Military Deployment Outline

a. Tagline: The longest conflict in American military history is still active over multiple campaign fronts. American Soldiers are being deployed multiple times in support of the Global War On Terror (GWOT). Combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other, clandestine, locations have taken their toll on all facets of the nation.
b. Thesis: Through over a decade of wartime service, the effects of combat deployments have had a monumental and long-lasting effect on Soldiers, their families, and the nation.
c. Transition: These effects are both beneficial and detrimental to the health, welfare, and safety of all citizens.
II. Body
a. Topic One: Effects of Deployment on Soldier
b. Intro: The first thing to consider, when studying the effects of deployments, is to account for the effects on our

Subtopic One: Develop Leadership Skills
1. When working with the same group of people during times of high operational tempo, all individuals develop stronger leadership skills, which help them to address issues over a broad cultural spectrum. ii. Subtopic Two: Increased Combat Effectiveness
1. Based on a 2010 study, done at West Point, it was noted that Soldiers sometimes reevaluate their level of trust in leaders before important combat missions (Sweeney 2010). Serving in high stress positions during combat increases a leader’s ability to effectively engage their troops for success in future missions. iii. Subtopic Three: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
1. Recent articles on the causes of PTSD cite that while everyone is susceptible to PTSD in combat, the length and numbers of combat tours play a significant role in the development of PTSD (Xue, et al., 2015)
c. Topic Two: Effects of Deployment on Family
i. Subtopic One: Effect on Spouses
1. A unit’s Family Readiness Group (FRG) can help to ease some of the stress during deployments by offering support and increased communication from the command to spouses (Hollingsworth, 2011). ii. Subtopic Two: Effect on