Mental health support for Naval Surface Forces in LSCO

Area of Science:

• Naval warfare
• Military psychology
• Combat stress management

Background:

• U.S. Navy ships have not experienced heavy combat since World War II.
• Technological advancements in naval warfare have not mitigated the human factors of combat stress.
• Potential for large-scale combat operations (LSCO) presents a significant risk of combat stress casualties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the U.S. Navy's preparedness for combat stress casualties in potential LSCO.
• To evaluate the current psychological support structures for sailors on surface combatant ships.
• To identify gaps in training and propose future directions for enhancing mental health support.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of current U.S. Naval Surface Forces' mental health support deployment.
• Review of training initiatives for Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDCs) and chaplains in psychological first aid and combat psychiatry principles (PIES).
• Discussion of existing and needed resources for shipboard Sailor psychological well-being.

Main Results:

• Mental health providers are assigned to support ships but do not deploy with them.
• Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDCs) are the primary organic mental health asset, with limited specialized training.
• The Navy is implementing training in psychological first aid and PIES principles for organic resources.

Conclusions:

• The current psychological support system may be insufficient for the anticipated needs during LSCO.
• Enhanced training for organic shipboard resources is essential to bridge the gap in mental health support.
• Future efforts must focus on closing training gaps to improve psychological resilience for Naval Surface Forces.