The Use of Psychological Decompression in Military Operational Environments

The Air Force Deployment Transition Center: Assessment of Program Structure, Process, and Outcomes

“…Following the 1982 Falklands War, UK military personnel returned from the Falklands either entirely by sea or by sea to Ascension Island, where they transitioned to air travel (Hacker Hughes et al, 2008). For those who completed the entire journey by ship, travel time was one week longer.…”

“…Popular press reports indicated that the psychological outcomes of those who traveled entirely by ship were better than those who returned home quickly, which was attributed to the time they had to decompress and debrief with comrades. Although formal outcome data to substantiate that claim have not surfaced, the narrative has entered into legend and is widely cited in support for providing decompression time between a war zone and home station (Hacker Hughes et al, 2008).…”

“…In the era of the all-volunteer force, the pace and demands of these conflicts have resulted in longer and more frequent deployments and historically high levels of participation by reserve forces (Hacker Hughes et al, 2008;Deahl et al, 2000). Although most service members have coped well with deployment-related stresses, the high operational tempo of the past 14 years, longer deployments, and frequent redeployments have resulted in significant psychological health problems among service members.…”

“…However, limited evidence suggests that the delay between leaving a deployment and returning home is not associated with health outcomes. An unpublished analysis conducted with the King's College cohort study of the physical and mental health of the UK armed forces capitalized on natural variation in time on base before being allowed on leave (reported in Hacker Hughes et al, 2008). Of 4,023 UK personnel returning from an operation in Iraq, 39 percent were sent straight on leave, 29 percent stayed on base for one to six days, 21 percent stayed on base for one to two weeks, and 11 percent remained on base for longer than two weeks.…”

“…Most TLD programs have operated only a short while-standing up during the OEF/OIF conflicts around 2005 Hacker Hughes et al, 2008). At the time of this report, there are few studies on which to draw conclusions about their outcomes, and the evidence is mixed as to their influence on service members' reintegration experiences.…”