Management of Stress in Army Operations

Abstract : The two most important ingredients of combat stress are physical fatigue and mental stress. Combat stress is a result of exposure to battle conditions, just as injury and physical disease are results of battle conditions. In past wars, it was revealed that there was one combat stress casualty for every four wounded in action--one for every three wounded during lengthy periods of intense combat. In a war characterized by continuous operations a high intensity integrated battlefield, the relationship of stress casualties to wounded in action is expected to be at least one to three and conceivably even greater. However, combat stress is not solely a medical problem. It is also a command problem--both in terms of numbers lost from duty and reduced performance of duty. This report integrates and presents the latest research information with respect to the recognition, control, and management of stress in combat. It is designed principally for use by military personnel at Company level and below.