ABSTRACT
The long-term viability of the US military presence in the Federal Republic of Germany has much to do with the general level of morale of US troops, which influences the tone and texture of the relationship. The subject of military morale is inordinately intricate. Morale is, in reality, an entire complex of factors, some objective and others highly subjective. Morale includes such states of mind or emotions as determination, perseverance, motivation, confidence, resolution, vigor, energy, and devotion to goals. Without a high level of collective morale, they would be unable to sustain combat against a well-prepared or highly motivated enemy. Whether high levels of drug use, for example, cause a decline in morale or are a manifestation of lower morale is not a highly relevant question for the purposes of the authors' inquiry. Cause and effect are probably closely interwoven. Important is how each of these factors influences the performance of US forces in West Germany.
