Service members experience a variety of physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions, adverse consequences, or psychological injuries following exposure to stressful or traumatic events in combat or military operations. The Department of Defense requires that each service implement combat and operational stress control COSC policies and programs to prevent, identify, and manage the effects of these combat and operational stress reactions in order to enhance mission performance; increase individual and unit resilience; conserve fighting strength; prevent or minimize adverse effects of combat stress on members’ physical, psychological, behavioral, and social health; and return the unit or service member to duty.

The character of modern warfare is rapidly evolving, with future conflicts anticipated to diverge significantly from the asymmetric engagements of the past two decades. Whereas recent operations were frequently characterized by U.S. air superiority and secure forward operating bases, the Department of Defense is currently preparing for large-scale combat operations. These operations will necessitate engaging near-peer adversaries equipped with comparable technological, unmanned aerial, and artillery capabilities. Within these high-intensity, multi-domain environments, service members are highly likely to experience elevated levels of combat and operational stress.

To optimize mission readiness and human performance, military medicine is continuously adapting to mitigate these psychological impacts. While autonomous systems and precision weaponry continue to advance, human cognitive capacity remains the most critical asset on the battlefield, making proactive resilience enhancement a strategic imperative. To ensure force preservation, every service branch provides comprehensive tools and programs to support the military community. Concurrently, ongoing research initiatives are leveraging advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence applications, to systematically prevent, identify, and counter combat and operational stress reactions.