A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / While medical diplomacy has played a large role in US counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns, few studies have been done to show their effectiveness. This study is a systematic review based on literature published by July 2014, looking at military medicine’s role in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Both scientific and military databases were searched and yielded an initial 1,204 papers; however, these were later narrowed down to four articles, mostly restricted by the requirement of structured, scientific methods. These four studies were not well‐powered and focused on such different topics that no real conclusion could be drawn on the topic. In the end, the real value of the study was to show that despite the significant amount of resources poured into these COIN medical operations, very little study has been done to see if they have any effect.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the performances of gender that permeated the justifications for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, focusing on the representational practices that dominated the Bush administration's narratives of rescue and circumscribed our understanding of the actors involved. In particular, I will argue that the image of Afghan women as the helpless victim of Taliban oppression not only allowed the United States and its coalition allies to cast themselves as heroic masculine warriors but also helped to reinforce the idea that Afghan women were little more than mere symbols of helplessness, placing them in a position of absolute inferiority and dependency. Crucially, I will claim that this image of Afghan women as the passive prisoners of the Taliban was contingent upon the suppression of a series of alternative perspectives that could not be accommodated within the parameters established by the prevailing frames of war. On the one hand, I argue that the dominant representations of Afghan women tended to show them in decidedly monolithic and one-dimensional terms, with the Bush administration and its coalition allies defining them almost entirely by the suffering they experienced. Absent from these accounts, however, was any mention of women's resistance to Taliban rule or their criticisms of the military intervention. On the other hand, I will show how the international community relied upon a particular historical narrative that allowed them to present Afghanistan as a barbaric aberration in the modern world whilst allowing them to dismiss the period of Taliban rule as a terrifying oddity in the country's history, destroying many of the freedoms that were said to exist under previous regimes. As well as ignoring the myriad of interactions between Afghanistan and the outside world and the complex social, economic and political forces that helped to precipitate the rise of the Taliban, I will argue that this historical narrative reinforced the idea that the lives of Afghan women were in a state of suspense during this period, their very existence as human beings held in abeyance until coalition troops could intervene to redeem them. What distinguishes my argument from the work of other feminists is my attention to the way in which these representational practices are contingent upon an uneasy process of repetition and reiteration, leaving them vulnerable to the possibility for subversion and resignification. Drawing on Judith Butler's work on performativity, normative violence and the politics of intelligibility along with Gayatri C. Spivak's work on the subaltern subject, I show how the activities of organisations such as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) and the voices of individuals such as Malalai Joya help to expose the limits of the dominant norms of intelligibility, opening up the possibility for a less violent and less exclusionary re-imagining.

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) created multiple challenges for the mental health of soldiers who served there. The local facility in this study determined there was a gap in providing OEF/OIF veterans assistance with mental health issues. The practice-focused question explored whether a training module for nurses would assist in the identification of signs and symptoms of mental health issues in OEF/OIF veterans, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addictions, and suicidal/homicidal ideations, to help ensure timely referral for services. The project used Kolcaba's comfort theory as the basis for the training module. A pretest, training module, and posttest were created and administered to the expert panel. Results showed the training module contained information to assist nurses in identifying the signs and symptoms of mental health issues as well as educated the nurses on various interventions that were available for the veterans. It was determined by the expert panel that the training module should be implemented to assist in decreasing the gap in care for OEF/OIF veterans. This training module might support positive social change by empowering nurses to assist veterans with coping skills overcome mental health issues and lead positive and productive lives.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Borer, Douglas A. Second Reader: Rothstein, Hy S. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, International Security and Assistance Force, U.S. Special Operations Forces. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-116). Also available in print.

John A Warden III har en teori om hur luftkrig ska genomföras, som sedan slutet på 80-talet influerat bland annat USA i deras planering och genomförande av luftoperationer. Denna teori var som mest aktuell under Gulfkriget 1990-1991, där luftstridskrafterna genom ett agerade enligt Wardens teori gav stora effekter på konfliken. Detta arbete syftar mot att undersöka om Wardens teori fortfarande används, och vilka effekter detta agerande medför. Arbetet presenterar de begrepp som kan ses som centrala i Wardens teori och analyserar dessa mot en fallstudie som rör flygstridskrafternas agerande under inledningen av Operation Enduring Freedom i Afghanistan år 2001. Slutsatsen är att det finns spårbarhet av Wardens tankar om luftöverlägsenhet under hela perioden som arbetet berör. Däremot finns det endast spårbarhet av att koalitionen agerade enligt tyngdpunktsbegreppet, parallell attack och fienden som ett system under den inledande fasen av konflikten. Därför kan det inte sägas att koalitionen agerade enligt Wardens teori under konflikten.

There is a debate on how air power should be employed to attain success in war and conflicts. Although scholars do not fully agree on the subject, there is a consensus that attacking the opponents military forces’, a course of action referred to as denial, can contribute to a positive outcome on the battlefield. This thesis investigates the utility of denial in air operations against regular and irregular opponents. The purpose of this study was to examine Robert Pape’s Denial Theory in a focused and structured comparative case study of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. The investigation reveals that denial contributed to the ground offensives in both cases, specifically by providing air support in the theatre, which led to the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq and drew the opponents out of several cities in Afghanistan. The use of operative interdiction made freedom of action possible and resulted in the final collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In conclusion the investigation shows that denial may be a suitable modus operandi against both regular and irregular opponents. / <p><strong>Uppsatsen skriven VT 2017 under Termin 4 Officersprogrammet 15-18 med inriktning</strong><strong>mot flyg. Examen genomförs VT 2018.</strong></p>

