Fatigue Management for Aerospace Expeditionary Forces Deployment and Sustained Operations

Under the new Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF) concept, the US Air Force is capable of deploying and employing in 72 hours or less. Furthermore, the US mission frequently requires 24-hour activities to meet operational demands. Because of its commitment to project power with such a rapid fighting force, aviators on contingency operations will regularly face fatigue-related challenges inherent in sustained and continuous operations, as well as those from rapid, transmeridian travel. The purpose of this research paper is to extract all relevant materials pertaining to fatigue and aircrews in order to provide a plan for equipping Aerospace Expeditionary Forces (AEF) commanders and personnel with a historical perspective, critical information, and new technologies to enable effective fatigue management. This information was attained via an extensive literature search and review, primarily utilizing the Internet and the Air University Library. Existing comprehensive scientific literature provides important physiological information about aviators that can be used to guide operations and policy. Many alertness management strategies aid aircrews and deployed personnel as well as help them to cope with the challenges of sleep loss and circadian disruption. Both pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical countermeasures are presented. Although valuable, the challenge is for the scientific information to make its way down from the books to the cockpit and be incorporated into flight/duty/rest regulatory considerations. Additionally, new means to combat fatigue can give AEF commanders insight into future benefits of fatigue research. Commanders, safety officers, and aviators are well advised to familiarize themselves with the causes of impaired alertness and countermeasures that can keep chronic fatigue from becoming a problem. Sufficient knowledge will make it easier to predict dangerous situations related to on-the-job sleepiness, recognize warning signs of excessive fatigue in aviation personnel, and take action to prevent fatiguerelated hazards in the air. This paper concludes with the recommendation that the USAF AEF Battlelab develop a commander's handbook as a reference tool for leaders to make better decisions concerning alertness management strategies and fatigue countermeasures.