US Navy focuses on mental health, as missiles fly in the Middle East
![US Navy focuses on mental health, as missiles fly in the Middle East US Navy focuses on mental health, as missiles fly in the Middle East](https://i3.wp.com/images.csmonitor.com/csm/2025/01/0123%20NNAVY%20prayer%20LEDE.jpg?alias=standard_900x600&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1)
A few days before a special forces soldier in a profession, the US Department of Defense issued a report on the mental health of its forces.
Psychological struggles between the actual forces in service increased by about 40 % over the past four years, and found that they are driven by anxiety and tension after shock. The service members who receive care these conditions occupied the family of a hospital in 2023 more than those treated with any other disease, which represents about 55 % of these residencies.
The navy in particular surpassed other services for depression diagnoses, and last year reported the highest suicide rates since it began to launch this data six years ago. “We will focus on this for a long time in the future,” said Admiral Lisa Franchiti, head of maritime operations, Senate Committee for Armed Services last May.
Why did we write this
The US military reports are witnessing increased levels of mental health. In the navy, it includes one approach to meet the needs of sailors to provide more priest support.
Such slope and flows in the mental health of the forces may be difficult to dissect. Matthew Livlespger, the green hats participating in the Las Vegas incident, complained of the effects of painful brain injury and combat pressure from the violence he saw and attached during multiple publications to Afghanistan. The army says it has not shown any behavior related to this point.
Analysts say the explosion, which Mr. Lifelberger was the only death, confirms the need for more military mental health services, the risk of extreme violence is much lower than stress, excessive anger and drug use.
In response, the navy is working to provide more of these services, including those that focus on the spiritual needs of sailors. Naval officials have expressed concern that their forces at sea are now facing an “unprecedented” pace of dangerous operations. Admiral Franchiti told legislators that the navy should bring the mental health assistance to these forces.
As part of the batch to do so, the navy pledged to increase the size of its semester of its first time since the Cold War. Last year, the service announced plans to employ about 45 cruelty, the total reached 905. But while the openings increased, the challenge fills it; A navy official says that the service supplies of priests have been “relatively flat.”
However, the recruitment land is wide, because priests can come from more than 220 religious groups recognized by the US military, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and atheists. It provides both official and unofficial advice as well as religious services, and it can serve as an informal conscience of the military leadership: the skins of sailors ended in 1850, for example, after the American marine priests needed this practice.
Admiral Todd, the head of the American Corples Corps, says that hope is to tend to the soul can help in providing some perspective to fight forces that struggle with daily stress and danger to the life of the ship.
“This feeling is something greater than yourself – the common purpose and a sense of sacrifice is spiritual values.” “We are helping sailors to understand what they are doing there.”
Fighting like “We have not seen since World War II”
One week after October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the strike group of the US DWIGHT D. Eceenhower aircraft carrier to the Middle East, was transferred from its original mission, which included European ports calls.
Instead, the US naval sailors faced some of the most intense maritime clashes that anyone can remember, and attack the attacks by the Houthi rebels supported by Iranians in Yemen.
There were days when the crews were fought from the unwritten air vehicles, including the quadkops, in waves of 20 or 30 and the rockets of the missile faster than the speed of sound. Run the underwater drone attacks and remote controls.
Captain Edward “TED”, Commodor of Dieberr 22, at the Eisenhower Group for Hitting – an evaluation repeated by senior American leaders: “The fighting was” at a level that we have not seen since World War II. “
He was exhausted for sailors, he says. “You are under this constant threat of attack, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Mr. Pidigger says that the priests are at hand. It was the first line of defense when it came to treating the fighting. They were revolving around the ship where pockets were collected from sailors and obtained continuous group chats. “They used to say,” Hey, this is what we saw, “and” How does everyone do? “
During hostilities, the Eisenhower Group’s priests often verify the combat information center of one of the four destroyers of the strike group – the tactical heart of the war ships where Sonar and Radar Comples helps to repel drones and internal missiles.
The priests remained out of the way, but they were at hand to help treat what was happening in a near -real time.
“You may have had 15 minutes of intense response to these attacks. Then when the officer says, I think we have a break here, the priest can speak to these sailors who may look a little,” 11.
He adds that the point is “helping these seas to empty this modern experience so that it does not exist.”
There was concern about being at the recipient of the incoming missiles, but also consciousness, “from the fatal of what we are doing, although they are the bad guys,” says Admiral Todi’s back.
He adds that the forces’ request to launch missiles “is a very intimate interaction” of sailors.
The question about priests is, “How can we help them as leaders – and create an environment where they can work well and return from the entire fighting?”
Sedative
During these publishing operations, US Navy was not only responsible for the safety of their own ships – they also dropped the missiles towards civilian ships as well.
When a carrier was destroyed and destroyed, the battle group helped to evacuate its Philippine crew to the security of Usenhower.
CMDR says a Catholic priest of Eisenhower with relations with the Philippines was able to translate and be a “calming presence”. Nathan Rice, who leads priests on the four destroyed ships of the battle group. “It was very amazing.”
He says that the tasks involved protecting civilian ships that cross the Red Sea in particular have raised the lives of American forces. “The sailors really gave a sense of goal.”
The low points of the forces were discovering that the deployment of the ship would be extended and the ports calls were canceled.
“It has been mentally difficult,” says Litanant Keith Villanueva, an arms officer.
She worked for the Marine Callement Corps throughout the publication process to establish and maintain outlets for tired forces during the long days of the family.
One of the priests has started the parent support group, and video clips of its members read stories for their children. Organize another club that focuses on driving. There were seminars led by priest, as well, on international morals and religions.
In previous publishing operations, Lieutenant Villanueva did not benefit from the services provided by the priests. There was a stigma, he says, which came with the request for help. “Especially where I was at that time, I thought it could make me look, I think it is perhaps, weak, because there is no better word.”
But publishing can mean “many additional challenges” for families, and he decided, he says, to tend to his faith and the society that came with him.
“I have made myself available,” he says. “This publishing has made more feasible and peaceful.”
It is a feeling that priests seek to pass. While he was making tours between the battle group destroyers, from intelligence centers to the engine rooms, the Lieutenant commander is often contacted by the sailors keen to hear how friends were doing on other ships.
He adds that these exchanges have often become a major moments of communication and conversation about “the power of the soul”. “It is not necessarily about our faith, but about what makes you from you – and what drives you to do what you do.”