From Battle to Balance: Fletching, Meaning-making and Veteran Recovery
Abstract This commentary reflects on the ancient craft of fletching as a personally meaningful practice that supports recovery and reintegration following military service. Drawing on lived experience, the essay situates fletching within broader conversations in veteran studies concerning identity loss, moral injury and the limits of exclusively verbal or clinical approaches to healing. Rather than… Read more »
Recent US Veteran Cohorts Develop Chronic Health Conditions at Earlier Ages: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study
Introduction The US veteran population is shrinking in size while its age composition is also changing1,2 As earlier generations pass away, more recent cohorts account for a growing share of veterans entering older adulthood, when chronic disease and functional limitations become more common. Whether these cohorts are reaching older ages in better or worse health… Read more »
Combat Tourniquets and the Prevention of Iatrogenic Limb Ischaemia in Modern Warfare
Abstract Health support for anticipated Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations necessitates the capability to deliver prolonged austere field care in response to the constraints of contested mobility, extended evacuation distances, resource limitations and tactical requirements. Combat tourniquet application in the context of Prolonged Casualty Care (PCC) represents an emerging challenge at all levels of healthcare… Read more »
Treating and Managing SW & I
Abstract This paper proposes a SW&I Spiritual Health Protocol–Provisional (SW&ISH–P) that will expand on the spiritual aspects of the treatment and management of Spiritual Wounds and Injuries (SW&I) previously discussed in this journal.1 It is set against the fundamental principle that the SW&I is likely to occur within a broader injury context and, as such,… Read more »
Artificial Intelligence in Outpatient Diagnostic Workflow: A Systematic Review with Implications for Military Health Systems
Introduction Outpatient services frequently suffer from prolonged in-clinic waiting times, inefficient workflows and delays in obtaining diagnostic results before specialist consultations.1 These inefficiencies negatively affect patient satisfaction, strain hospital resources, and, in military healthcare, may contribute to delays in evaluation and treatment pathways relevant to operational readiness.2 Factors contributing to prolonged waiting times include structural… Read more »
Residential and Inpatient Interventions for Military Veterans within Forensic and Secure Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review
Introduction Armed Forces veterans are at increased risk of developing mental health difficulties, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use disorders (SUDs).1 This heightened vulnerability is closely linked to exposure to combat-related trauma as well as the complex psychological, social and occupational challenges associated with transitioning back into civilian life.2,3 Suicide rates among… Read more »
Evaluation of Self-Perceptions of Physical Demand and Physical Fitness of Volunteers during the Adaptation Internship of Reserve Officers of the 2nd Class of the Brazilian Air Force
Abstract The recruitment and mobilisation of higher education professionals for temporary military service occurs annually in the Brazilian Air Force occur annually. After the selection process, volunteers complete a Technical Adaptation Internship to prepare future junior officers for the specific conditions of military service. These courses generally last approximately two months and have high physical,… Read more »
Editorial – JMVH
Thirty-four years ago, the initial issue of the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health (JMVH) (then Australian Military Medicine (AMM)) was published in February 1992. SQNLDR James Ross was the inaugural President and the first article published, fittingly on “Should Defence Force Personnel receive Influenza Vaccine?”, also came from James Ross. By 1993, CMDR Russ… Read more »
The Gender Debate: Effects of 10-weeks Strength Training on Operational Readiness for Females in the Military
ABSTRACT Introduction: Military service is a physically demanding occupation, and fewer women than men meet the military fitness standards, especially in manual handling and load carriage. Therefore, integrating women into physically demanding military roles requires effective physical conditioning programs to ensure operational readiness. Methods: Twenty-eight female soldiers were randomly assigned to either a 10-week gender-specific… Read more »
Medical Corps Disease Mortality during the First World War: Australia vs. Turkey
Medical corps officers were often the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for infectious disease mortality in armies during the pre-antibiotic era. This means that medical officers could be among the first indicators of a serious medical problem (See https://wordhistories.net/2018/03/31/canary-coal-mine). Deployed forces, however, could experience exotic threats, such as malaria and cholera, that could kill both… Read more »
United States Service Members’ Resilience, Wellbeing and Social Support Resources Post-deployment
Abstract Introduction: Military service members encounter numerous stressors post-deployment. Unit cohesion, community, social connections and leadership can serve as resilience support systems and may help improve service members’ wellbeing. This research examines the perceived value of these support systems for service members post-deployment. Methods: A cross-sectional convenience sample of 78 United States military officers (n=54)… Read more »
Burnout, Life Satisfaction, and Social Exclusion Levels of Retired Non-Commissioned Officers and the Relationships Between These Phenomena: The Case of Türkiye
Abstract Background: Research on the social and psychological conditions of retired non-commissioned officers (NCOs) remains limited. Therefore, examining burnout, life satisfaction and social exclusion among retired NCOs is critical. Objective: This study aimed to measure levels of burnout, life satisfaction and social exclusion among retired NCOs in Türkiye and to examine the relationships among these… Read more »
Prevalence of Long-Term Health Conditions in Current-serving, Previous-Serving and Never-Serving Australians: An Age-Adjusted Comparative Analysis using 2021 Census Data
ABSTRACT Background Long-term health conditions (LTHC) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in Australia and may be more prevalent in Australian Defence Force (ADF) veterans. Previous analyses are limited because they do not control for age and sex confounding or disaggregate by ADF service status. Purpose We aimed to estimate and compare the age-standardised… Read more »
The Influence of Psychosocial Health on Military Performance: Fit for Service?
