- Afghanistan
- Asia-Pacific Security
- Contested Commons
- Contracting in Conflicts
- Defense Acquisition in a Global Economy
- Diplomacy and Development
- Energy Security and Climate Change
- Future of the U.S. Military
- India Initiative
- Iran: U.S. Strategic Options
- Iraq
- Military Wellness
- National Security Leaders Forum
- Natural Resources + National Security = Natural Security
- Next Generation National Security Leaders
- Nuclear Negotiations in North Korea
- Special Operations Forces
- Transnational Crime
- Voices from the Field
- Writers in Residence
Veterans' Health
In Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. military forces have seen their most sustained combat since Vietnam. The high tempo of operations is taking a significant toll on the mental health of American service men and women. Over 1.8 million service members have deployed to war since 2001. In 2007, 38% of active duty soldiers and 49% of returning members of the National Guard report psychological symptoms on post-deployment health assessments.[1] While that number has gone down as violence in Iraq ebbs, the scale of problem is immense. Earlier in 2008, RAND estimated that 300,000 service men and women may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The CNAS Veterans' Health project will address shortcomings in U.S. policy that leave the nation insufficiently able to manage the impact of mental strain and injury on U.S. military forces. The effort seeks to bridge the medical and policy communities to combine care of the warfighter with care of the force overall. The study will examine the strengths and weaknesses of the current policy framework for managing risk in three areas: the health of service members and families; the readiness and effectiveness of the force; and the near- and long-term costs to the DoD, the VA, and society from a failure to effectively manage mental health. Through a careful study of DoD, VA, and civilian sector management of PTSD, Silent Wounds will propose an improved model for policymakers to manage mental fitness across every phase of a service member’s career and retirement.
Subsequent work on veterans' health will explore specific issues more in-depth and support implementation of better mental health management across the DoD and VA. Drawing on trained analysts, former military service members, psychiatric advisors, and information management specialists, study areas could include:
- Understanding Post-Traumatic Growth and the building of mental resilience.
- Data management for mental fitness across the lifecycle.
- The mental fitness roles and responsibilities for soldiers, families, leaders, healthcare providers, and policy makers
- Partnerships with government, advocacy, and technology organizations to improve information and networking support to soldiers and veterans affected by PTSD and TBI.
