Blast Overpressure: The Invisible Brain Injury Affecting Our Military

Deny Caballero explores blast overpressure (BOP), a silent but dangerous contributor to brain injury in military personnel. This episode explains symptoms, risks, cultural barriers, and the importance of awareness and documentation.

Key Topics Covered:
• Blast overpressure explained
• Cumulative brain injury from training
• Military culture and underreporting
• DoD policy changes
• Brain health advocacy for veterans

Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Blast Over Pressure

02:15 The Hidden Risks of Repeated Exposure

04:07 Cumulative Effects and Symptoms

05:47 Advocating for Awareness and Change 

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LinkedIn: Deny Caballero

Todd Strader

https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-strader-553a78342/

 The Cohort of Over Pressured Warfighters

https://www.facebook.com/groups/369026830409154/

 Health.mil

https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Warfighter-Brain-Health/Brain-Health-Topics/Blast-Overpressure

Transcript

Framing The Problem

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Nothing changes if nothing changes. What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Security Hob Podcast. I'm your host, Denny Caballero, and today another solo episode. And this one's important. When this conversation isn't just for our Green Brays, SEALs, Rangers, or anyone else in Special Operations. This is for every veteran and service member who ever fired a weapon system, trained on a range, stood near a breach, or spent years around blast concussion and pressure, often without thinking twice about it. Because today we're talking about blast overpressure. And for a long time, this was something we either joked about, ignored, or were told was part of the job. But now we're learning the cost. So what is blast over pressure? To break this down in plain language, blast over pressure, or BOP, refers to an intense shockwave created by explosions, weapons fire, and breaching charges. This isn't just about getting knocked unconscious in combat. This is about repeated low level exposure. The stuff that happens when you're on the range. During training, during breaching, during weapons qualifications, during years of sustained exposure, every time a blast wave hits the body, it sends pressure through the skull and brain. And unlike a broken bone, you don't always feel it right away. That's why this injury stayed hidden for so long. Who's at risk? Well, special operation forces have been hit the hardest by this. But let me be clear, this affects far more than SOF. We're talking about infantry, mortar and artillery crews, breachers, heavy weapons operators, armor, engineers, and anyone exposed to repeated concussive force. Weapon systems like shoulder fired rockets, heavy machine guns, breaching explosives, and high caliber rifles, these create powerful pressure waves, even when used safely. And here's the part people miss. Most of this damage happens during training, not in combat. And that's not speculation, that's data. Even the New York Times recently reported that elite units were experiencing measurable brain damage tied primarily to training environments. Not firefights, not IEDs, training. Here's where things get serious. Blast overpressure isn't a one-time injury, it's cumulative. That means every exposure stacks, every blast lowers the threshold for the next injury. The brain becomes more vulnerable over time. Think of it like mileage. You don't notice the damage at twenty thousand miles, but eventually the system breaks down. Here are the symptoms we're seeing chronic headaches, memory issues, brain fog, dizziness, sleep problems, mood swings, anxiety and depression, even digestive issues like leaky gut syndrome, and of course emotional regulation problems. And far too often these are mislabeled as stress, burnout, or I'm just getting older. When in reality, you're dealing with a brain injury. And here's the hard truth. The military culture rewarded us for being tough. And more often than not, it punished us when we decided to be a little vulnerable. We didn't complain, we didn't report headaches, and we didn't tap out. And the medical community didn't have the tools to measure low-level blast exposures. Until now, organizations like Uniform Service University are running major research efforts like the Invicta study using advanced blast sensors on helmets and vests. These sensors measure pressure and PSI, and they're finally showing us the invisible damage. The data doesn't lie. So, what is the DOD doing? This is where things are starting to take a change. In 2024, the Department of Defense introduced new policies to address blast overpressure. That include mandatory documentation of blast exposure, tracking cumulative exposure, potential designation of blast safety officers within units, and new limits to training exposure. The goal isn't to weaken the force. Look, we have to remain the most deadly, the most capable fighting force on Earth. That should never change, but we should be able to mitigate this exposure. Remember, the goal is force preservation, because you can't have readiness without brain health. Units under United States Special Operations Command are now experimenting with things such as virtual and augmented reality training, blast absorbing training rooms, modified weapon systems that reduce pressure, and wearable blast sensors. This is the way ahead and this is the future. And this matters, not just to our current service members, but to our veterans of today. Yes, this still matters for you, because many of you are living with the symptoms you've never connected to blast exposure. If you ever thought, I'm not the same guy I used to be, my memory isn't what it is, my anger just seems to take over me. Or something just seems to feel off. Understanding you're not broken, you're not weak, and you're not alone. Your brain took hits you were never warned about. And awareness is a first step toward healing. So what can we do right now? Well, first off, we have to acknowledge that you have some exposure. If you were around blast, you were exposed. Period. End of discussion. Document your symptoms. Sit down, start writing them out, track patterns, be methodical. And then we have to start advocating for ourselves. This information, you have to go to the VA, your private care provider, or even sign up for a research study and bring them this information. Let them know what you went through. And of course, stay informed. Resources like health.mil and even Facebook pages. Connect with Todd Strader and join his Facebook page, the cohort of overpressured war fighters to learn more and connect with other veterans, start dealing with the same issues, and start talking about it. Silence protects the problem, not you and not our next generations of war fighters. Blast overpressure is not a weakness issue. It's not a discipline issue. It's not a motivation issue. It's a brain health issue. And for far too long it went unrecognized. If you've been following the show for a while, you know this is something I'm passionate about and I advocate for because something I dealt with. This is something that you're probably dealing with. And we need to start talking about it and allowing individuals to start collecting their data and start advocating for themselves as their doctors. If this episode helped you or made you think, please share it. Because nothing changes if nothing changed. In today's episode description, you'll find some links to uh the cohort of Overpressure Warfighters Facebook page and some other resources if um if you'd like to learn more. Thank you guys for tuning in, and we'll see you all next time. Until then, take care.