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Walter Reed Army Institute of Research contributions during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom
From research to public health policy.
Hoge, C. W., Adler, A. B., Wright, K. M., Bliese, P. D., Cox, A., McGurk, D., Milliken, C., & Castro, C. A. (2011). Walter Reed Army Institute of Research contributions during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom: From research to public health policy. In Combat and operational behavioral health (pp. 75-85). Office of the Surgeon General United States Army. https://medcoeckapwstorprd01.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/pfw-images/borden/combat-operational/CBM-ch5-final.pdf
Research examining the mental health impact of war has typically been conducted years (and often decades) after combat.[1–3] Before Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), researchers at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) established an international reputation in deployment psychology. This experience put WRAIR researchers in a position to become leaders in new initiatives to understand the psychological impact of OIF and OEF. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), WRAIR research teams surveyed and interviewed US Army units in theater and postdeployment to assess the psychological impact of deployment to combat.[4–12] WRAIR teams also conducted in-theater research with units deployed to Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989,[13] Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1993,[14] Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994,[15] and throughout the Balkans in the mid-1990s in support of Operation Provide Promise in Croatia,[16] Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia,[17] and Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo.[18] When troop mobilizations began for both OEF and OIF in 2002 and 2003, researchers at WRAIR developed and executed a comprehensive research plan to examine the psychological health of soldiers during combat. This program provided real-time data as the war was occurring that led to multiple health policy changes to improve the mental health and well-being of service members and their families. This chapter outlines some of the key mental health research initiatives by WRAIR scientists with a focus on efforts that directly influenced mental health policies, programs, and training for service members serving in war.
