Four Square.

This is coolbert:

Physical privation is a constant in the life of a soldier involved in combat. This has been commented about in previous blog entries.

And this privation takes a number of forms.

* Just plain physical exhaustion is of course what immediately comes to mind. Being required to march while carrying a heavy load sometimes for days on end is the usual fate of the combat soldier. Roman legionnaires of two thousand years ago were referred to as "Marius's mules", for instance.

* Exposure to the elements is yet another form of physical privation. Rain, sun, heat, cold, snow, etc. All these may be encountered by the soldier at one time or another. Or met on the battlefield in various combinations. Finding shelter from the elements is sometimes impossible. Rather, the combat soldier may have to endure privation from the elements for long periods of time.

* The soldier may have to go without food or water for extended periods of time, or exist on less than a subsistence diet. Resupply may not be possible for a variety of circumstance. Sometimes the soldier may resort to eating bad food or drinking bad water, both of which can result in debilitating sickness.

* And of course, the soldier may have to endure extended sleep deprivation. Little or no sleep in combat may be the soldier's lot. This may extend for days on end.

As well can be imagined, sleep deprivation has a profound impact on the ability of the soldier to perform with effectiveness. Fatigue from sleep deprivation can of course lead to a lack of alertness. A soldier on guard duty that is not alert and aware of his/her surroundings can lead to catastrophe for a unit.

The U.S. military is keenly aware of this problem and has done some interesting research into sleep deprivation and concepts of "time" that are unusual to the layman.

One such concept is the "chaotic day" consisting of an eighteen hour and sometimes a thirty six hour period. Some of this research was done by placing individuals in caves and isolating them from all stimuli regarding time that is familiar to people. NO clocks or natural occurring cycles of times such as the sun/moon, day/night. More about this eighteen hour "day" later.

Ground and air forces in modern warfare are at the mercy of a tempo of activity that places great stress upon the human body physically, mentally, and allows for little if any sleep necessary to preclude mental fatigue and befuddlement.

Troops of a modern combat unit will be told that they many encounter a scenario where they have to go for days on end without sleep. Active at a pace that is frenetic and exhausting on top of being sleepless.

Even combat support and combat service support troops may be in for a "day" that will consist of twelve hours of duty at their specialty, five hours of guard duty, five hours moving [road march], three hours making and breaking down camp and two hours of eating and attending to bodily functions. That makes for a twenty seven hour "day", with no provision for sleep!!!

This of course, is ABSURD, and makes for a soldier, even if they were able to maintain such a pace, that becomes very inefficient and is debilitated at his/her ability to do the job they must do on the battlefield.

This situation became very acute in the 1970's and the 1980's when it became apparent that NATO forces on any possible central European battlefield would be facing a Soviet opponent that was totally callous in the manner with which they planned to use THEIR troops.

Soviet planners were quite willing to send into combat an infantry division of say 10,000 men that would be committed to combat for three to four days straight without rest, sleep, food, water, or resupply in any manner. Such a unit would attempt to maintain an almost impossible tempo of attack day and night that would result in ghastly but to the Soviets acceptable casualties as long as the objective was met. After three to four days, this unit would simply be drawn out of combat and replaced by a fresh unit. At the end of that time, of the 10,000 Soviet troops originally sent forward, perhaps only 2,000 would be left standing!!

Such a tempo desired by the Soviet would wear down the NATO defenders, outnumbered as they would be from the start. The NATO defenders would NOT be pulled out of the line and replaced by a fresh unit. NO rest would be possible for the defenders. Sleep would NOT be an option. Effectiveness of the defender would diminish greatly.

This increased tempo activity and the desire to conduct continuous military operations does indeed have a profound effect on the tiredness of soldiers, no matter how well conditioned. And of course lack of sleep in addition to physical tiredness of course leads to a befuddled mental state that impairs the ability of combat commanders in particular to make sound decisions.

Demonstrations of befuddlement on the part of combat commanders were evident during field training exercises [FTX] held over many years at the national Training Center [NTC], Ft. Irwin, CA.

These exercises would pit an infantry battalion ending a training cycle in simulated "war games" against a specially trained opposing force, [OPFOR]. This OPFOR could fight as would potential enemies would on the battlefield.

