Fatigue Management

F oreword
I am interested in your question whether there is time to
consider the ‘psychology of our environment.’ It is because
we do not consider psychology enough that we are taking so
long to win the war. Personally, I have always found it
pays well to consider closely the psychology not only of the
enemy but also of my own troops to study the factors
which affect his actions and reactions and how to
employ those factors to our advantage, and also to
study the methods of keeping up the morale and the
fighting spirit of our own soldiers. Indeed, it is
psychology all along the line.
Lieutenant General Sir John Monash
letter to Dr Felix Meyer
from the Western Front, April 1918
Australian military commanders have always recognised the importance of
psychology to operational effectiveness. The human dimension is, and will
continue to be, critical to performance in military operations. At times we are
in danger of forgetting this.
In order to be effective, commanders must understand the complexity and
diversity of human nature and behaviour. They must be able to anticipate the
impact of various events on the morale, cohesion and performance of the
personnel under their command and upon opposing forces. They must be
familiar with appropriate strategies for dealing with non-military personnel
who are increasingly common in field operations. They should be able to
accurately gauge levels of confidence and commitment within their unit and
understand how humans react to adversity and threat. In short, commanders
are applied psychologists.
This document is one in a series focused on psychological aspects of military
operations. The series is coordinated by personnel from the Defence Force
Psychology Organisation but draws together the expertise and experience of
military members throughout the Australian Defence Force, past and
present. The results are thought provoking and pragmatic.
I commend the series to you.
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