Personnel Archives - Defense Opinion

Government Reluctant to Acknowledge Brain Injury-Veteran Suicide Connection

Frank Larkin August 21, 2023

Government bureaucracies don’t move fast until they get hit in the face by overwhelming evidence and public pressure from those actively suffering or injured by a health condition or occupational threat. Today, we are witnessing something similar play out with the Departments of Defense, Veteran’s Affairs and Health and Human Services in relation to brain injuries, a signature injury the last two decades of persistent conflict.

Military Child Summit Takes Aim at Mental Health Crisis, Impact on National Security

Becky Porter July 17, 2023

The mental health of America’s youth is in crisis, and it stands to reason that military-connected youth are facing the same crisis, if not worse due to the added stressors faced by military families.

Blast Waves May Partially Explain Suicide Tragedy Befalling U.S. Military, Vets

Frank Larkin June 11, 2023

A far-reaching study by Navy researchers has found that exposure to munitions blast waves from combat and training may be causing brain injuries the aggregation of which is resulting serious and often deadly ailments such as depression, PTSD and suicide.

The Vital Connection Between School Performance, Regional Economic Success and National Security

Jerrod Wheeler and Marcus Lingenfelter March 3, 2023

The U.S. military takes into consideration the quality of local public schools as it decides whether to maintain military commands and offices where they are or move them elsewhere. This provides communities with another big reason to focus on improving schools, because the economic impact of any single military installation can be enormous.

As Climate Shifts, U.S. Navy Focuses on Bolstering Arctic Ocean Operations

Lt. Sarena Padilla and Ens. Garner Fleming February 16, 2023

The Arctic is the next frontier for U.S. military operations, where the physical environment poses a major threat to achieving strategic dominance, managing assets and ensuring freedom of the seas.

Note to New Congress: To Tame Suicide in the Military, Take Aim at Brain Injuries

Frank Larkin November 28, 2022

Members of Congress should focus on all forms of brain injuries sustained by service members, but especially on what are known as mild traumatic brains injuries.

How to Cultivate and Grow an Innovative National Security Workforce

James Schmeling November 15, 2022

The U.S. is lagging dangerously behind peer and near-peer competitors in the education of uniformed and civilian Department of Defense (DoD) workforce and our ability to identify and promote talent.

National Warrior Call Day — Connecting with Veterans to Stem Suicides

Frank Larkin November 9, 2022

The ask is that on Nov. 13, every adult American should contact a veteran or service member and ask how they are doing, let them know they are cherished and, if necessary, steer them toward assistance when they might otherwise slip through the cracks.

Loss of Independent Pharmacies a Bad Prescription for Military Health Care

Marie Manning October 19, 2022

An old Chinese proverb sagely advises that it is easy to get a thousand prescriptions but hard to get a single remedy. While this may be analogous to the pharmacy behemoths, it is flat-out-false when it comes to independent pharmacies that take the time to offer the care others do not.

Scrap the Individual Military Branches in Favor of a Single Warfighting Force

Mark Stoneman September 13, 2022

It’s time to scrap the U.S. armed forces. If you just spewed your Cheerios across the breakfast table, I should clarify. I’m not suggesting we abandon the military, beat our swords into ploughshares and become pacifists. But it’s time to overhaul how the nation organizes the military services by unifying the service departments into one warfighting component — the United States Defense Forces.

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