Abstract When considering military fitness, the focus must be on psychological and physiological ability and thus suitability for service, determinants which are themselves influenced by health. Health, especially in the military context, is the product of several factors (including psychosocial ones), as will be highlighted in the current study. The influence of psychosocial health and… Read more »
Hookworm infections in the Military
Abstract Soil-transmitted helminths such as hookworm are rarely a problem for military units unless they directly contact faecally contaminated soil during tropical operations. Localised epidemics incapacitating small infantry units have been recorded in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville during World War II and in Vietnam, Grenada and Sierra Leone more recently. Scattered hookworm infection cases… Read more »
Editorial – The 1991 Gulf War
Thirty-five years ago, 1872 Australians, including Australian Defence Force (ADF) health personnel, served in the Persian Gulf between August 1990 and the ceasefire in February 1991. While primarily a Royal Australian Navy task group, involving HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Darwin, HMAS Sydney, HMAS Brisbane, HMAS Success and HMAS Westralia in maritime interdiction, sanctions enforcement and replenishment… Read more »
More on the Staff of Asclepius
In a 2010 issue of ADF Health I wrote an article More on the Staff and Serpent of Asclepius (1) describing Asclepian medicine and the Asclepian Temples with a short description of the wooden staff and entwining serpent of Asclepius. At the time I had not found any information on the origin, symbolism or nature… Read more »
Supporting Australian Veterans Presenting with Cognitive Concerns
Introduction Veterans frequently present to general practitioners and non-GP medical specialists with concerns regarding mood, thinking, memory, cognition concerns and in some cases even self-diagnosed dementia Often, the underlying cause is unclear The differential diagnosis might include an undiagnosed mental health condition, a sleep disorder, impacts from alcohol or drug use, dementia, a degenerative neurological… Read more »
Editorial – The Nature and Character of War
Editorial As we enter 2026, consideration needs to be given to various conflicts and touchpoints around the globe, from Ukraine to South Sudan, Middle East to the South China Sea While the Australian Defence Force has not been drawn directly into these conflicts, there remains the potential for escalation, for which we all need to… Read more »
Health Effects of Sport and Volunteering in a Military Context
Abstract When considering military fitness, the focus must be on psychological and physiological ability, which are themselves influenced by health. Health itself is a product of several factors, as will be highlighted in the current study. To assess health and its implications in a military context, a questionnaire was administered to 555 participants during and… Read more »
Injuries, Physical Fitness, and Body Mass Index in a Population of U.S. Army Reserve Personnel
Abstract Introduction US Army Reserve personnel are expected to meet the same fitness and readiness standards as their Active Duty counterparts, but little is known about health factors among Reservists. This investigation presents data on injuries, fitness and body mass index (BMI) for Reservists participating in a new health and fitness program. Methods Twenty-one US… Read more »
Creative Engagement by Wounded, Injured or Ill Australian Defence Force Personnel
Abstract While there has long been an extensive range of medical, pharmaceutical, psychological, physiological, spiritual and physical programs available to ADF personnel seeking health assistance, allied health practices—particularly creative arts interventions—are still relatively new in the wellbeing context. The Australian Defence Force Arts for Recovery, Resilience, Teamwork and Skills Program (hereafter, ADF ARRTS) is an… Read more »
Casualty Evacuation in the Australian Defence Force
Introduction This article is the latest of a series regarding the role of occupational and environmental medicine in the ADF.1,2,3,4,5,6 These articles, as well as a recent Productivity Commission inquiry,7 indicate that high workplace illness and injury rates confirm the need to improve the management of hazards associated with ADF workplaces, with better emphasis on… Read more »
Rehabilitation in the Australian Defence Force
Introduction This article follows previous papers by the author, regarding occupational and environmental medicine in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).1,2,3,4,5 They assert that high rates of workplace illness and injury indicate the need to improve the management of hazards associated with ADF workplaces, with better emphasis on prevention. This assertion has been independently supported by… Read more »
