A Shared Burden: The Military and Civilian Consequences of Army Pain Management Since 2001

by Craig Trebilcock, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College

The Army has an opioid drug problem that is not going away under current personnel policies and medical practices. The survey results recorded here indicate that senior officers attending the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) recognize that the opioid problem is distinct in nature and origin from those of recreational drug abuse. Yet, these officers are saddled with a legacy drug enforcement structure and outdated procedures that do not track opioid usage across the force and do not address the root cause of the issue. They are commanding units under a regulatory structure that belatedly responds to opioid-related misuse with the same misconduct-focused disciplinary policies as those for recreational drug use, rather than with a proactive medical and personnel approach crafted for this unique problem set that emphasizes prevention and rehabilitation. The USAWC officer survey responses reflect the fact that the majority of these future Army leaders see misuse originating out of prescribing practices...

38 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2015

About the author

Craig is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and criminal court judge. He writes professional articles on legal matters and strategic policy issues. He also writes fiction that takes the experiences he learned from during deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Africa to give readers a glimpse of soldier's lives and the cost of war when military operations are stripped of political hyperbole. His writing recognizes that someone is always going to pay the price when the shooting starts, and it is most often unarmed civilians, kids, and families just trying to make it through another day. Craig's writing has received a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America and also received awards from the Virginia Writers Club and the Chesapeake Bay Writers. Craig served 30 years in the military, where he was decorated for valor in Iraq, received the Bronze Star, and was twice awarded the Legion of Merit.