Pentagon: Morale Among U.S. Troops in Iraq Improving

July 25, 2005 — -- The morale and mental health of soldiers deployed in Iraq and Kuwait is better than it was two years ago, but still remains low, according to a new study conducted by the Army.

The report found that among deployed units, 54 percent of troops classified their unit's morale as low to very low. That is up from 72 percent a year earlier, however.

The report, commissioned by the Operation Iraqi Freedom Mental Health Advisory Team, concluded that the mental health and well-being of soldiers has improved overall. The report followed up on a similar study in 2003.

U.S. forces in Iraq face considerable stress not just from the threat of insurgent attacks, but also from the uncertainty of not knowing when they will be able to return home, the study found. Forty-one percent of the soldiers surveyed said their redeployment date was their most stressful concern. The figure is down from 87 percent in the 2003 survey.

The report also noted an increase in combat-related stressors, including a higher rate of incoming rocket and mortar attacks and an escalation of improvised explosive device attacks.

Overall, the study found only 40 percent of soldiers who report mental health problems seek the help they need, and that 17 percent of soldiers said that they had experienced moderate or severe stress or problems with alcohol, emotions or their families. Two-thirds of the soldiers said they had received some type of training on how to handle deployment and/or combat related stress, but less than half of these soldiers reported that the stress training was adequate.

Some experts, such as Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, believed the Army's report painted too gloomy of a picture of soldiers' mental health.

"My overall impression is that, as evidenced by troop retention statistics and anecdotal evidence and conversations with military personnel, morale among troops is pretty good -- but families are being severely strained," said O'Hanlon. "These numbers strike me as surprisingly bad, even the latest ones, and I have some doubts therefore about methodology."