BiblioScholar Battlefield Stress: Causes, Cures and Countermeasures

This study identifies measures that can be taken by commanders to minimize the occurrence and impact of battlefield stress before and during combat. This is achieved through an examination of the writings of the classic military philosophers, articles on combat stress in the major military engagements of this century, and the conclusions of clinical studies on combat stress on the battlefield are identified and discussed. A bridge from the past to the future is made by examining those characteristics of future war which may further contribute to the rate of combat stress casualties. The study concludes that battlefield stress is an unavoidable consequence of man being exposed to the hostile environment of combat. Combat stress is specifically caused by man's feat of the dangers of combat, and is fueled and tempered by other variables such as morale, cohesion, fatigue, confidence, training and intensity of the combat. Positive actions can be taken to reduce the occurrence of stress casualties and minimize the effects of combat stress on the unit mission. These steps include education, training and building unit cohesion before entering combat; and active measures to ensure information is passed, confidence is built and maintained, and brief respite is obtained from the rigors of battle when actually in combat.