Wearables for Defense: The Next Frontier in Military Technology

Aaqifah Hilmi
7 hours ago
9 min read

Wearable technology in the defense sector is transforming the way armed forces monitor health, track readiness, and operate in complex environments. From military wearable sensors that detect fatigue and injury risk, to advanced textiles that integrate communication and navigation systems, these innovations are reshaping soldier safety and operational efficiency. These wearables must, however, meet stringent requirements: extreme durability and comfort (for high-G flight, low-visibility, saltwater, and cold/high-altitude conditions), reliable wireless data links, low-power operation, high sensor accuracy and cybersecurity.

2 soldiers with guns on the battlefield — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

The Rise of Wearable Technology in Military Operations

Modern military technology is increasingly taking the form of military wearables: networked devices and smart fabrics that augment soldier safety and effectiveness. These systems embed sensors into uniforms, helmets, or accessories to continuously monitor vital signs (heart rate, temperature, fatigue, etc.) and environmental threats (radiation, chemical exposure, etc.), and to provide navigation or targeting data. In effect, wearable sensors turn a soldier’s uniform into a moving command center.

With military wearable sensors now able to predict fatigue, detect injuries, and even monitor exposure to harmful radiation, the conversation has shifted from “should we adopt wearables?” to “how fast can we deploy them?”

What Are Wearable Sensors for Soldiers?

Military wearable sensors are integrated systems designed to be worn on the body, embedded in uniforms, or built into equipment. Their primary functions include:

Health Monitoring: Biometric sensors (such as heart rate monitors, pulse oximeters, temperature probes) aid continuous tracking of heart rate, respiration, hydration, core body temperature and other vital signs, thereby helping commanders assess fatigue, stress and overall health.
Environmental Awareness: Environmental sensors (such as chemical detectors, radiation alarms, RF exposure meters) detect chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats, alerting troops to invisible hazards.
Positioning & Navigation: GPS or inertial navigation systems are especially crucial in GPS-denied environments. Additionally, motion sensors (such as accelerometers or gyroscopes) can detect falls, blasts or weapon usage.
Communication: Secure, low-latency channels for team coordination.

Unlike commercial wearables, these systems are battlefield-hardened, i.e., built to survive dust storms, freezing temperatures, high-G maneuvers, and more. Wearable sensors transform each soldier into a mobile node in the military network, continuously feeding vital data that can save lives and enhance mission effectiveness.

Key Design Requirements for Military-Grade Wearables

For soldier wearables to be effective, they must withstand battlefield stresses that far exceed civilian use. Deploying wearable technology in military operations requires meeting stringent specifications:

Durability: Wearables for defense must be durable and reliable in extreme conditions. Devices must resist shock, vibration and high G-forces (in aircraft), as well as extreme temperatures, dust, moisture, and even chemical or saltwater exposure.
Comfort: Extra gear can fatigue troops. Wearable designs must be lightweight, and use breathable fabrics or ergonomic straps that do not impede mobility.
Security: End-to-end encryption and anti-jamming measures.
Interoperability: Seamless integration with existing geospatial software applications or secure battle networks.
Real-time transmission: Military wearables must support real-time data transmission on secured wireless channels.
Power Efficiency: Wearables for defense must house batteries that can last for days, or have energy-harvesting capabilities. These devices often use low-power radios (mesh networks, LoRaWAN or military bands) and on-device processing to maximize battery life.
Sensor Accuracy: Sensor accuracy and calibration are paramount – a false alarm or misreading could be dangerous. Clinical-grade health monitoring helps avoid false positives/negatives.

Global Innovations: Wearable Technology in Military Forces Worldwide

Armed forces around the world are actively developing and testing wearables. In the United States, for example, several large-scale programs have collected soldier biometrics to boost performance and readiness. The Army’s Measuring and Advancing Soldier Tactical Readiness and Effectiveness (MASTR-E) program, launched in 2018, paired soldiers with assorted sensors to quantify how factors like sleep, stress and exertion affect battlefield performance.¹

In parallel, the Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) initiative, that once began as a COVID-19 detector, now taps commercial wearables such as watches and rings to create a holistic readiness profile. OHWS allows each soldier to input personal health data which commanders and medics can view in aggregate, as a “human readiness” dashboard.² More recently, the Army Sustainment Command (ASC) piloted issuing smart watches and rings to hundreds of troops. The ASC program streams daily heart-rate, sleep and hydration data into an app that calculates an overall readiness score. Soldiers wear devices day and night, allowing commanders to monitor unit health trends, while preserving their privacy. These US efforts highlight a shift toward data-driven soldier health and performance management.

