FORT BENNING, Ga - The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Garrison, in partnership with US Ignite, installed a network of advanced heat sensor stations across the Fort Benning installation from Feb. 25-26, 2025, marking a step forward in enhanced heat safety management for Soldiers and their families. The stations, equipped with a range of advanced sensors, provide a real-time picture of temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage conditions across Fort Benning. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) derived from these values offers unique insights into the actual heat and humidity experienced by Soldiers during training. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)

FORT BENNING, Ga - The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Garrison, in partnership with US Ignite, installed a network of advanced heat sensor stations across the Fort Benning installation from Feb. 25-26, 2025, marking a step forward in enhanced heat safety management for Soldiers and their families. The stations, equipped with a range of advanced sensors, provide a real-time picture of temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage conditions across Fort Benning. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) derived from these values offers unique insights into the actual heat and humidity experienced by Soldiers during training. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)

FORT BENNING, Ga. — The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Garrison, in partnership with US Ignite, installed a network of advanced heat sensor stations across the Fort Benning installation from Feb. 25-26, 2025, marking a step forward in enhanced heat safety management for Soldiers and their families.

The stations, equipped with a range of advanced sensors, provide a real-time picture of temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage conditions across Fort Benning. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) derived from these values offers unique insights into the actual heat and humidity experienced by Soldiers during training.

"Extreme weather conditions, especially heat, pose a direct threat to the readiness and lethality of our warfighters," said Maj. Gen. Colin Tuley, commanding general of Fort Benning. "By equipping our leaders with the advanced tools to monitor and manage these environmental risks, we're enabling our Soldiers to train effectively and safely."

FORT BENNING, Ga - Soldiers from Echo company, 2nd Battalion, 54th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, complete an Obstacle Course October 25, 2022 on Sand Hill. The recent installation of a network of advanced heat sensor stations across Fort Benning, including one near Sand Hill, completed on February 26, 2025, will enhance training conditions by providing real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage. This data feeds into a centralized Heat Risk Management platform, enabling proactive management of heat-related risks and ensuring that Soldiers remain ready, lethal, and effective warfighters in any environment. (U.S. Army photo by Markeith Horace)

FORT BENNING, Ga - Trainees with Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, 194th Armored Brigade, participate in the Thunder Run, Oct. 24, 2024. The recent installation of a network of advanced heat sensor stations across Fort Benning, including one near Harmony Church, completed on February 26, 2025, will enhance training conditions by providing real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage. This data feeds into a centralized Heat Risk Management platform, enabling proactive management of heat-related risks and ensuring that Soldiers remain ready, lethal, and effective warfighters in any environment. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)

Previously, Fort Benning Soldiers used a manual approach to heat data collection, relying on individual unit-level monitors and hand-written logs. The installation of the new stations represents a major leap forward in the automation and standardization of heat data collection.

The data collected by the stations feeds into a centralized Heat Risk Management platform, creating a comprehensive dashboard that visualizes trends and generates alerts for safety officers, range officers, and officers-in-charge, allowing them to proactively manage heat-related risks and make informed decisions to protect the wellbeing of Fort Benning’s warfighters.

FORT BENNING, Ga. – Soldiers take off from the Darby Queen starting line at Day Three of the 2017 Best Ranger Competition. The recent installation of a network of advanced heat sensor stations across Fort Benning, including one near Camp Darby, completed on February 26, 2025, will enhance training conditions by providing real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage. This data feeds into a centralized Heat Risk Management platform, enabling proactive management of heat-related risks and ensuring that Soldiers remain ready, lethal, and effective warfighters in any environment. (U.S. Army photo by Markeith Horace)

FORT BENNING, Ga. – In this U.S. Army file photo from 2018, parachutists in World War II period uniform drop from a restored Douglas C-33 aircraft over Fryar Drop Zone as part of National Airborne Day. The recent installation of a network of advanced heat sensor stations across Fort Benning, including one near Fryar Drop Zone, completed on February 26, 2025, will enhance training conditions by providing real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage. This data feeds into a centralized Heat Risk Management platform, enabling proactive management of heat-related risks and ensuring that Soldiers remain ready, lethal, and effective warfighters in any environment. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright)

Following a successful pilot program with the 198th Infantry Brigade in 2024, the Heat Risk Management program has expanded with the installation of 10 new sensor stations throughout the installation. This expansion is designed to improve data collection by focusing on areas with high training activity. The new stations have been strategically placed at key training locations for Infantry, Armor, Airborne, and Ranger trainees, including Sand Hill, Harmony Church, Fryar Drop Zone, and Camp Darby, among others.

“The Heat Risk Management application standardizes, centralizes, and streamlines heat monitoring to improve environmental risk mitigation strategies and help the installation decrease the number of heat-related incidents,” said Dr. Mojdeh Mahdavi, US Ignite Smart Bases program manager. “The application has been released and tested twice by the Fort Benning safety officers and endorsed for making heat monitoring accurate, quick, and easy.”

FORT BENNING, Ga - The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Garrison, in partnership with US Ignite, installed a network of advanced heat sensor stations across the Fort Benning installation from Feb. 25-26, 2025, marking a step forward in enhanced heat safety management for Soldiers and their families. The stations, equipped with a range of advanced sensors, provide a real-time picture of temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage conditions across Fort Benning. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) derived from these values offers unique insights into the actual heat and humidity experienced by Soldiers during training. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)

FORT BENNING, Ga - The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Garrison, in partnership with US Ignite, installed a network of advanced heat sensor stations across the Fort Benning installation from Feb. 25-26, 2025, marking a step forward in enhanced heat safety management for Soldiers and their families. The stations, equipped with a range of advanced sensors, provide a real-time picture of temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage conditions across Fort Benning. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) derived from these values offers unique insights into the actual heat and humidity experienced by Soldiers during training. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)

The Heat Risk Management initiative at Fort Benning began as a collaborative agreement between the installation and US Ignite, funded through a congressional appropriation to the Engineer Research & Development Center and awarded to US Ignite through Commercial Solution Opening. The project aims to modernize heat risk management and address the challenges posed by Georgia's high and variable temperatures, which can significantly impact training effectiveness and overall readiness.