Looks like the US military is not only investing in Artificial Intelligence and modern weaponry but they are also trying to improve the performance of their manpower. The Special Operations Command is reportedly working on an anti-aging pill that can reduce or inhibit the reduction of performance that comes with aging and injuries of their soldiers. While the term anti-aging has been proved to be merely lip service, it will be interesting to see what they make.
According to reports, the anti-aging pill they are making will go into clinical trials next year. The move is part of the pentagon’s push to improve the human performance of the military’s soldiers and officers. It’s exactly programs like these that made Captain America so it looks like the US is finally delving into bioengineering.
Lisa Sanders, the director of science and technology for Special Operations Forces, acquisition, technology, and logistics or SOF AT&L said that the pill “has the potential, if it is successful, to truly delay aging, truly prevent the onset of injury — which is just amazingly game-changing”. The pill is being made in partnership with a private biotech laboratory called Metro International Biotech, LLC.
SOCOM is using Other Transaction Authority or OTA funds for the pill’s development. According to Navy Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, who is a spokesperson of SOCOM, “We have completed pre-clinical safety and dosing studies in anticipation of follow-on performance testing in the fiscal year 2022”. He also explained that the pill is based off on the human performance small molecule concept.
Hawkins further explained that “These efforts are not about creating physical traits that don’t already exist naturally. This is about enhancing the mission readiness of our forces by improving performance characteristics that typically decline with age”. SOCOM has reportedly spent $2.8 million on this pill alone since its launch back in 2018.
Hawkins talked about industry partnerships as well, saying that “Essentially, we are working with leading industry partners and clinical research institutions to develop a nutraceutical, in the form of a pill that is suitable for a variety of uses by both civilians and military members, whose resulting benefits may include improved human performance – like increased endurance and faster recovery from injury”.
Guess we’ll have to wait on clinical trials to see exactly how good the pill will be. Maybe its the first step in the making of a real life Captain America.
