Mobile apps can help improve female military readiness

When it comes to our military, readiness serves as risk mitigation in mission operations. Our experience tells us that “when readiness suffers, the risks to forces increase”.

Every branch of the military knows this, but personnel and operational readiness remain a struggle. The Government Accountability Office reported in late 2020 that the U.S. Department of Defense “must rebuild the readiness of the U.S. military and modernize its systems and equipment to meet future threats.”

Preparation, of course, also includes preparing our military and military women for deployment. Rapid or unexpected deployment presents challenges, such as ensuring that every service member has access to appropriate military medical information. Without timely and accurate health and wellness information, preparedness and mission can suffer.

Accessibility of health information was a particular issue for female service members due to the male focus of most information and the unique needs women face before deployment, which resulted in reduced readiness and days of service lost.

To anticipate the problem and bring the information together in an easy-to-access way, the Defense Health Agency made the best use of technology in line with the DoD’s digital transformation goals.

The Defense Health Agency has partnered with Maximus and BlueWater to design and develop the Deployment Readiness Education for Servicewomen (DRES) web application. DHA leaders understood that servicewomen were not getting the information or help they needed in a timely manner, and this had to be addressed. Providing interactive functionality with information curated around the needs of servicewomen, the Progressive Web App provides a blueprint for how the military can leverage emerging technologies and app development to dramatically improve readiness in all branches of service.

The application focuses on three phases of deployment: preparation, activities during deployment and after. For example, the “during deployment” phase includes information on mental health, nutrition, maintaining contact, and how to report any negative health situations. Similarly, the post-deployment phase provides information on personal and family reintegration, family planning and mental health resources.

By making this information more readily available to servicewomen, the app fills an accessibility gap where data previously resided in disparate and difficult-to-navigate locations. With the DRES app, the single location and installable version of information allows service women to easily access information even during deployment in areas with poor or no connectivity.

The positive response to the DRES app — it’s quickly becoming the most viewed app on the Defense Health Agency’s app store — shows how it offers a blueprint for other segments of DoD personnel. Since the app went live in 2022, it has supported approximately 75,000 actively deployed servicewomen and significantly reduced the number of lost service days. Feedback from servicewomen has been nothing but positive, with many sharing that they appreciate being made a priority.

DRES embodies modern application development processes that begin with understanding the core problem and how to present a strong user experience. This includes:

— A dedicated team, including military women, excited to contribute to the project

— Holistic and agile application development and governance processes, covering project management and quality assurance testing.

— Focus on end-user experience and difficulties in accessing general health information before, during and after deployment

— Understanding of the unique health needs of military women, combined with in-depth knowledge of emerging technologies.

By making this information available in a format that is easy to carry and view regardless of location, while adhering to security and privacy requirements, the DRES app supports the agency in its mission to ensure a medically ready in all orders.

Joe Kehoe is Vice President – Defense Market Leader at Maximus, a provider of management services for government-sponsored programs.