry politically, but biologically as well. I don't think that would be good for the soldiers or the civilians, in the long run.

-koji K.

The MK-ULTRA series of activities, their predecessors and several offshoot programs were conducted under the auspices of the CIA. There have been others.

As far as I know, the scope of those projects did not include widespread use of active-duty military as subjects, but they were contemptibly unethical in their methods. There was collaboration with military services in those programs, and there have been follow-on programs building upon that work. There has also been extensive research in these fields by non-U.S. government agencies, with varying results.

There are some who speculate, with some credible basis, that this series of programs and their inheritors may be related to the "alien abduction" phenomenon and other incidents with puzzling overtones. There are also tie-ins with psychological and information warfare initiatives, both past and ongoing.

It is also worth noting that this series of programs has resulted in electromagnetic technologies capable of effective remote "mind control" through a variety of methods. This would include hypnotic suggestion using modulation of certain carrier frequencies that could produce results as subtle as subconcious or unconscious ideation and as overt as consciously perceived "voices in the head".

All in all, a fascinating path of inquiry, but beyond the scope of this thread.

Originally posted by jrod8900
The vikings, to my knowlege were using combat enhancing drugs hundreds of years ago, the drugged up warriors were called 'berserkers'.

Also, not so much a drug but the Celts used woad war paint, this is said to have effects that alter the personality if absorbed, but I have never been able to confirm this.

Originally posted by Majic

Originally posted by jrod8900
calm down. i bet we wont see this kinda stuff for 20-50 years. but then again im sure the us military has a few trump cards it doesnt want to reveal yet unless absolutely necessary.ie, outbreak of ww3 or something.

This research has been going on for decades in various forms. There are already some very interesting results, but everything has a price, and most of the more exotic options are not something we are currently interested in doing to our troops on a mass scale, even though volunteers for enhancements are by no means in short supply.

For what it's worth, "doping up the troops" is as old as humanity, transcends all cultures and has ranged from war dances, trances and rituals to the use of special diets, stimulants, painkillers and a variety of other substances to enhance combat performance. So it's not like this is a new idea.

DARPA, in its various incarnations, has accomplished amazing things, including bringing us the Internet, mankind's greatest invention. However, it's worth remembering that nothing deemed significant to national security or strategic interests is researched publicly -- at least not with openly stated goals.

This is a call for white papers, and is thus a way to fish for ideas that may have been overlooked. It is also, by being public, probably calculated to gauge public sentiment and aid in making the idea of openly using chemical and biomechanical enhancements in warfare, and not just in certain covert operations, acceptable to society.

A vast amount of research, engineering and application of technology in this field has already been done. It looks like we are now considering more widespread and public use of these technologies.

the internet was not meant for the public it was invented so that if the united states ever fell under a nuclear attack we would still have a means of communicating from underground bunkers

same thing with the interstate system regan had it put in so we could moblize our troops from 1 side of the country to the toehr in a matter of a day or 2

should the use of the interstate ever be critical the government will shut it down to the public


as for human performance enhancers i got 2 words

genetic engineering

assuming people would stop complaining about stem cell research(99% of all the eggs are from clinics where women went to get pregnant and after they did they didn't want those eggs anymore) well scientists started suing it for research
this could lead to many good medical cures but it would also mean genetic engineering which would could created 6'9 supersoldiers that have the ability to heal themselves when they have been damaged and can lift 10 times their own body weight. if we could do this we could also make the human body numb to fatigue and pain and therefore these soldiers could go 4-5 days with a gun shot wound thats self healing itself and no sleep

now u arm these guys with laser weapons and kevlar lined armor that can reflect lasers you got an unstoppable force




if we could reverse the way our legs bent it has been proven you could run up to 10 times faster jump almost 30 times farther and run 200+% longer without fatigue

if we do this to our soldiers they would be moblized without the need of vehicles in close combat areas such as in iraq. if we do this we might as well add wings so they can fly/glide (body weight probably wouldn't allow with the way our odies are)
[edit on 17-7-2004 by Hitlers Revenge]

[edit on 17-7-2004 by Hitlers Revenge]