Beyond body sensors, global innovation also includes smart textiles and garments. The US Army, in partnership with MIT, is developing combat uniforms woven with biosensing fibers. These fabrics can track heart rate, breathing and muscle activity directly from clothing.³ A Boston-based developer has created a smart garment: a lightweight conductive suit layered within clothing, that tracks vital signs and identifies wound perforations such as bullet or stab holes. Embedded PCBs collect data, and in the event of an injury, the system transmits real-time vital sign and location details to medics via the military’s Android Tactical Awareness Kit (ATAK).⁴ This enables faster combat casualty response by automatically triangulating a wounded soldier’s location and status.

Modular integration is another theme. Black Diamond Advanced Technology’s Modular Tactical System (MTS) combines power, computing and communications into a single lightweight vest, reducing the soldier’s electronic gear burden. Wearable hazard sensors are also emerging. Miniature RF exposure detectors can be sewn into uniforms to warn against dangerous microwave weapons or stray radiation. These examples illustrate how modern militaries leverage both off-the-shelf devices (smart rings/watches) and custom-developed wearables (textile sensors, integrated vests) to enhance soldier effectiveness.

A cutting-edge US project is Anduril & Meta’s “EagleEye” AR Helmet. Under a multi-million-dollar Army contract, Anduril Industries and Meta Platforms are co-designing headgear with augmented-reality (AR) capabilities. This range of XR products (helmets, glasses, etc.) will overlay digital vision and hearing enhancements onto a soldier’s field of view.⁵ Integrated AI-powered sensors in the helmet could detect distant drones or hidden targets, allowing warfighters to “see the unseen” on the battlefield.

Europe, too, is innovating with soldier wearables. The Netherlands has deployed the Mission Navigation Belt (MNB) by Elitac Wearables. This lightweight belt contains small vibration motors that cue direction (north/south/east/west) through gentle haptic pulses, so soldiers can navigate by touch without looking at screens.⁶ In the aviation sector, Dutch companies Elitac, 2M Engineering, and TNO are jointly developing the Flight Sense System (FSS) for fighter pilots. The FSS is a smart vest equipped with ECG, respiratory, and motion sensors that continuously track a pilot’s physiological condition during and after flights.⁷ By delivering real-time, medical-grade monitoring, systems like FSS aim to enhance pilot safety and preparedness for high-stress flight operations.

Across these examples, certain common themes stand out: smart wearable sensors for tracking biometrics and environmental conditions, integrated data platforms, and lightweight ergonomic designs. In the military context, wearable sensors function as personal telemetry units that transmit data to a broader battlespace awareness network. Similar to how commercial fitness trackers are used in sports to monitor performance, militaries can track the physical condition and capabilities of personnel - but on a scale with far greater operational consequences. The critical distinction lies in ensuring that these technologies can withstand combat conditions and maintain the highest standards of data security.

From Deployment to Data: What Research Says About Soldier Wearables

Academic and defense research around the world is evaluating soldier wearables. In India, a 2020 study reviewed smart wearable devices for soldier safety in combat zones. The researchers proposed a wireless sensor network (WSN) of vest-mounted and helmet-mounted biosensors to track health status and position. Critically, the system would use LoRaWAN (Long Range radio) to relay an injured soldier’s bio-data and GPS location to command and nearby troops. In a simulated battlefield, if a soldier were wounded, the LoRaWAN link would automatically transmit a distress signal to a control unit, prompting rapid evacuation or aid.⁸ The paper highlighted the importance of body-area networks for vitals monitoring and mesh networks (using Zigbee or BLE) among squads for redundancy. This Indo-Pacific research underscores India’s interest in low-power IoT wearables for force protection.

Australian defense researchers have likewise examined soldier workload and injuries. Studies have identified that heavy load carriage and manual handling are among the most common physically demanding tasks for Australian soldiers, leading to high rates of musculoskeletal strain.⁹ These findings drive interest in exoskeletons and supportive wearables for troop endurance.

