Pre and post deployment support

[reed11b]

wrong direction. Don't look for pre-existing issues, they're obviously not reliable as a forecast mechanism, not what I intended at all.

Look for the mental outlook that can and will tolerate stress. Hire more sociopaths -- and yes, I'm quite serious.

OK, but not eneogh sociopaths exist to fill the Army's need, and many of us "straight arrows" develop sociopathic traits in service. This thread is now waaaaay of target, I'm looking for what social service and mental health programs that exist should be kept, wich can go and what needs to be changed.
Reed

[Ken White]

...This thread is now waaaaay of target, I'm looking for what social service and mental health programs that exist should be kept, wich can go and what needs to be changed. Reed

I merely suggested that a focussed psychological screening to detect those who may be better able to tolerate combat stress might be worth exploring. That seems consistent with what you asked.

IIRC, several recent research projects using a variety of methods including MRIs have determined that many people have a distinct aversion to violence while others seem to tolerate it well. That tracks with my observation over a number of years. The Sociopath tendency should not be totally rejected; most of us have a variety of little pathys in there and it seems to me that screening merits consideration.

With that, I'll leave you the floor.