From paper to digital: How a Fort Stewart Sergeant’s idea could save the Army billions in soldier readiness

FORT STEWART, Ga. (WTOC) - Inside the Innovation Center at Fort Stewart, change is always top of mind.

From how drone parts are manufactured in high-tech 3D printers, to the less technical aspects of an evolving military force, soldiers are constantly looking for ways to push the Army forward. For Sergeant Santiago Arminana, that meant looking closely at how his fellow soldiers recover from physical training and field injuries.

Arminana noticed a glaring gap in how the military keeps track of its most valuable asset: its people.

“PRISM stands for Preventive Readiness Information System Module,” Arminana explained. “I noticed that injury data was being collected but not connected.”

Connecting the data in real-time

Currently, the Army still largely relies on paper medical forms designed in the 1960s to track physical profiles and injuries. Arminana came up with an automated system—PRISM—designed to track soldier injuries in real time, pairing that physical health data directly with operational context.

For commanders, this visibility is a game-changer. It allows them to see exactly who in their formation is ready to deploy and who is sidelined.

“We’re able to take that injury data and pair it with operational context,” Arminana said. “So we can give commanders visibility across the formations.”

The automated tracking also allows leaders to spot early injury trends within specific units.

“One of the example units is showing infantry soldiers reporting with higher injury burden in their first 90 days of arriving to their unit,” Arminana said.

A billion-dollar problem

Physical injuries are not just a logistical headache for military planners; they are an incredibly expensive problem. Everyday training injuries represent a massive financial burden.

“Sprained ankle, hurt shoulder, lower back injury really cost the Army real dollars, right?” Arminana said. “In excess of $2 billion a year. About $600 million is direct medical cost.”

Arminana’s idea to tackle this multi-billion-dollar issue landed him a coveted spot in “Dragon’s Lair”—the Army’s prestigious, Shark Tank-style innovation competition.

“In the Army, we need to innovate constantly,” Arminana said. “As organizations continue to grow, I think it’s important at the lowest level for soldiers to have the opportunity to present problems and ideas that can really transform the organization.”

The path forward

While Arminana’s PRISM system did not take home the top prize at this year’s Dragon’s Lair competition, its journey is far from over. There is still a strong push to turn his digital tracker into an everyday reality for units across the globe.

For Arminana, the ultimate goal is simple: take care of the soldiers on the ground and give commanders the tools they need to succeed.

“It would bring me tremendous joy to see the PRISM concept really to go from concept to an official Army system,” Arminana said. “I think it’s important for soldiers to be seen faster for their medical issues and also to give commanders enhanced readiness indicators that they don’t currently have.”