Fatigue Management

Chapter Eight
C onclusion
The sentry reefs his belt another hole, and, yawning, stares
into the gulf of night and whets his eyes, whose edge is
blunt with sleep that spreads like rust along the blade of
sight.
Minute to minute adds its pebble weight upon his stooping
head and harnessed shoulders, and in the riddled brazier
of his skull thoughts burn to ash, and settles low, and
smoulders
into half-dreams ...
Sentry-Go
Kenneth Mackenzie
POW Camp guard
Cowra
Fatigue and sleep are recurring themes in military writing, reflecting their
importance to both soldiers and commanders throughout the ages. Sleep
management is no less important to the contemporary commander especially
due to the continuous nature of modern warfare. Both military performance
and morale are closely tied to fatigue. There exist many conflicting views
about sleep and sleep loss, many of them outdated, born in a bygone era of
warfare. Modern day commanders need a factual understanding of sleep.
They should be aware of individual differences in sleep need and the effects of
sleep deprivation on their subordinates. In addition, commanders must be
sensitive to their own susceptibility to the effects of sleep loss. These effects
are often insidious and can also be particularly disruptive to the mental tasks
that are the commander's ‘bread and butter’. Contrary to Napoleon's advice
that ‘commanders are not expected to sleep’, commanders must sleep to
remain effective.
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