The debate amongst theorists on how to best utilize airpower is still ongoing. There is some consensus among scholars that attacking military targets directly is an effective strategy, one of those theorists is Robert A. Pape. Most research on the subject only examine historical cases and does not factor in more contemporary difficulties. The purpose of this study is to examine Robert A. Pape’s airpower theory of denial in a comparative case study. The two cases, Operation Odyssey Dawn and Enduring Freedom, are succesful contemporary operations where airpower played a major role in a military intervention with the intent to examine which part of Pape’s theory is still curant in modern and dynamic conflicts. The results show that the denial strategy contributed to the success in both cases for the most part by providing air support to ground troops. The effect of operational interventions differed between the cases and the reasons why may have several explanations. Strategic intervention had neither effect nor occurrence in either case which may be due to the operations reaching objectives in a short amount of time and to restrictions on collateral damage. Further research is required to cement the conclusions.

Elucidating factors associated with adherence to treatment for physical and mental health conditions is important, given well-documented associations between non-adherence and poor treatment outcomes. Researchers have worked to identify such factors; however, most studies focus on adherence to medical, rather than, psychological treatments. Clarifying variables that predict adherence to psychotherapy is particularly important for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for whom treatment, which typically involves exposure to trauma-related stimuli and imagery, can be aversive. It may consequently be associated with high nonadherence rates, even though studies indicate that greater adherence to PTSD treatment relates to better treatment outcomes. Research needs to identify factors that increase or decrease the likelihood that affected individuals will enter and complete therapy. Although several studies to date have examined adherence to treatment for PTSD, this literature is limited on several fronts. First, studies on psychotherapy adherence have identified few consistent predictors of treatment adherence. Second, adherence to psychotherapy is rarely a central focus of treatment-related research; more typically, researchers treat adherence as secondary in importance to treatment outcomes. Third, little research on psychotherapy adherence has been theoretically driven. Fourth, little adherence research has focused on combat veterans with PTSD, who tend to have particularly poor treatment outcomes. Especially lacking is knowledge about predictors of adherence in veterans who have recently returned from combat; most research focuses on veterans of the Vietnam War, many of whom were initially traumatized decades earlier. The study tested the hypothesis that elevated reports of a specific type of PTSD symptom--avoidance/emotional numbing-- predicted poorer adherence to treatment in 160 veterans who received psychotherapy. No significant associations between avoidance and emotional numbing symptoms and adherence were found. However, emotional numbing was negatively related to psychotherapy adherence. Other variables typically related to PTSD and treatment outcomes were found to be important predictors of psychotherapy adherence and completion/noncompletion of therapy.

abstract: As many as one-third of OEF/OIF soldiers and combat veterans may be struggling with less visible psychological injuries. Military/veteran students may face heightened difficulties as they are not only adjusting to civilian life but also transitioning to college life. University administrators and staff have been charged to address their transitional needs and to promote their academic success. Despite significant influx in enrollment with the passing of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, research on OEF/OIF service members and veterans in higher education remains limited. Utilizing self-report measures, the current study examined the psychosocial functioning of 323 military/veteran students enrolled at Arizona State University who served at least one combat deployment as part of OEF/OIF. The study further investigated whether enlisting for educational benefits and utilizing campus programs/services were associated with more positive academic persistence decisions. Participants were also asked to rate ASU's programming for military/veteran students as well as suggest campus programs/services to promote their academic success. More PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and anger/aggression were found to be associated with less cultural congruity and lower perceived social support. Cultural congruity and social support were significant predictors of academic persistence decisions. Participants who reported utilizing more campus programs/services also tended to endorse more positive persistence decisions. No significant differences in persistence decisions were found between participants who enlisted in the military for education benefits and those who enlisted for non-educational reasons. Approximately two-thirds reported utilizing academic advising services and Veteran Benefits and Certifications. Library services, financial aid services, and ASU sporting events were the next most frequently utilized. More than 91% rated ASU's programming satisfactory or better. Over 71% of participants indicated that increasing recognition of their military experience would facilitate their academic success. Nearly 40% recommended a military/veteran student lounge and improvements to VA education benefits counseling. Another 30% recommended that ASU provide professional development for faculty/staff on military/veteran readjustment issues, improve the re-enrollment process following deployment/training, offer a veteran-specific orientation, and establish a department or center for military/veteran programming. Findings are discussed in light of Tinto's interactionist model of college student attrition, and implications for university mental health providers are presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Counseling Psychology 2012

Adaptive sports programs (ASPs) are important for enhancing the physical, psychological, and social aspects of life for amputee combat veterans while reducing the risk of depression and anger. Although the role of ASPs in improving quality of life (QoL) has been researched in relation to amputee combat veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, there has been limited examination of the role of ASPs in improving QoL among veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Noble Eagle (OND). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of ASPs on the QoL of amputee veterans of OEF, OIF, and OND using logistic regression as well as 3 surveys assessing QoL and life satisfaction in combat veterans who suffered traumatic amputations between 2003 and 2013. The dependent and independent variables included psychosocial and behavioral factors for those amputees who participated in an ASP versus those amputees who did not. There was a statistically significant association (ï?£2(4) = 13.44, p < 0.003) between gender and perception of overall health. Likewise, there was a statistically significant association (ï?£2(2) = 15.63, p < 0.000) between enjoying life and having a meaningful life and participation in an ASP. The findings indicate that participation in ASPs may help improve QoL and overall health for amputee veterans. Public health programs and policies aimed at improving the overall health and wellbeing of amputee veterans should consider ASPs as essential therapeutic interventions for promoting health in amputee veteran populations.