Opinion – If long deployments are the future, endurance can’t be the Navy’s only plan
BLUF – The article argues that if longer deployments become the norm, the Navy cannot rely on resilience and endurance alone to sustain the force and must instead redesign policies to better support sailors and their families throughout extended periods at sea. For Navy Medicine, the discussion highlights the growing importance of addressing fatigue, mental health, sleep, family separation, and cumulative operational stress as essential components of maintaining long-term force readiness.