VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF‑AF) expanded its commitment to human performance with the launch of the Post‑Exercise Optimization Program, or POP, a new initiative designed to help Soldiers and civilians recover faster and maintain readiness after periods of high operational demand.
POP builds on the foundation established by the Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) program, which integrated human‑performance science into SETAF‑AF operations throughout 2024 and early 2025. OHWS data revealed a consistent pattern: after major exercises, readiness and sleep scores dipped sharply before gradually rebounding.