This candid report is the result of a focused 15-month effort to better understand the increasing rate of suicides in U.S. Army. Key findings include: gaps in the current policies, processes and programs necessary to mitigate high risk behaviors; an erosion of adherence to existing Army policies and standards; an increase in indicators of high risk behavior including illicit drug use, other crimes and suicide attempts; lapses in surveillance and detection of high risk behavior; an increased use of prescription anti-depressants, amphetamines and narcotics; degraded accountability of disciplinary, admin. and reporting processes; and the continued high rate of suicides, high risk related deaths and other adverse outcomes. Charts and tables.

War and Drugs explores the relationship between military incursions and substance use and abuse throughout history. For centuries, drugs have been used to weaken enemies, stimulate troops to fight, and quell post-war trauma. They have also served as a source of funding for clandestine military and paramilitary activity. In addition to offering detailed geopolitical perspectives, this book explores the intergenerational trauma that follows military conflict and the rising tide of substance abuse among veterans, especially from the Vietnam and Iraq-Afghan eras. Addiction specialist Bergen-Cico raises important questions about the past and challenges us to consider new approaches in the future to this longest of US wars.

The surprising story of the Army’s efforts to combat PTSD and traumatic brain injury The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a tremendous toll on the mental health of our troops. In 2005, then-Senator Barack Obama took to the Senate floor to tell his colleagues that “many of our injured soldiers are returning from Iraq with traumatic brain injury,” which doctors were calling the “signature wound” of the Iraq War. Alarming stories of veterans taking their own lives raised a host of vital questions: Why hadn’t the military been better prepared to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)? Why were troops being denied care and sent back to Iraq? Why weren’t the Army and the VA doing more to address these issues? Drawing on previously unreleased documents and oral histories, David Kieran tells the broad and nuanced story of the Army’s efforts to understand and address these issues, challenging the popular media view that the Iraq War was mismanaged by a callous military unwilling to address the human toll of the wars. The story of mental health during this war is the story of how different groups—soldiers, veterans and their families, anti-war politicians, researchers and clinicians, and military leaders—approached these issues from different perspectives and with different agendas. It is the story of how the advancement of medical knowledge moves at a different pace than the needs of an Army at war, and it is the story of how medical conditions intersect with larger political questions about militarism and foreign policy. This book shows how PTSD, TBI, and suicide became the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, how they prompted change within the Army itself, and how mental health became a factor in the debates about the impact of these conflicts on US culture.

The victims of US military campaigns are usually nameless civilians in far away places, but there are also victims closer to home - the soldiers so often used and then discarded by the establishment. Binding Their Wounds is a book about US veterans written by a US veteran - Bob 'Doc' Topmiller. Topmiller fought in Vietnam, founded a school for orphans there, and become a professor of history before he tragically committed suicide. Close friend and scholar Kerby Neill stepped in to complete the book. The result is a history of US veterans and their treatment by the US establishment from the early republic to the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Binding Their Wounds offers policy recommendations to improve post-conflict treatment and care for veterans which are long overdue.

Drawing from a diverse range of military, policing, academic and policymakers’ experiences, this book seeks to provide solutions of how national militaries and police can work together to better support future United Nations peacekeeping operations. It addresses the growing tension between increasing non-combat related responsibilities being placed on land forces and the ability of UN peacekeeping forces to fulfil the demands of government and development tasks in fragile and conflict-affected environments. An original contribution to the debate on UN peacekeeping reforms that includes constructing an enhanced partnership for peacekeeping; building on renewed commitment to share the burden and for regional cooperation; providing peacekeepers with the necessary capabilities to protect civilians; and supporting nations in transition from conflict to stabilisation. This book offers the very latest in informed analysis and decision-making on UN peacekeeping reform.

The need has never been more crucial for community health providers, programs, and organizations to have access to training in addressing the unique behavioral health challenges facing our veterans, active duty military, and their families. Handbook of Military Social Work is edited by renowned leaders in the field, with contributions from social work professionals drawing from their wealth of experience working with veterans, active duty military, and their families. Handbook of Military Social Work considers: Military culture and diversity Women in the military Posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans Traumatic brain injury in the military Suicide in the military Homelessness among veterans Cycles of deployment and family well-being Grief, loss, and bereavement in military families Interventions for military children and youth Offering thoughtful advice covering the spectrum of issues encountered by mental health professionals working with individuals and families, Handbook of Military Social Work will contribute to the improvement of efforts to help our military personnel, veterans, and their families deal with the challenges they face.