STO-Activities: (no title)
Activity title:
Moral Challenges in the Future Security Environment (FSE): Guidance for Leaders
Activity Reference:
HFM-352
Panel:
HFM
Security Classification:
PUBLIC RELEASE
Status:
Active
Activity type:
RTG
Start date:
2022-10-11T00:00:00Z
Actual End date:
2025-10-31T00:00:00Z
Keywords:
interventions, leader guidance, mitigating negative outcomes and encouraging growth in the moral domain of military operations, moral distress, moral injury, Operational ethics, preparation, support
Background:
Military operations have always involved moral challenges as they implicate fundamental values (right vs. wrong, just vs. unjust) and affect the well-being of others. These moral challenges are often made under a range of powerful operational stressors (e.g., risk, time pressure, sleep deprivation) that can increase difficulties in responding appropriately. Moreover, although militaries are focused on exploiting new technologies and capabilities, the implications of these for operational ethics and its related psychological outcomes on personnel are not well understood. New research, much being conducted by military researchers including members of HFM ET-182, places individual psychological responses to these ethical challenges along a continuum ranging from resilience and psychological growth through no reaction (which may or may be helpful), to mild and or shorter-term or acute distress (e.g., moral frustration, moral distress) onto moral injury , and recognized diagnoses such as PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder. Beyond these important individual responses, recent missions have made clear that “a single bad decision can erode local, national, international and host nation support thereby derailing the strategic mission and putting troops at risk” . Thus addressing the moral domain has important potential impacts on operational effectiveness as well as for military personnel. Moreover, this is a complex, multidimensional domain that would benefit from a multidisciplinary perspectives from different communities (training and education, medical, spiritual, operational leadership), as all are important stakeholders in the moral domain.
Objectives:
The proposed RTG will 1) identify and review relevant empirical evidence directed to preventing harm and encouraging growth in the moral domain as it applies to military operations (vice organizational ethics) and 2) translate this into relevant information for leaders. More specifically HFM ET-182 recommended pursuing the following issues/areas, including but not limited to:
• Identifying the major operational ethical and moral challenges that leaders will confront in the FSE. Does current policy address these? Identify gaps.
• Conceptual models of and assessment tools for moral decision making and for the continuum of psychological responses to ethical conflicts in operations. Do these exist? Can they be integrated? Are these applicable to the range of future moral challenges? Identify gaps; propose new directions.
• Effective methods to i) prepare personnel for operational ethical challenges before a mission, ii) support personnel and leaders during an operation and iii) post-deployment interventions (traditional clinical approaches and emerging approaches such as Virtual Reality, Leader/Peer Support)
• What conditions and factors mitigate the most negative mental health outcomes to inform prevention efforts?
Topics:
For participating NATO nations, this RTG will address scientific topics in the following areas and in the following ways:
A. Policy and Practice:
i) Document the current moral-injury specific programs, polices and processes across participating RTG nations;
ii) Review and summarize current best practices across countries;
iii) Identify key gaps in current policy, practice;
iv) Recommendations.
B. Research
i) Document the latest theory, research and lessons identified in the areas of Psychology, Psychiatry, Cognitive Neuroscience, Biology, Training and Education relevant to identifying a) the enduring and new moral challenges of the FSE, b) effective preparation for moral challenges of operations (before and during operations) to best ensure moral responses in military operations;
ii) What are the emerging scientific findings on the most effective interventions to address responses to the moral dimension of operations including those beyond traditional clinical- focused post-event treatment options (e.g., Virtual Reality, Leader/Peer Support)?
iii) Identify gaps;
iv) Recommendations
C. Knowledge Translation (Integrating A and B)
i) Identify key concepts, frameworks, empirical findings and information;
ii) Identify best methods (training and education, tools) to provide military commanders with key constructs and empirical findings and a language to be able to discuss operational ethics and well-being outcomes with military personnel.
Contact:
Open2Partners:
Title:
Created at 22/04/2022 14:00 by System Account
Last modified at 16/05/2024 13:00 by System Account
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