This is a HUGE issue for soldiers. Darpa has been working on this for years, as sleep deprivation is the norm for leaders involved in any kind of sustained operations (operations combat or otherwise going for more than 72 hours). The norm for a leader is to make sure his/her troops are taken care of, establish security, do mission planning, coordinate logistics, then try and grab a nap before the next operation kicks off.

This has the potential to save many, many lives in sustained operations. Sleep deprivation is one of the many issues that were involved in the ambush of the 507th.