Stress training and the new military environment

The new environment in which current military operations take place is often characterized by unpredictable and ambiguous situations. This places new demands on military personnel. In combination with high levels of violence and threat, these situations will elicit acute stress reactions, which can impair performance and the ability to operate effectively. It may be questioned whether the current practices to train military personnel to cope with stress are still appropriate. The topic of this study is to examine whether the current training practices are appropriate to prepare military personnel for the new demands of these challenging situations. To answer this question a research program was set up. This program focuses on the current stress training practices and their effectiveness in acute stress situations in the military environment. The study consists of a review and analysis of literature on current military stress training practices and research. Also, interviews were held with military personnel to get a deeper understanding of the demands that acute, unpredictable and ambiguous threatening situations place on military personnel. Interviews with instructors of the Dutch army in the field of stress training were conducted to help asses the successful factors and constraints of the current training methods. Supported by knowledge about acute stress reactions, this will provide criteria for structural factors that have to be present in the stress training. The results of the review and interviews will be presented and discussed