Fatigue Management

Symptom Experienced During Operation Solace
Per cent of Sample
(823 soldiers)
Mental confusion 10
Carelessness 10
Frequent minor accidents 8
Difficulty making decisions 7
Faintness or dizziness 6
Arguably, the major deficiency of Operation SOLACE, from a performance
effectiveness viewpoint, was the failure of many commanders to anticipate,
assess and attempt to address the impact of fatigue. Post-operation reports
from several units in Somalia identified fatigue as a major concern.
Implications were drawn for crew rest and rotation schedules, rest and
recreation practices, and the need to directly address fatigue in training in
Australia. The precipitating role of fatigue, in the high rate of unauthorised
discharges of weapons, was emphasised.
To sleep after a patrol was near impossible. A company of
men [over 100] was crammed into a roofless building in
sweltering conditions. After returning from patrol, there
was a compulsory debrief, then a briefing for the next
patrol which had to be passed on to the section as formal
orders. In reality, the men were lucky to get three or four
hour’s sleep between patrols. The effects were noticeable
after a day and blatant after two.
Lieutenant R. J. Worswick
Urban patrolling - A Coy perspective
cited in Bob Breen's,
A Little Bit of Hope:
Australia Force - Somalia, 1998
Fatigue on Operations in Bosnia: A Case Study
The intensity of peace operations is often high, especially during the first
month. Research conducted with three Canadian Forces contingents, in the
Former Yugoslavia, provides insight into the prevalence and effects of fatigue.
While the signs outlined in Table 2 can be attributed to or associated with
fatigue, it is emphasised that there may be additional contributing factors to
these symptoms besides fatigue and sleep loss.
58