Featured Cover Story

Special to Veterans Advantage

	Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and president of Give an Hour

There is a debate under way about the best strategic plan for our efforts in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander there, has reportedly given President Obama a range of options—all involving an increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed to the region (TIME, October 19, 2009). This decision not only has critical implications for the military campaign but also will have a significant impact on the psychological well-being of those who serve.

To better understand how these strategic decisions affect the overall mental health of our armed forces, we need to understand the current capacity of our military and the importance of understanding the consequences of war on those who fight and those who wait for their return.

Much has been written about the strain on our military force over the years since the start of the Iraq War in 2003. While most troops complete 12 month rotations, there was a period of time when our military personnel spent 15 consecutive months in theater. In addition, many veterans of these conflicts have been deployed three, four, even five times—with little time between deployments. The decrease in time between deployments has reflected the increase in the size of the force deployed.