The Factors of Soldier's Load
Abstract
This study examines the factors that cause or contribute to the overloading of dismounted combat soldiers in the Army of the 1990's. This examination considers the body of literature on the subject, primarily post- World War II, to identify what factors cause soldiers to carry too much weight into battle. The goals of the study are to identify the causative factors and increase leader understanding of the problem and review previous recommendations towards solving it. From the research, the study identifies twelve factors that cause or contribute to soldier's overload: lack of appreciation of the problem, fear and fatigue, the fear of risk, the fire load, the drag of orthodoxy, failures of discipline and the enforcement of standards, myths of peacetime training, the nature of the soldier, lack of transport, the effects of technology, terrain and weather, and physical conditioning. Load, Soldier's load, Rucksack, Physical conditioning, Combat load, Fighting load, Sustainment load, Approach march load, Fear, Fatigue, Risk, Training, Transport, Technology
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 03, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA284389
Entities
People
- Stephen J. Townsend
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College