Working in the Zone: Maintaining Optimal Readiness in U.S. Soldiers

Working in the Zone: Maintaining Optimal Readiness in U.S. Soldiers PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Soldier readiness is associated with the pace of military operations. For example, in a study of soldiers deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, as deployed length increased well being declined. Building on this finding, we hypothesized that there is an ideal zone of operational tempo that maximizes readiness (e.g. performance) for units and soldiers. In order to identify this zone or band of performance, we have begun a two year study of 10 U.S. Army companies stationed in Europe, representing combat and support units. Pace of operations was viewed as mulitdimensional and included several measures such as deployment length, work hours, days on training exercises, sleep, and number of workdays per week. Data were gathered using surveys, interviews, and unit records and included issues related to medical readiness, military readiness, and family readiness. Assessment occurred in three environmental contexts: while the soldiers were in garrison, on training, or on deployment to Kosovo or Saudi Arabia. Initial findings revealed that operational tempo measures such as work hours, working on days off, losing leave time, and predictability were important in determining a band of optimal soldier performance. The environmental context, however, was critical in understanding these relationships. for instance, while both training and deployed environments produced and increase in work hours, soldiers assessed in the training environment reported increased military readiness, whereas deployed soldiers reported a decrease in military readiness. This emerging model highlights the complexity of identifying a set of predictors for maintaining soldiers and units in an optimal zone of readiness.

Working in the Zone: Maintaining Optimal Readiness in U.S. Soldiers

Working in the Zone: Maintaining Optimal Readiness in U.S. Soldiers PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Soldier readiness is associated with the pace of military operations. For example, in a study of soldiers deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, as deployed length increased well being declined. Building on this finding, we hypothesized that there is an ideal zone of operational tempo that maximizes readiness (e.g. performance) for units and soldiers. In order to identify this zone or band of performance, we have begun a two year study of 10 U.S. Army companies stationed in Europe, representing combat and support units. Pace of operations was viewed as mulitdimensional and included several measures such as deployment length, work hours, days on training exercises, sleep, and number of workdays per week. Data were gathered using surveys, interviews, and unit records and included issues related to medical readiness, military readiness, and family readiness. Assessment occurred in three environmental contexts: while the soldiers were in garrison, on training, or on deployment to Kosovo or Saudi Arabia. Initial findings revealed that operational tempo measures such as work hours, working on days off, losing leave time, and predictability were important in determining a band of optimal soldier performance. The environmental context, however, was critical in understanding these relationships. for instance, while both training and deployed environments produced and increase in work hours, soldiers assessed in the training environment reported increased military readiness, whereas deployed soldiers reported a decrease in military readiness. This emerging model highlights the complexity of identifying a set of predictors for maintaining soldiers and units in an optimal zone of readiness.

TRADOC Pamphlet TP 600-4 The Soldier's Blue Book

TRADOC Pamphlet TP 600-4 The Soldier's Blue Book PDF Author: United States Government Us Army
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781675302019
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
This manual, TRADOC Pamphlet TP 600-4 The Soldier's Blue Book: The Guide for Initial Entry Soldiers August 2019, is the guide for all Initial Entry Training (IET) Soldiers who join our Army Profession. It provides an introduction to being a Soldier and Trusted Army Professional, certified in character, competence, and commitment to the Army. The pamphlet introduces Solders to the Army Ethic, Values, Culture of Trust, History, Organizations, and Training. It provides information on pay, leave, Thrift Saving Plans (TSPs), and organizations that will be available to assist you and your Families. The Soldier's Blue Book is mandated reading and will be maintained and available during BCT/OSUT and AIT.This pamphlet applies to all active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard enlisted IET conducted at service schools, Army Training Centers, and other training activities under the control of Headquarters, TRADOC.

Military Readiness

Military Readiness PDF Author: Richard K. Betts
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815717075
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Throughout most of American history, U.S. military forces proved unready for the wars that were thrust upon them and suffered costly reverses in early battles. During the Cold War, for the first time, U.S. defense policy tried to maintain high readiness in peacetime. But now, with the Cold War over and defense budgets falling, what will happen to U.S. military forces? Will they revert to a state of unpreparedness or find a new balance? Politicians and military planners alike have found this crucial issue especially difficult to deal with because they have often misunderstood what readiness really means. In this book, security expert Richard Betts surveys problems in developing and measuring combat readiness before, during, and after the Cold War. He analyzes why attempts to maximize it often have counterproductive effects, and how confusions in technical concepts cause political controversy. The book explores conflicts between two objectives that are both vital but work against each other because they compete for resources: operational readiness to fight immediately, and structural readiness—the number of organized units that increase military power, but require time during a crisis to gear up for combat. Betts also discusses the problem brought on by the Cold War and plunging defense budgets: mobilization readiness—the plans and arrangements needed to shorten the time for recreating a large military if it once again becomes necessary. Betts offers new ideas for understanding the dilemmas and tradeoffs that underlie debates on how readiness should be maintained in peacetime, and he explores the strategic consequences of different choices.

