Highlights from the 2026 Sleep and Fatigue Management in the DoW Convening
By Jaime Rodden, Timothy Rogers
On 3-4 June 2026, the Sleep and Fatigue Management in the DoW Convening Event successfully brought together 138 military stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers in a hybrid format at the HJF Headquarters in Bethesda, MD. In direct response to evolving operational requirements and GAO guidance, the summit aimed to advance cross-agency collaboration, strategically track sleep health research, and address systemic barriers to sleep and fatigue management from both an operational and leadership perspective.
The event featured esteemed presenters, including Health Affairs keynote speaker Ms. Susan Orsega, DSc(hc), MS, NP, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Health Services Policy and Oversight within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs, and Military Leadership keynote speaker Col Christopher McArthur, Marine Corps' Training and Education Command (TECOM). The keynote speakers addressed the critical role sleep plays in optimizing service member readiness and supporting the force, highlighting the vital need for unified, cross-agency strategies to bridge the gap between scientific research and operational leadership.
Additional distinguished presenters included Dr. Jonathan Woodson, MD, MSS, FACS, President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, who delivered the welcoming remarks. Dr. Theresa Jackson Santo, Acting Director for Warfighter Performance Optimization (WPO) within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Safety and Occupational Health (ODASW(SOH)), addressed key milestones from the GAO Working Group, which was established in response to the 2024 GAO report. Furthermore, Dr. Terry Rauch, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (Health Readiness Policy and Oversight), spoke on the critical implications of sleep deprivation in large-scale combat operations, providing real-world examples from the war in Ukraine.
The event also featured three panel presentations, which focused on the role of sleep and fatigue-related research in advancing mission readiness, sleep and fatigue-related challenges within active military operations, and dissemination and implementation approaches to addressing sleep and fatigue across the DoW and beyond. Panel presenters included Dr. Tracy Jill Doty, Dr. Aaron Laposky, Dr. Emerson Wickwire, CDR Kent Werner, COL Matthew Brock, CWO5 Steven Pearsoll, MSgt Ty Hatcher, COL McArthur, LTC Dan Cassidy, Dr. Camila Almeida, MAJ Allison Brager, LTC(R) Sean Donohue, and Dr. Daniel Taylor.
Each panel was followed by a facilitated breakout session designed to gather insights and perspectives from all attendees. These discussions generated highly-productive ideas, connections, and strategic themes to utilize moving forward. The insights gained from the summit will be compiled into a comprehensive report, presented at the upcoming MHSRS conference, and target publication as a peer-reviewed manuscript.
The success of the event is directly attributed to the esteemed presenters, engaged attendees, and dedicated planning committee and support team, which included: Timothy Rogers, Jaime Rodden, Bill Brim, Maegan Paxton Willing, Diana Dolan, Tracy Jill Doty, Kent Werner, Vincent Capaldi, Gloria Park, Camila Almeida, Jordan Ellis, Paula Domenici, Ally Grillo, Sebastian Preilipper, Ariana Bazzi, and Kristian Krslovic.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jaime Rodden is a Clinical Research Manager for the Consortium for Defense Psychology (CDP). In her role she works to advance the center's research portfolio, providing management for clinical studies through supervision, administrative oversight, and coordination of research protocols.
Timothy E. Rogers, Ph.D., is currently employed by the Henry Jackson Foundation as an Associate Director at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Center for Deployment Psychology. He is responsible for managing the development, delivery, and evaluation of a range of clinical training and research programs and serves as a subject matter expert/trainer on evidence-based psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Insomnia.
By Jaime Rodden, Timothy Rogers
On 3-4 June 2026, the Sleep and Fatigue Management in the DoW Convening Event successfully brought together 138 military stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers in a hybrid format at the HJF Headquarters in Bethesda, MD. In direct response to evolving operational requirements and GAO guidance, the summit aimed to advance cross-agency collaboration, strategically track sleep health research, and address systemic barriers to sleep and fatigue management from both an operational and leadership perspective.
The event featured esteemed presenters, including Health Affairs keynote speaker Ms. Susan Orsega, DSc(hc), MS, NP, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Health Services Policy and Oversight within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Affairs, and Military Leadership keynote speaker Col Christopher McArthur, Marine Corps' Training and Education Command (TECOM). The keynote speakers addressed the critical role sleep plays in optimizing service member readiness and supporting the force, highlighting the vital need for unified, cross-agency strategies to bridge the gap between scientific research and operational leadership.
Additional distinguished presenters included Dr. Jonathan Woodson, MD, MSS, FACS, President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, who delivered the welcoming remarks. Dr. Theresa Jackson Santo, Acting Director for Warfighter Performance Optimization (WPO) within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Safety and Occupational Health (ODASW(SOH)), addressed key milestones from the GAO Working Group, which was established in response to the 2024 GAO report. Furthermore, Dr. Terry Rauch, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (Health Readiness Policy and Oversight), spoke on the critical implications of sleep deprivation in large-scale combat operations, providing real-world examples from the war in Ukraine.
The event also featured three panel presentations, which focused on the role of sleep and fatigue-related research in advancing mission readiness, sleep and fatigue-related challenges within active military operations, and dissemination and implementation approaches to addressing sleep and fatigue across the DoW and beyond. Panel presenters included Dr. Tracy Jill Doty, Dr. Aaron Laposky, Dr. Emerson Wickwire, CDR Kent Werner, COL Matthew Brock, CWO5 Steven Pearsoll, MSgt Ty Hatcher, COL McArthur, LTC Dan Cassidy, Dr. Camila Almeida, MAJ Allison Brager, LTC(R) Sean Donohue, and Dr. Daniel Taylor.
Each panel was followed by a facilitated breakout session designed to gather insights and perspectives from all attendees. These discussions generated highly-productive ideas, connections, and strategic themes to utilize moving forward. The insights gained from the summit will be compiled into a comprehensive report, presented at the upcoming MHSRS conference, and target publication as a peer-reviewed manuscript.
The success of the event is directly attributed to the esteemed presenters, engaged attendees, and dedicated planning committee and support team, which included: Timothy Rogers, Jaime Rodden, Bill Brim, Maegan Paxton Willing, Diana Dolan, Tracy Jill Doty, Kent Werner, Vincent Capaldi, Gloria Park, Camila Almeida, Jordan Ellis, Paula Domenici, Ally Grillo, Sebastian Preilipper, Ariana Bazzi, and Kristian Krslovic.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jaime Rodden is a Clinical Research Manager for the Consortium for Defense Psychology (CDP). In her role she works to advance the center's research portfolio, providing management for clinical studies through supervision, administrative oversight, and coordination of research protocols.
Timothy E. Rogers, Ph.D., is currently employed by the Henry Jackson Foundation as an Associate Director at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Center for Deployment Psychology. He is responsible for managing the development, delivery, and evaluation of a range of clinical training and research programs and serves as a subject matter expert/trainer on evidence-based psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Insomnia.