Bobonis, G. J., Stabile, M., & Tovar, L. (2020). Military training exercises, pollution, and their consequences for health. Journal of Health Economics, 73, 102345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102345
Military Exercises and Public Health
According to Bobonis, military training drills, which are an important part of national defense, often happen near civilian areas. Surprisingly, little study has been done on how these exercises affect nearby communities. This research looks into the health and economic situations of people who live near old military training grounds (Bobonis et al., 2020). The investigation is mostly about Vieques, Puerto Rico, where the U.S. Navy did drills for 60 years before stopping suddenly in 2000.
Bad Effects on the Health of Infants
Bobonis shows that there are major negative effects on early-life outcomes, especially when it comes to congenital disabilities. Since naval drills stopped in 2000, the number of congenital disabilities has gone down significantly. This suggests a link between military exercises and infant health (Bobonis et al., 2020). The study backs up this idea by looking at pollution in the environment and showing that levels of pollution rise during bombing operations. This kind of pollution has been linked to bad results for pregnant women.
Implications for Policy and Military Strategy
Bobonis adds to what is known about health, conflict, and human growth by focusing on an environmental channel often missed when there are conflicts. The results show how important it is to look at external factors during pregnancy in order to understand effects in early life and later on. The study has effects on both kid policy and military strategy, highlighting the need for plans to restore the environment and the economy after military service (Bobonis et al., 2020). As countries continue their military drills, this study makes us think again about the health risks that might be present for weaker groups living near these drills.
Ravindra, V. M., Tadlock, M. D., Gurney, J. M., Kraus, K. L., Dengler, B. A., Gordon, J., … Ikeda, D. S. (2022). Attitudes Toward Neurosurgery Education for the Nonneurosurgeon: A Survey Study and Critical Analysis of U.S. Military Training Techniques and Future Prospects. World Neurosurgery, 167, e1335–e1344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2022.09.033
Military Medical Readiness and Neurosurgical Procedures
According to Ravindra, the U.S. military wants to ensure its medical staff is ready for battle, but it can be hard to ensure that neurosurgery skills are available in all of its deployment sites. Nonneurosurgeons are sometimes asked to do urgent cranial treatments when neurosurgeons cannot get to the patient quickly or at all (Ravindra et al., 2022). However, questions are raised about whether or not these non-neurosurgeons have had enough training for such important jobs.
Surveying Surgical Competence
A speciality-specific poll of active-duty surgeons was part of this quality-improvement study. It showed what they knew and how they felt about emergency neurosurgical training in the U.S. military. The answers from 104 general surgeons and 26 neurosurgeons give us some interesting information about how ready we are right now.
Training Disparities and Future Needs
According to Ravindra, many general doctors have been deployed, but only half of them were trained in emergency neurosurgical procedures before they went. Not even sixteen percent said they had a craniotomy or cranectomy in the past year (Ravindra et al., 2022). The fact that 87% of general surgeons wanted more emergency neurosurgery training shows that more training needs to be done before people are sent out on duty.
Collaboration and Technological Preferences
Ravindra states that when neurosurgeons saw the gap, they said they thought non-neurosurgeons should get more training before they were sent out. There were differences between general surgeons and neurosurgeons in the basic skills needed to do certain procedures (Ravindra et al., 2022). The study also gives us new information about how people use technology, showing that for battle procedures, synchronous supervision through high-fidelity video teleconferencing is preferred over mixed reality.
Hof, T., Zuidema, P. M., & Pennings, H. J. M. (2022). Quality of life, psychosocial characteristics, and study skills affecting recruits’ intention to quit Basic Military Training. Military Psychology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2022.2124790
Key Findings and Influential Factors
According to Hof a self-report questionnaire was given to 355 new BMT trainees, which revealed important information. The study finds that higher levels of involvement, a strong sense of belonging, and proactive behavior are linked to less desire to quit BMT (Hof et al., 2022). On the other hand, having a strong sense of duty makes you more likely to quit. The results of this study show how important psychosocial factors are in keeping BMT trainees.
Gender and Rank Position Disparities
Hof states that differences between men and women can be seen in their study skills and self-esteem, while differences between ranks can be seen in psychological traits, study skills, and quality of life factors. Notably, officer-rank recruits are more likely to want to quit than noncommissioned recruits (Hof et al., 2022). This means that these differences need to be looked at more closely to come up with better ways to deal with them in the future.
Reivich, K. J., Seligman, M. E., & McBride, S. (2011). Master resilience training in the US Army. American psychologist, 66(1), 25.
Energy Management
Reivich states that the MRT course teaches soldiers how to control their energy by teaching them skills like progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and controlled breathing. It is emphasized how important it is to relax and recharge through things like prayer, exercise, sleep, and laughing (Reivich et al., 2011). In the enhancement phase, which happens later in the course, it’s very important to pay close attention to energy management methods like controlled breathing and positive imagery.
Problem Solving and Minimizing Catastrophic Thinking
Reivich reveals that a six-step model for solving problems helps troops figure out what the problems are and how to solve them while avoiding confirmation bias, which is an important skill for good leadership ((Reivich et al., 2011). A three-step plan is used to help people who are dealing with catastrophic thinking (thinking over and over again about irrational worst-case scenarios) figure out what is likely to happen and come up with ways to deal with it.
Challenging Counterproductive Thoughts in Real Time
This unit is all about quick ways to stop negative thoughts and stop mental chatter that could get in the way of success. Soldiers learn how to question views that don’t help them by using facts, hope, and a different point of view (Reivich et al., 2011). They also learn how to avoid common mistakes like downplaying, rationalizing, and denying. The focus is on the fact that this technique is only a stopgap, which lets you focus on the moment without taking on more risk.
Cultivating Gratitude and Identifying Character Strengths
According to Reivich the “hunt the good stuff” practice gets soldiers to keep gratitude journals, which makes them feel good. In Module 3, soldiers figure out their character strengths, learn about their profiles, and use their strengths to solve problems both on their own and with others (Reivich et al., 2011). The Army’s “Be, Know, Do” leadership style is built around character strengths and works well when used together.
Strengthening Relationships
The last lesson is all about building relationships through active listening, constructive responses, praise, and different ways of talking to each other. Soldiers learn how to react in a positive and active way, which helps relationships by showing real support (Reivich et al., 2011). Soldiers can learn how to respond to different situations and use their signature strengths to communicate more effectively through role-playing and self-reflection activities.
References
Bobonis, G. J., Stabile, M., & Tovar, L. (2020). Military training exercises, pollution, and their consequences for health. Journal of Health Economics, 73, 102345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102345
Hof, T., Zuidema, P. M., & Pennings, H. J. M. (2022). Quality of life, psychosocial characteristics, and study skills affecting recruits’ intention to quit Basic Military Training. Military Psychology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2022.2124790
Ravindra, V. M., Tadlock, M. D., Gurney, J. M., Kraus, K. L., Dengler, B. A., Gordon, J., … Ikeda, D. S. (2022). Attitudes Toward Neurosurgery Education for the Nonneurosurgeon: A Survey Study and Critical Analysis of U.S. Military Training Techniques and Future Prospects. World Neurosurgery, 167, e1335–e1344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2022.09.033
Reivich, K. J., Seligman, M. E., & McBride, S. (2011). Master resilience training in the US Army. American psychologist, 66(1), 25.
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