Child Soldiers: Are U.S. Military Members Prepared to Deal with the Threat? Implications for U.S. Forces, Killing in Combat, Mental Health Consequences, Role of Media, Changes to Training

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this unique book begins by examining the problem of child soldiers throughout the world and assesses current U.S. military policy, strategy, and practices regarding child soldiers. Child soldiers are not a new phenomena for U.S. military forces but they are an expanding problem with implications for training and the mental health of these troops and also global implications for the future.

Implications for U.S. forces are highlighted and analyzed. Specifically, this paper describes the impact of child soldiers on the effectiveness of combat forces, the potential for negative mental health consequences, the role media and public support may contribute to that outcome, and the effect on military populations beyond combat forces. Lastly, this paper recommends changes to military training and pre-deployment preparation, suggests specific mental health interventions and highlights areas additional research is needed. These recommendations are provided with the intent to mitigate some of the shortfalls identified and position the U.S. military to affirmatively respond to the question of whether or not they are prepared to manage the threat of child soldiers.

ABSTRACT * INTRODUCTION * CHILD SOLDIERS-THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM * Contributing Factors * Recruitment and Retention * U.S. MILITARY POLICY, STRATEGY AND PRACTICE * Responsibility for Psychological Health of Military Troops * Policy and Strategy Specific to Child Soldiers * Policy and Strategy Specific to Killing in Combat * IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. FORCES * Effectiveness of U.S. Military Combat Forces * Mental Health Consequences * Role of media and public support * Looking Beyond Combat Forces * RECOMMENDATIONS * Training and Pre-Deployment Preparation * Mental Health Interventions * Additional Research * CONCLUSION * APPENDIXES * BIBLIOGRAPHY * ENDNOTES