The U.S. Army Physical Fitness Training Guide

The U.S. Army Physical Fitness Training Guide PDF Author: Department of the Army
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 9781510750852
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A Comprehensive Guide for Increasing and Maintaining Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Fitness and Health Soldiers are the most sophisticated and complex Army weapon system. As members of the Profession of Arms, Soldiers must be ready to defend our nation with optimal performance. Soldiers must be ready physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Soldiers, like professional athletes, must perform at very high levels every day. For Soldiers, more is on the line than winning or losing a game. The safety and security of an entire nation is at stake. Status as a Professional Soldier Athlete is achieved through a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive prowess, optimal performance during sustained operations, the establishment of a strong and healthy social, family, and spiritual support network, and maintenance of all of these areas for sustained Soldier readiness and resilience. The Performance Triad (Sleep, Activity, and Nutrition) provides Soldiers with the tools and knowledge to achieve high levels of performance as a Professional Soldier Athlete.

Weight Management

Weight Management PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309089964
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
The primary purpose of fitness and body composition standards in the U.S. Armed Forces has always been to select individuals best suited to the physical demands of military service, based on the assumption that proper body weight and composition supports good health, physical fitness, and appropriate military appearance. The current epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States affects the military services. The pool of available recruits is reduced because of failure to meet body composition standards for entry into the services and a high percentage of individuals exceeding military weight-for-height standards at the time of entry into the service leave the military before completing their term of enlistment. To aid in developing strategies for prevention and remediation of overweight in military personnel, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command requested the Committee on Military Nutrition Research to review the scientific evidence for: factors that influence body weight, optimal components of a weight loss and weight maintenance program, and the role of gender, age, and ethnicity in weight management.

Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society

Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309489539
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.

A Trained and Ready Army

A Trained and Ready Army PDF Author: Carl E. Vuono
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 508

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Book Description


Tactical Display for Soldiers

Tactical Display for Soldiers PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309175119
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
This book examines the human factors issues associated with the development, testing, and implementation of helmet-mounted display technology in the 21st Century Land Warrior System. Because the framework of analysis is soldier performance with the system in the full range of environments and missions, the book discusses both the military context and the characteristics of the infantry soldiers who will use the system. The major issues covered include the positive and negative effects of such a display on the local and global situation awareness of the individual soldier, an analysis of the visual and psychomotor factors associated with each design feature, design considerations for auditory displays, and physical sources of stress and the implications of the display for affecting the soldier's workload. The book proposes an innovative approach to research and testing based on a three-stage strategy that begins in the laboratory, moves to controlled field studies, and culminates in operational testing.

Defining Readiness

Defining Readiness PDF Author: Russell Rumbaugh
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781548407773
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
Many defense observers and government officials, including some Members of Congress, are concerned that the U.S. military faces a readiness crisis. The Department of Defense has used readiness as a central justification for its FY2017 and FY2018 funding requests. Yet what makes the U.S. military ready is debated. This report explains how differing uses of the term readiness cloud the debate on whether a readiness crisis exists and, if so, what funding effort would best address it. CRS has identified two principal uses of the term readiness. One, readiness is used in a broad sense to describe whether military forces are able to do what the nation asks of them. In this sense, readiness encompasses almost every aspect of the military. Two, readiness is used more narrowly to mean only one component of what makes military forces able. In this second sense, readiness is parallel to other military considerations, like force structure and modernization, which usually refer to the size of the military and the sophistication of its weaponry. Both uses embody accepted concepts: the broader use capturing the military These two senses of the term are interdependent. Today, most observers assume the military should be as ready as possible in the narrow sense, but in past eras some favored accepting lower readiness in a narrow sense in order to redirect resources in ways they felt improved the military Use of either sense of readiness affects Congress in a broad sense, asserting the U.S. military is not prepared for the challenges it faces largely because of its size or the sophistication of its weapons. Most observers who do not see a crisis tend to use readiness in a narrow sense, assessing only the state of training and the status of current equipment.

U. S. Army Board Study Guide

U. S. Army Board Study Guide PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 0977675009
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description