U.S. Air Force Distributed Common Ground Station (DCGS) intelligence (Intel) operators sustain 24/7 battlefield situational awareness and facilitate precision-strike operations. DCGS operations are global, synergistic, Total Force (TF) endeavors by active duty, Air National Guard (ANG) and Reserve units, providing combatant commanders with critical real-time intelligence and shaping operational and tactical decisions. Continual surveillance ofRead more
The 70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing (70 ISRW) engages in intelligence operations to provide accurate and timely intelligence products to military and national-level decision-makers. Understanding 70 ISRW health patterns is critical to developing relevant and appropriate medical and mental health strategies to foster optimal health across the entire community. The objective of this studyRead more
The prevalence and expression of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among United States Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (RPA; commonly referred to as “drones”) warfighters exposed to battlefield trauma via remote, electronic warfare is relevant and critical to the effective delivery of mental health care for this population. RPA warfighters (n = 715) with real-timeRead more
The distributed common ground system (DCGS) community assigned to the U.S. Air Force 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing is responsible for around-the-clock analysis and exploitation of real-time, critical information in support of combat operations and in decision-making regarding global issues of national interest. Maintaining an accurate understanding of health and wellness trends among DCGSRead more
MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA; “drones”) operators participate in a diverse range of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, as well as weapon strike missions for close air support to ground troops and aerial sniper missions of enemy combatants. Such operators are required to sustain around-the-clock operations to meet the demand fromRead more
The goals of this study were to assess self-reported occupational sources of stress, as well as levels of burnout, psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among United States Air Force 70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing (ISRW) intelligence operators and support personnel. A total of 1,822 Airmen responded to the web-based survey, with anRead more
Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), commonly referred to as “drones,” have emerged over the past decade as an innovative warfighting tool. Given there is a paucity of empirical research assessing drone operators, the purpose of this study was to assess for the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among this cohort. Of the 1084 United States Air ForceRead more
Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA; also known as drone) operators have critical roles in the U.S. Air Force (USAF), ranging from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions to delivering weapons on targets for close air support and precision strike operations. The health and wellness of RPA operators are critical to sustaining performance readiness. As a result, theRead more
U.S. Air Force Distributed Common Ground System intelligence operators have a critical role in the analyses and exploitation of vast amounts of real-time and archival auditory and visual information from the battlefield and other global regions of national interest. The health and wellness of these airmen are key to sustaining intelligence capabilities and readiness acrossRead more
This study investigates the self-reported levels of occupational burnout among 1,094 U.S. Air Force drone operators stationed within the borders of the United States who are supporting a wide range of around-the-clock military surveillance and weapons strike missions across the globe. Data were gathered from a Web-based survey of demographic items and the Maslach BurnoutRead more
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