AUSA’s Thought Leaders webinar series—an extension of our Thought Leaders podcast—focuses on contemporary military authors and senior military leaders. Thought Leaders seeks to educate the public on critical issues affecting land forces and strategy.
Soldiers whose commanders communicated well during the pandemic were less likely to experience anxiety or loneliness, and more likely to practice good habits to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a new survey.
“[COVID-19] really just reaffirmed what we already knew—that commanders who communicate effectively reduce stress within their organizations,” Lt. Col. Sam Preston, chief of the behavioral health division in the Office of the Surgeon General and psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, said May 6 during an interview.
When soldiers join the Army, they are bombarded with information about what it means to be a soldier.
Mental health poses challenges for the profession of arms.
Leadership behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic “stands to benefit” soldiers of all ranks, according to Army research.
In a survey conducted in May by the Behavioral Health Advisory Team, more than 20,000 active-duty soldiers were asked about the pandemic’s impact on a variety of areas, including leadership response and public health and information gaps.
A new Army-funded study suggests that people who rely on sleeping during daytime hours are at greater risk for developing neurological disorders.
Researched by the University of Rochester Medical Center and funded by the Army Research Office, an element of the Army Research Laboratory, the study focused on the effects of sleep deprivation on soldiers on the battlefield.
A policy that would require every soldier to see a mental health professional once a year is under development at Army Training and Doctrine Command, whose commander suggested it would “take the stigma away” of asking for help.
In remarks at the Fires Conference hosted virtually by the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Gen. Paul Funk, who has been the TRADOC commander since June 2019, said he is “working my way through” the idea, which is not yet policy.
The transformation of the Military Health System, which includes the Defense Health Agency assuming control of all military treatment facilities, will better serve troops and their families, but the process will not be simple, senior leaders say.
“If we’re successful in what I’m describing, then we’ll be more effective in the way we serve our patients,” Defense Health Agency Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Place said.
He added that DHA recognizes there will be some challenges along the way—but they should decrease over time.
Soldiers should not be afraid to seek help, and they should continue to take care of each other, the Army’s senior leaders said in a joint statement Sept. 26 as new statistics were released on military suicides.
“Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength,” acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said. “All of us are responsible for the care and safekeeping of our teammates and their families, and for being there for one another and encouraging those in need to get help.”
Soldiers in war are required to make the most consequential, intense and complex moral decisions of their lives.