Effects of Agility Training on Body Control, Change of Direction Speed and Injury Attrition Rates in Dutch Recruits: A Pilot Study
Abstract Background: Injury prevention contributes to the improvement of basic military training graduation rates. Purpose: To obtain an estimated effect of agility training (AT) on body control, change of direction speed (CODS), and attrition due to injuries in Dutch recruits. Methods: Cluster randomised pilot study including 64 recruits undergoing 23 weeks initial military training with… Read more »
Concussion within the Military
Concussion within the Military Roy Beran CMDR rtd, MBBS, MD, FRACP, Dr Sonu Bhaskar MD, PhD Abstract Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is associated with long-term impairments in military personnel. Diagnosis of the condition remains clinically challenging. Neurological examination and cognitive symptoms may not accurately map the nature and severity of underlying brain… Read more »
The Dark Night of the Veteran’s Soul – Understanding the Impact of Spiritual Wounds for Australian Veterans
M Davies Abstract Background: Figures from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs indicate there may be over 30,000 Australian veterans that have or may yet develop some form of service-related mental illness. There is a growing body of evidence that there is a spiritual dimension to soldiers’ wounds. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to… Read more »
Factors associated with lower extremity training-related injuries among enlisted women in U.S. Army operational units
C Rappole, M C Chervak, T Grier, M K Anderson, B H Jones Abstract Background: The lower extremity is consistently the most injured body region among U.S. Army soldiers. However, there has been limited research on risk factors for lower extremity injuries, particularly among women. Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to assess factors… Read more »
Examining Moral Injury Awareness in a Clinical Setting
M Kopacz, G L Charpeid, L A Hollenbeck, J Lockman Abstract Moral injury is a relatively novel clinical construct recognized as a focus of concern in some military veteran populations. This short communication presents findings from a descriptive survey examining awareness of moral injury in a clinical setting specialized in veteran health services and treatment…. Read more »
Inicidence rates for work health and safety incidents and injuries in Australian Army Reserve vs full time soldiers, and a comparison of reporting systems
Rodney Pope, Robin Orr ABSTRACT Objective: To determine incidence rates of reported work health and safety (WHS) incidents and injuries in Army Reserve (ARES) and Australian Regular Army (ARA) personnel and assess the relative performance of the WHS incident reporting system, compared to ‘point-of-care’ systems. Methods: WHS incident data for a 24-month period were extracted… Read more »
Cold Weather Injury Risk Analysis and Management in a Tasmanian Army Reserve Battalion
Abstract Cold Weather Injury (CWI) is a significant threat to military capability in Tasmania. In 2011, the Royal Tasmanian Regiment implemented a cold weather training policy and training package to formalise risk management and preserve military capability in training and operations. This article summarises relevant literature pertaining to military CWI and outlines an approach… Read more »
Developing Injury Prevention Strategies for the Australian Defence Force
Abstract Casualties caused by injuries have a major impact on the readiness of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Department of Defence has developed a system for reporting occupationally related illnesses and injuries. Data from the DEFCARE database and a wide range of other data have been analysed to determine the leading causes of injury… Read more »
Special Operations Task Group Regimental Aid Post Presentations, Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan: February – June 2010
Abstract Background: The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, is supported by a Primary Health Care Team (PHCT) which provided health care through its Regimental Aid Post (RAP). Purpose: To identify and analyse the types of injuries and illnesses for which SOTG personnel are seeking primary health care… Read more »
Medial tibial stress syndrome in military recruits
James Ross, MB BS, FACOM, MPH Military basic, or entry level, training has been known to cause very high levels of injury in recruits. In some cases, 60 to 70 percent of trainees have been injured in an eight week period1,2. The majority of these injuries have been overuse injuries of the lower limbs… Read more »
2025 AMMA Conference
