Military Stress and Performance

Book excerpt: People comprise the backbone of any military force. But what happens when the stress of operations becomes overwhelming and those people fail to cope? Stress can have negative consequences for the individual, the organisation, and even for overall combat effectiveness. The Australian Defence Force has spent many years researching how to maximise individual resilience and performance in the face of extreme stress. For the first time this wealth of knowledge and experience has been brought together in one volume. This work examines the impact of highly stressful events, such as combat and peacekeeping operations, on individual troops and leaders, with a particular focus on factors that build resilience and maximise performance under stress. Managing stress is an important issue not only for the military, but equally for other high-risk professions such as the police and emergency services. This work provides a unique synthesis of a wide range of research, and clinical and personal experience, providing a coherent, integrated approach to the subject. Of particular use to mental health professionals, it will also be of interest to general readers of military and psychology books.