Morale - Sustaining the Cognitive Weapon of War: Insights from the World War II Special Services Division
Abstract
Large-scale combat operations (LSCO) present psychological strain in a scale unrivaled by other types of military operations across the conflict continuum. As such, morale mitigates the negative effects of combat stress. However, the Army's doctrine does not consider what morale is or how it serves as a cognitive weapon of war. Further, large-scale morale operations no longer exist in the military's institutional memory. Because humans have enduring characteristics that span generations, history offers insights applicable to modern morale. World War II provides a historical example of large-scale morale operations, viewed through the lens of the Army's Special Services Division, the progenitor of modern Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR). A program evaluation of the Special Services Division demonstrates that morale programs were most successful when they removed soldiers from psychological isolation and confirmed the war's just cause. Consequently, actual movement to more familiar spaces, such as rest camps and passes to non-combat zones, as well as regular communication with loved ones proved the most effective methods to decrease mental isolation. Similarly, programs that reinforced society's belief that war was just and educated servicemembers about how their missions fulfilled the just war objectives reinvigorated and sustained morale. Ultimately, this case study suggests that high morale requires much more than basic MWR programs. A lack of consideration concerning morale leaves the Army at risk of limiting its human capacity during LSCO.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1137027
Entities
People
- Megan C. Cain
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College