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This study examined the relative load-carrying ability of men and women. Nineteen male and fifteen female soldiers carried loads of 18, 27, and 36 kg during individual voluntary maximal speed 10-km road marches. Measures included march times, pre- post-march vertical jump and grenade throw, and a post-march questionnaire about equipment compatibility. The major findings were that the average march rates for both male and female soldiers in all load conditions were faster than the rates published in U.S. Army field manuals. This suggests that the test subjects were within the published zone of acceptable performance. Men completed the marches an average of 21% faster than the women. Women reported more problems with the shoulder straps, fit of the waist belts, and the fit and stability of the backpack. Data suggest that at least a portion of the gender differences in march rate may be explained by equipment problems reported by the women.

Stress is a multidimensional concept, manifesting its effects in multiple domains. Most clearly these effects appear in the physiological, cognitive, and emotional arenas. This article will provide an overview of (a) key factors contributing to this stress and (b) the range of U.S. Army basic research through advanced technology demonstrations, focusing on reducing these effects and/or otherwise enabling Soldiers to sustain performance under stress. The objective is to provide a context for the discussion of ways to enrich the technological options that can be applied to ameliorate or adapt to stress across the spectrum of missions that Soldiers perform.Today's Soldier is a truly unique, physically fit, and well-trained individual who, coupled with technological developments for the battlefield, is more capable than Soldiers of America's past. Soldiers today are expected to be multiskilled, cover-

Four Marines walked on snow at 4 km/h with four types of snowshoes. Grade of the terrain was about 2.4% and the Marines walked once downhill and once uphill with each snowshoe. Expired respiratory gases (for energy cost measures) and heart rates were collected continuously. The Pride and Military Standard models had a lower energy cost than the Montana model and tended to have a lower cost than the British model. Correlations between snowshoe mass/surface area ratios and energy cost were 0.81 and 0.72 on the uphill and downhill portions of the course, respectively. Data suggested several design characteristics may be favorable from an energy cost perspective: 1) a foot hinge-and-binding system that allows the snowshoe to be dragged across the snow, 2) an upturned front that pushes snow away and allows a more horizontal displacement of the snowshoe during locomotion, and 3) a lower mass to surface area ratio.

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