The US Navy failed to adequately investigate or protect pilots from potential brain injury linked to flying fighter jets, a congressional report has found.
The House Oversight Committee said the Navy had not formally studied whether conditions including high G-forces, catapult launches and aggressive landing decelerations could cause cumulative neurological harm.
It also found the service had not introduced monitoring to detect possible injuries or examined the long-term effects of flying fighter aircraft.
“Despite credible warnings, external reporting and internal awareness, the Navy has yet to determine whether the very conditions that define naval aviation may also be causing long-term harm to the pilots who endure them,” the report said.
“Instead, it has relied on a system designed to respond to visible injuries, while leaving potential cumulative damage largely unexamined.”
The report followed concerns about the brain health of naval aviators, including a 2024 New York Times investigation that reported three pilots with symptoms of brain injury had died by suicide within 18 months.
A civilian neurologist had also reportedly raised concerns with the Navy in 2020 after identifying what he believed was a pattern of brain injury. He subsequently stopped receiving Navy patients.
Internal documents reviewed by the committee showed concerns increased after three career pilots who flew the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet died by suicide.
Rep James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, subsequently sought an investigation into the issue.
The committee said its review found no formal Navy investigation into the extent to which fighter aircraft could cause brain injuries.
It also found the service had not established systems to monitor aviators for potential injuries or examined the long-term effects of flying fighter jets.
The report called on Congress to pass legislation requiring the military to create a programme focused on studying and caring for aviators’ brain health.
“In sum, the Navy’s response to the committee reveals a paradox: A well-funded and expansive research enterprise that has nonetheless failed to address a consequential question in aviator health,” the report said.
“Given the Navy’s substantial investment in human capital, failing to allocate comparable resources to understanding risks and protecting that investment, particularly in terms of long-term health, is unfortunate.”
A US Government Accountability Office study in August found that the Department of Defense must assess the resources needed to monitor its research into military blast exposure.
Evidence increasingly suggests repeated blast exposure can cause brain injuries linked to issues including an increased risk of suicide and developing Alzheimer’s disease.
