US Navy Equips 1,600 Sailors with Smart Rings to Monitor Fatigue and Boost Safety at Sea

In a major move to improve the safety and well-being of its sailors, the United States Navy has started equipping 1,600 personnel aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group with advanced wearable smart rings. These devices are part of a new program aimed at reducing fatigue-related risks during long and demanding deployments.

This initiative is the largest fatigue-monitoring study ever conducted by the Navy and falls under its Command Readiness, Endurance, and Watchstanding (CREW) program. The program is managed by the Naval Health Research Center and focuses on gathering real-time health and fatigue data from sailors to improve operational decision-making.

What Are These Smart Rings?

The Navy has chosen the Oura Ring, a small, lightweight wearable made from durable titanium. Despite its simple appearance, this ring is packed with sensors and advanced technology that continuously track a range of important health signals. Some key specifications of the Oura Ring include:

• Tracks over 20 biometric indicators

• Monitors heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and body temperature

• Measures blood oxygen levels (SpO2)

• Detects sleep stages: light, deep, and REM sleep

• Records physical activity levels and stress patterns

• Made from strong titanium with water resistance up to 100 meters

• Battery lasts up to 7 days on a single charge

• Lightweight design (4-6 grams) to ensure comfort during operations

• No built-in GPS to prevent accidental location data leaks

Why Is the Navy Using Them?

Fatigue has long been a serious issue in naval operations, especially during intense deployments where sailors often work irregular and extended shifts. Past accidents, like the tragic 2017 collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain, highlighted how sleep deprivation can contribute to deadly mistakes at sea.

While the Navy has made efforts over the years to adjust duty schedules and increase rest periods, experts say real-time, personal fatigue data is still missing from most operations. That’s where these smart rings come in.

Using a secure Starlink satellite internet system aboard the ships, data from the rings is uploaded to a protected platform, allowing commanders and medical teams to monitor overall crew fatigue trends without invading individual privacy.

How Will It Help?

The data collected will give ship commanders insights into when their crew members are most at risk of fatigue-related errors — especially during late-night and early-morning hours, when incidents are most likely to happen.

The program is voluntary, and sailors who wear the ring consistently for over 75% of their deployment will get to keep the device as a personal wellness tool after the mission ends. This encourages participation and lets sailors gain better awareness of their own health.

Human factors experts like Dr. John Cordle, who works with the Navy, emphasized that the Oura Ring was selected because it passively collects health data without transmitting location information — a vital security consideration after a 2018 incident where fitness app data accidentally revealed sensitive military base locations.

Recent Incidents Highlight the Need

Even in recent years, fatigue has played a role in several naval mishaps. For example, in early 2024, the USS Harry S. Truman was involved in a minor collision near the Suez Canal, and in May 2024, two amphibious landing craft (LCACs) collided off the coast of Jacksonville. Both incidents occurred during periods typically associated with high fatigue risk.

By proactively addressing fatigue with tools like the Oura Ring, the Navy hopes to prevent similar events in the future, while also setting a new standard for operational health management in military deployments.

Looking Ahead

While questions remain about privacy management, data storage, and the long-term funding of the program, early feedback from sailors and researchers has been positive. The Navy views this as an important step toward smarter, safer, and more efficient naval operations.

If successful, this effort could expand beyond the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group and eventually become standard practice across the US Navy fleet.