Changes in Soldier’s Information Processing Capability under Stress

In his prescient description of the “three block war,” General Charles Krulak (1999) recognized that the battle zones of the 21st century would place remarkable stresses and responsibilities on the young members of our Armed Forces. As predicted, circumstances have led to the emergence of an increasingly complex, volatile, and lethal battlefield, largely urban in nature. It is in this setting that small unit leaders and Soldiers experience multiple stressors while making critical decisions that increasingly determine operational outcomes.