Stiff upper lip not biggest reason behind lower PTSD in UK

Deployment durations, dwell time and the use of National Guards and Reservists is more responsible than anything else, and the DOD knew this. They reported on the fact PTSD would be increased with redeployments but did it anyway just as they knew dwell time would affect the rates as well. Now maybe they will hear this!

Study: British troops less likely to get PTSD
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes online edition, Monday, May 17, 2010
British combat troops are far less likely to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder than their American counterparts, The New York Times reported Monday, citing a recent psychiatric study of the British military.

Just 4 percent of Brits who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan exhibit symptoms of PTSD compared with 10 to 20 percent of Americans, though both have seen comparable levels of combat in recent years, according to the study.

“This is truly a landmark study, in its size and rigor, and the findings are surprisingly positive,” said Richard J. McNally, a psychologist at Harvard, told the Times. “The big mystery is why we find these cross-national differences.”
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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=70043

General Casey: Increasing dwell time is a priority

Casey: Increasing dwell time is a priority

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 3, 2009 11:48:35 EDT

FORT HOOD, Texas — Soldiers fighting overseas could eventually have longer stays at home, depending on supply and demand and if the Iraq drawdown continues on schedule, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told soldiers at Fort Hood.

On Thursday, Casey spoke to soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and other units recently returned from Iraq. He predicted time at home will get to be an average of 14 or 15 months, then next year increase to almost two years, and to 2½ years the year after that.

“We are focused on trying to increase the amount of time the soldiers spend at home, but it’s a function of supply and demand,” Casey said in a story for Friday’s online edition of the Temple Daily Telegram.

In January, the Army met a goal set in 2007 to increase the size of the Army by 74,000. The Army originally set 2012 as the deadline to reach that goal. As of January, the active duty force was at 547,000, Casey said.

Peering into the eyes of 400 soldiers fresh from the war in Iraq, he saw combat stress, which often doesn’t manifest until the mission is accomplished and the soldier is back home with his family, he said.

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Casey: Increasing dwell time is a priority

Senator Jim Webb wants to put dwell-time rule into law

Webb wants to put dwell-time rule into law
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 1, 2008 16:34:32 EST

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is not giving up on his so-far unsuccessful bid to guarantee in law that troops will get as much time at home as they spend deployed.


Although the services generally have a 1:1 ratio of time deployed to time at home since U.S. ground forces in Iraq have returned to pre-surge levels, Webb sees benefits to putting the so-called “dwell time” plan into law. “While current policy has taken it down to 1:1, the only way to ensure that is to codify it,” said Webb spokeswoman Kimberly Hunter.

Webb plans to reintroduce legislation early next year, Hunter said, but has not decided when to press for a vote on what could be a key test of whether Democrats will have the support of at least a handful of moderate Republicans to push through legislation that was blocked earlier this year.

With two Senate races yet to be decided, Democrats have 58 votes if they get the support of the Senate’s two independents, just two short of the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster and push legislation forward.

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Give you one guess on which party has been against doing this.

Gen. George Casey said "Soldiers need more time at home"

Two points that need to be remembered here. During the presidential campaign, there were a lot of veterans upset saying they heard Senator Obama wanted to cut the size of the military because he wants to cut the budget. They wouldn't listen. The size of the Army alone is going to increase. The spending cuts are to stop spending money that does not need to be spent, as in the case of contractors in Iraq and their cost plus billing and other waste. The other part is that this is not the first time longer dwell time has been talked about. Congress held hearings on this two years ago but not much has been done to do it.

Casey: Soldiers need more time at home

By MICHELLE ROBERTS - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 17, 2008 16:39:30 EST

SAN ANTONIO — After years of longer and more frequent deployments, soldiers should get more time at home as long as overall demand for troops overseas holds steady, the Army chief of staff said Monday.

Increasing the time troops have at home is probably the most important element for readying them for future assignments, said Gen. George Casey during a news conference after a Purple Heart ceremony.

With the size of the Army growing and demand holding steady, soldiers should get nearly 18 months at home starting next year. By 2011, they should get two years at home to undergo more training and spend time with their families, Casey said.

Soldiers and their families have been strained by 15-month deployments ordered as part of the surge in Iraq. Some have been getting less than a year at home between deployments and are on their second or third tour.

A reduction to yearlong deployments and the planned growth in troops should give soldiers more time away from the battlefield, Casey said. The Army plans to add 74,000 troops by 2011.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_casey_111708/

General Carter Ham would have 24 months between deployments

Just one more thing McCain got wrong when he voted against giving more dwell time between deployments. General Ham, well he has the best interests of the troops in mind.

Training soldiers for battle not only priority
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, September 28, 2008



HEIDELBERG, Germany — Tough, thorough and relevant training for soldiers before they deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan is Gen. Carter Ham’s top priority. But it’s not the only one.

Ham has been assessing U.S. Army Europe policies and programs since his arrival as commander at the beginning of the month. He sees room for improvement.

On family support, he said, "I think we’re doing OK."

"First, they want their soldiers home," Ham said. "Next they want predictability. That’s a big rock in my rucksack."

Letting people know how often they’ll deploy and how much time they’ll have between deployments is difficult as the U.S. continues to call on its soldiers to fight two wars now in their fifth and seventh years and transform all at the same time — and with a new administration taking over in four months.

During a trip to Iraq last week, Ham and commanders there discussed the difficulty of repeatedly getting troops and equipment ready to deploy again after one year’s "dwell time," and spoke of how superior 24 months between deployments would be.

"A year sounds like a long time. But there’s block leave, returning equipment, schools …," Ham said. "You want to deploy them as well-trained as you can but you don’t want to deploy them tired. We want to give them as much time as we can at home."
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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=57739