Child Soldiers

Child soldiers are not a new phenomena for U.S. military forces but they are an expanding problem with implications for training and the mental health of these troops and also global implications for the future. This paper begins by examining the problem of child soldiers throughout the world and assesses current U.S. military policy, strategy, and practices regarding child soldiers. Implications for U.S. forces are highlighted and analyzed. Specifically, this paper describes the impact of child soldiers on the effectiveness of combat forces, the potential for negative mental health consequences, the role media and public support may contribute to that outcome, and the effect on military populations beyond combat forces. Lastly, this paper recommends changes to military training and pre-deployment preparation, suggests specific mental health interventions and highlights areas additional research is needed. These recommendations are provided with the intent to mitigate some of the shortfalls identified and position the U.S. military to affirmatively respond to the question of whether or not they are prepared to manage the threat of child soldiers.