At the strategic level, the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has outlined an ambitious wishlist for next-generation defense wearables, aiming to combine survivability, situational awareness, and performance optimization in a single ecosystem. Their vision includes uniforms capable of withstanding extreme temperatures without added bulk, repelling rainwater, and incorporating smart fabrics that can sense, communicate, store energy, regulate temperature, monitor health, and even change color. They are exploring lightweight sensors woven into parachute nylon to detect micro-tears before they become catastrophic, and electronics embedded into uniform fibers to identify chemical or radiological threats while also powering other soldier-borne systems. Protective gear is another focus. SOCOM envisions body armor and helmets offering enhanced ballistic and impact protection, augmented by sensor arrays to detect traumatic brain injuries from blasts or concussions. Advanced eyewear is on the list too, with a single adaptive system capable of functioning in day and night conditions, providing laser protection, and seamlessly transitioning between modes. Heads-up displays, integrated into these platforms, would allow for rapid, hands-free access to mission-critical data. Finally, wearable biometric systems would continuously monitor hydration levels, heart rate variability, and other physiological markers, ensuring that commanders can track soldier fatigue and readiness in real time.¹⁰

Challenges in Deploying Wearables in Defense

Even the most advanced military-grade wearable sensors face real-world hurdles before they can be seamlessly integrated into defense operations:

Data Sovereignty & Cybersecurity Risks

Foreign-manufactured wearables can introduce vulnerabilities related to data sovereignty - where sensitive operational data might be stored, transmitted, or processed outside national borders. In the context of defense, even innocuous biometric readings can reveal troop locations, movements, or operational readiness to adversaries. This makes sourcing, vetting, and securing devices a national security priority.

Network Reliability in Harsh Terrains

Defense operations often extend into remote, mountainous, desert, or subterranean environments where conventional communication networks are unreliable or nonexistent. Wearables that depend on continuous connectivity for transmitting data can become ineffective during blackouts, limiting their tactical value in real-time combat or reconnaissance missions.

Lack of Standardization Across Forces

Different branches of the military, i.e., army, navy and air force, may use distinct platforms, communication protocols, or data formats for their wearables. Without a unified standard, interoperability becomes a major bottleneck. This not only slows down adoption but also hampers joint operations where seamless cross-branch data sharing is crucial.

Maintenance & Lifecycle Management

Even ruggedized, battle-ready devices require regular calibration, battery replacements, firmware updates, and environmental servicing. In active combat zones, finding the resources and time for such maintenance can be logistically challenging. A single malfunctioning device could compromise mission effectiveness or soldier safety.

Human Factors

Comfort, weight, and user acceptance play a surprisingly large role in determining whether a wearable is truly adopted by soldiers. A device that is too heavy, restrictive, or prone to causing skin irritation may be abandoned in the field, regardless of its technological advantages. Involving end-users in the design process can greatly improve adoption rates and long-term usage.

The Future of Military Wearables

Military wearables are still a relatively new addition to modern warfare, but their evolution is accelerating fast. As armed forces continue to digitize the battlefield, these devices are moving from “nice-to-have” prototypes to indispensable operational tools. The next wave of innovations is set to make wearables even more intelligent, autonomous, and self-sustaining:

AI-Driven Predictive Analytics: By combining continuous biometric monitoring with machine learning, future wearables will be able to forecast injuries, dehydration, or illness before symptoms fully appear, allowing medics and commanders to act preemptively.
Augmented Reality (AR) Helmets: Beyond night vision and heads-up displays, AR headgear will overlay tactical data, drone feeds, and threat markers directly into a soldier’s field of view, enabling split-second decisions without breaking focus.
Smart Fabrics: Uniforms will evolve into active systems - capable of regulating temperature, detecting wounds, neutralizing chemical threats, or shifting camouflage patterns in real time.
Energy Harvesting: Motion, body heat, and even solar exposure could power sensors and radios indefinitely, reducing reliance on heavy spare batteries and keeping soldiers operational for longer.

Conclusion: Building India’s Edge in Wearable Defense Tech

Military wearable technology is no longer a distant concept - it is an operational reality influencing the strategies of leading armed forces worldwide. For India, the challenge is not only to match these advancements but to adapt them to some of the most demanding operating environments on earth, i.e., from the sub-zero altitudes of Siachen to the scorching deserts of Rajasthan. Indian defense forces require more than rugged gear; they need secure, intelligent systems that can track health, safety, and situational status in real time - without hindering mobility or focus on the mission.

Solutions must be engineered for the extremes, all while aligning with the nation’s goal of strategic autonomy through indigenous design and manufacturing. Sensio has developed wearable systems for soldier health monitoring and operational awareness, tailored to the nation’s diverse terrains and extreme conditions. These systems represent an early step in strengthening India’s homegrown defense wearable ecosystem, with further progress to be made in partnership with defense stakeholders.

Let us partner in making India’s soldiers safer, stronger, and more mission-ready with next-generation wearable innovation.

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