The Systemic Effects of Fatigue on Military Operations

This paper uses recent accidents and incidents to identify the systemic causes of fatigue in military operations. At a strategic and tactical level, it is argued that inadequate risk assessments and a lack of ‘joined up’ planning often leave soldiers in situations where they are likely to make errors of commission and omission. At an operational level, fatigue has an insidious effect on the interaction between teams. Not only does it impair performance on shared tasks but it can also prevent soldiers from identifying the worst effects of fatigue in their colleagues. The significance of these insights cannot be underestimated. Night vision and remote sensing technologies increasingly support 24/7 operations. Unless greater attention is paid to the more complex, systemic aspects of fatigue then there seems little prospect that we will be able to reduce the growing numbers of accidents that have been experienced by many military organizations.