This realistic training, lasting continuously, day and night for seventy two hours, was a severe test of a battalion's ability to perform it's mission. Careers for senior commanders of these battalions could rise or fall depending upon their units performance. Knowing this, battalion commanders, believing they could do so, would attempt to stay awake for three straight days, micro-managing their battalions movement and activity on the simulated but realistic battlefield. THIS THEY COULD NOT DO!! Sleeplessness and fatigue impaired their judgment and erroneous decisions became the rule. Battalion commanders were strongly advised to NOT attempt something so foolhardy as staying awake for three days on end, all the while trying to make crucial decisions. Well thought out pre-arranged plans, delegation of decision making, etc., and getting sleep from time to time was the way to go!!

Different U.S. military services have thought through the sleeplessness and fatigue factor and come up with solutions to the problem. NOT panaceas, but solutions that provide manageable situations.

One such solution is found aboard American submarines, whose crews when submerged do not have the normal stimuli of day/night, sun/moon, work/sleep regimen found in civilian life.

Submarine crews divide the "day" into three six hours shifts. This is done with ease as the normal stimuli present for a "surface dweller" is absent under the ocean. NO sun, NO moon, NO normal routine associated with the twenty four hour clock. All this is designed to make for an efficient crew. A crew devoid of the normal "day" with it's periods of work, sleep, eat, etc.

"Periods of time (that civilians call "days") are DELIBERATELY MANIPULATED using years of submarine experience to MAXIMIZE THE DRILL SCHEDULE. Sleep is NOT the primary consideration. Days don't start and stop with distinction, they roll into each other. Weeks roll into each other. An underway has a continuous and persisting concept of time unlike the one you use at home."

Of course, in the above example, preventing sleep deprivation is not the primary motivator in adopting the modified "day". It is an example of how normal time periods can be modified to increase efficiency in a military unit.

Another answer to the sleep deprivation problem is the "four square" battalion concept practiced by the U.S. Marines during World War Two [WW2]. A infantry regiment would consist of four infantry battalions, two of which at any given moment would be in actual contact with the enemy while the other two battalions would rest in the rear. After say two continuous days of combat with the enemy, the battalions in contact would be relieved by the those in the rear. Moving to the rear, the relieved units would be able to eat hot food, use the toilet with paper, and get SLEEP. This rotation process would continue until the mission was accomplished. Allowed for relatively fresh troops to be in combat with the enemy at any given time.

And of course we cannot neglect the mention of DRUGS as an answer to the sleeplessness and fatigue problem. The U.S. military has and does use drugs to combat sleeplessness.

Drugs as used by the military to combat sleeplessness should not be thought of as drugs that create a "hopped up" individual with superhuman strength, tireless, but also perhaps incoherent and uncontrollable. Anything but that!!

What are referred to as "GO" pills are nothing more than a dose [super??] of caffeine in concentrated form.

For decades, U.S. Air Force fighter pilots ferrying planes [F-15, F-16] across the Atlantic would be given as standard issue "GO" pills. This did create a negative impression among the general public. People were concerned that American pilots were flying "hopped up" in the same air corridors as were civilian aircraft. This was not the case. The pilots were issued the "GO" pills, each pill containing about the same amount of caffeine as one would get from drinking three cups of coffee. The pilots were to use them to ward off fatigue at their discretion. But also cautioned to not take more than three pills during any one mission. This hardly created a druggie that was "high". The warding off of fatigue on these missions was most important, as several mid-air refuelings would be needed for the plane to make the transit of the Atlantic. Mid-air refuelings that require concentration and alertness. Rather than creating a dangerous situation, use of pills perhaps created a more safe situation.

[it is reputed that B-2 bombers flying missions over Iraq and Afghanistan have done so by making round trip missions non-stop from bases in the U.S. These missions will take up to thirty one hours. The dangers from sleep deprivation for the aircrews are present in this case. It is rumored that two crews of two men each fly on each mission per aircraft. Folding reclining lawn chairs allow one crew to rest and SLEEP as needed while the other flies the bomber].

The problem of sleeplessness and mental fatigue on the battlefield can be approached in many ways. Mental impairment from sleeplessness can be hazardous to your health, we all appreciate this, and even more so on the battlefield.

coolbert.