The Impact of OPTEMPO on Soldiers and Families

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. soldiers have been involved in an increasing number of peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Europe surveyed soldiers and leaders (N =2,256) stationed in Germany to determine 1) a useful measure of operations tempo (OPTEMPO), and 2) the impact of OPTEMPO on soldier career intentions and well-being. Two methods of measuring OPTEMPO were identified: simply adding up the number of deployments soldiers had been on, and assessing "deployment load," the total number of deployments averaged across the number of years of service. Results indicated that soldiers with fewer years of service had been on fewer deployments, but that their deployment load was higher. In addition, soldiers identified the frequency of deployments as affecting their decision to leave the military and as creating a strain on their families. Soldiers with higher deployment load were also more likely to report lower levels of motivation and pride in the Army and unit. The concept of deployment load is important in understanding the impact of OPTEMPO on soldiers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 12, 1998
Accession Number
ADA365393

Entities

People

  • A. B. Adler
  • E. H. Golembe

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Behavior And Behavior Mechanisms
  • Biomedical Research
  • Classification
  • Cold War
  • Combat Support
  • Deployment
  • Families (Human)
  • Information Operations
  • Motivation
  • National Guard
  • Peacekeeping
  • Security
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Strategic Security Studies