Defence

Navy

Is anger beneficial in combat?

Arming the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with 'lifeskilling' is a Sea Change initiative—a program that aims to provide personnel with skills to cope with stress.

Chief of Navy, VADM Russ Shalders with Principal Chaplain Eric Burton at the launch of the Lifeskilling Program
Photo by AB Neil Richards

by LEUT Barbara Butler, RANR

One of the reasons Australians from all walks of life support, and will continue to support, the members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is that they trust ADF personnel working in very stressful environments to use good judgment.

Indeed, Australians can be proud of the way in which Australian soldiers acquitted themselves in strife-torn Timor-Leste recently. Faced with machete-wielding gangs and unable to draw their weapons except in self-defence, ADF personnel must have experienced considerable frustration as they shepherded civilians to safety.

When people are angry, complex motor skill deterioration occurs in part because the body reduces the flow of blood to small muscle groups. In a combat situation, anger reduces the ability to use your left hand to press the transmit button on a radio (a complex motor skill) without pulling the trigger of your weapon with the other hand.

For naval personnel, this can be a real problem if you are guarding the crew of a ship you have boarded and your weapon is pointed at them.

According to Director-General Chaplaincy—Navy, Eric Burton, CSC, RAN, anger is one of the most intense defensive emotions. 'It is not unusual for people who have had a weapon pointed at them at close quarters—as can occur when being a member of an RAN boarding party—to be only able to describe the end of the muzzle, not the person holding the weapon,' he said.

However, as Chaplain Burton adds, anger in the office or the family home can be just as deadly, turning benign environments into virtual combat zones.

Anger management

The RAN acknowledges that life at sea, even in peacetime, presents a unique set of stresses for naval personnel, ranging from separation from family for lengthy periods to loneliness, frustration, fatigue or depression. These situations can be difficult for individuals with personal or professional problems, particularly those with aggressive tendencies or patterns of addictive behaviour.

Navy has recently introduced Lifeskilling, a pastoral care program aimed at providing personnel ashore and at sea with coping skills. The program arms individuals with the self-knowledge and confidence to build positive relationships and live up to Navy's values: honesty, honour, loyalty, courage and integrity.

The Lifeskilling Program is used by Navy's 25 full-time chaplains who are deployed to sea or to shore establishments for short periods. It is an initiative of Sea Change, the Navy Directorate charged with workforce restructure and improving work–life balance for sailors and officers.

Launched in March by Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN, the Lifeskilling Program also offers Navy personnel opportunities to identify problem behaviours or attitudes that undermine or are barriers to personal fitness and professional development.

'The Program is also about faith,' said Chaplain Burton, 'faith in oneself, faith in one's fellows, and faith in God. Navy acknowledges that the spiritual dimension is equally as important as the physical.'

Attendance at Lifeskilling meetings is voluntary, with sessions conducted in small groups or one-on-one, depending on individual preference. In order to ensure confidentiality, attendance is not recorded. This procedure protects particularly those officers or sailors who fear exposure.

'Sometimes military personnel find that talking about disturbing experiences opens mental wounds afresh. Others may find that talking about experiences helps them with the healing process,' said Eric Burton.

Like members of the other branches of the armed services, naval personnel experience highs and lows of service life. Frequent absences from home can be disruptive to relationships, with families at home constantly having to readjust to Mum or Dad coming and going in an unpredictable cycle of deployments.

HMAS Farncomb departs Fleet Base West from Diamantina Wharf on 8 May 2006, with families on the wharf to say goodbye. Rebecca Stewart waits on the wharf with her new baby to see off her husband Petty Officer Stewart.
Photo by ABPH Lincoln Commane

'Men or women serving at sea live a virtually single existence,' noted Chaplain Burton. 'They work hard but they also get the opportunity to visit exotic places, enjoy time ashore with friends, and get in the habit of spending money without consultation. Meanwhile, for partners at home, there is the daily routine.

'On the other hand, sometimes routines at home may change, and the person returning to the fold may feel like a visitor. After the elation of a reunion, sometimes what follows may be a renegotiation of roles. This can be a minefield and may require sensitivity.'

For some folk, he cautions, the returnee may feel like a break and want to put his or her feet up—yet another recipe for tension.

Sea Change is acutely conscious of changes over time to the social fabric. The number of sole-parent families has increased, the incidence of divorce has increased, people are marrying later than they did 20 years ago, and the nature of work and family balance and workforce participation has changed dramatically.

Although the traditional model of father, mother and two children exists, a recent study found that almost 70 per cent of fathers feel that they do not spend enough time with their children.

Add financial woes to these feelings of guilt, and it is not surprising that many people find life stressful.

'For seagoing personnel, there is sometimes a tendency to bury worries whilst busy at sea, and to leave problems festering at home. That can be a slow-burning fuse,' said Chaplain Burton.

New navigation skills

Suicide is a worldwide community health problem. It claims more than one million people a year. In 2001, suicide accounted for more deaths than those caused by homicide or war.

Australia has one of the highest rates in the world.

Chaplain Burton says that individuals can survive depression and thoughts of suicide if they are able to find coping resources.

'Like the charts on a ship, individuals have many charts that show them how to find their way to places. Lifeskilling is a chart that gives direction.

'Encouraging individuals to create new charts is part of our work,' said the Chaplain. 'Our expectations or beliefs about how things should be are the foundation of our frustrations. To start the process of reducing guilt or fear or anger, it is necessary to examine the maps we construct and to find new pathways that will lead to happiness and fulfilment.

'If the Lifeskilling Program does that for one officer or sailor on a ship, then it is worthwhile. Just being with healthy, well-balanced people can be infectious.

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