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Future scenarios for mental health in the UK Armed Forces community

RAND | 2026-05-14 | defense

Topics: AI, China, Climate, Cybersecurity, Europe, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, NATO, Nuclear, Russia, Taiwan, Trade, Ukraine, United States, Defense

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English Summary

This RAND report develops a scenario-planning framework to analyze the complex future mental health landscape of the UK Armed Forces community through 2045. The analysis identifies key stressors, including the evolving character of conflict, geopolitical uncertainty, and broader societal trends like increased mental health awareness and technological disruption. The core finding is that the sector must move beyond reactive care, requiring proactive, collaborative strategic planning across military, NHS, and third-sector organizations. Ultimately, the report stresses the need for adaptable and resilient support systems to meet the unique and growing mental health needs of personnel and veterans.

中文摘要

這份RAND報告開發了一個情境規劃框架,旨在分析英國武裝部隊群體到2045年期間複雜的心理健康格局。分析指出了主要的壓力源,包括衝突性質的演變、地緣政治的不確定性,以及更廣泛的社會趨勢,例如心理健康意識的提高和技術顛覆。核心發現是,該領域必須超越被動的照護模式,需要跨越軍方、國民保健服務(NHS)和第三部門組織的積極、協作的戰略規劃。最終,報告強調了建立適應性且具韌性的支援系統的必要性,以滿足軍人及退役人員獨特且不斷增長的心理健康需求。

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