The death of a loved one, an argument with a colleague, an episode of anxiety… These are situations that everyone will have to face at some point in their lives. But doing it at home, in a safe environment, is not the same as finding yourself in the middle of the ocean, inside a small ship with no way to escape. The Navy is aware of this and that is why it has launched a pilot project to recruit military psychologists on its missions. The psychological factor in the armed forces is not new and has been studied for decades. It has been fundamental in multiple conflicts both for its destabilizing factors for the enemy and for the necessary preparation of combatants. But in recent years it has also acquired increasing importance as an additional element in the training and care of military personnel. Spain is no stranger to this trend and the Armed Forces and Navy are working on various projects focused on the spirit of their troops, especially when they are trained to participate in one of the more than twenty missions deployed abroad, some of which do not dispense with In the case of the Navy, the situation is particularly sensitive, since a significant part of the regular work of its members takes place at sea, far from their families and sharing the same space with the same people for months. And if a ship has little room for isolation and distraction, the situation on a submarine multiplies exponentially. Related news standard No Admiral Núñez Torrente, Spain’s new military representative to NATO and the EU, Pilar De la Cuesta El Jemad, presided over the inauguration of the. the former head of Atalanta until 2023The latest plan of the Naval Force envisages psychological training for long-term navigations. In all its phases, from the period before embarkation to the last days of the mission, when the proximity of the return home increases the levels of anxiety and the risks of friction between personnel. Psychologists Diego Tomás Bascón, lieutenant colonel, and Alberto González detail in an article in the Navy magazine the three periods of navigation most likely to generate “psychological decompensation” in the crew, threatening their mental health and the functioning of the group. , even going so far as to “compromise the functioning of the mission”. The first of these phases are the days before departure, when stress increases due to the proximity of separation from family and preparations for embarkation. The next critical phase occurs halfway through the mission, and the last takes place in the days before the return. All this is added to any exceptional or crisis situation that may arise during the trip. To achieve this, the Navy has designed a program in which a psychological team accompanies the crew and their families throughout the process. Practically during the first phase of navigation and embarked on ships in the final phase to facilitate therapy with a crew on which the demands of the mission are already taking their toll. Pilot project The project has been applied experimentally during the year on five Navy ships that have deployed on missions under different flags and in all the seas of the world. And in these, psychologists have identified which services coincide with those most requested by the personnel: psychological adaptation for newly embarked personnel, operational stress control, psychological first aid, family preparation, management of complex situations, relaxation dynamics or “mindfulness”. At the same time, advice to commanders in communicating bad news or the development of guides on stress management are essential. But sailors are not exceptional and similar situations occur in the land and air forces, which are working on similar projects. For example, the land branch of the Armed Forces has a training program to psychologically strengthen its personnel. The objective: to enhance their mental capacities and their ability to optimize the performance of the fighter in difficult environments. According to psychologist Martín, soldiers are helped to develop a “strong and resilient” mentality, increasing their self-confidence and strengthening their leadership capacity. Alongside technical and physical preparation, since ancient times, there has been talk of “soldier morale” as a third fundamental element for victory. Currently, this concept is what is now called the “psychological factor”, as highlighted in a publication from the Ministry of Defense by General Juan José Sánchez Ramos, Inspector General of Health of the Defense. The work is aimed at military psychologists and unit commanders, which demonstrates the growing importance given to the mental factor in the Armed Forces. At any time, two perspectives are taken into account for this treatment of the military: the corrective, when an event has already occurred and work is underway to mitigate its consequences, and the preventive, aimed at preparing the soldiers to “contribute” to the psychological preparation of the military forces to be deployed in the area of operations, increasing their resistance and, consequently, their effectiveness, as well as minimizing possible negative psychopathological effects that could arise among the displaced personnel. This is the objective of addressing a phenomenon that is increasingly present in society but that is of particular importance in professions such as the army.
