Methamphetamine Driven Combat Operations

Based on combat observations and medical studies by the US and British military it is becoming apparent that methamphetamine use among the terrorist population is on a dramatic increase. Used as a strategic tool methamphetamine offers those in the Iraqi Area of Operations a whole new trend of issues that compromise the safety of those combating terrorism. Whether operating as a contractor or a soldier the dangers associated with methamphetamine use among those you are fighting need to be addressed.

First reports of the drug appear to have come out of the Basra area. Known as “pinkies” the stimulant was in the form of a tablet.

Stimulants in the combat zone are nothing new. The fact that we are encountering them in the “War on Terror” should not surprise us in the least. The Germans used methamphetamine during World War II. We all heard of the blitzkrieg conducted by German forces during the early days of the war. German soldiers would march for days taking up large pieces of land and conquering everything in their wake. Everyone thought that the German soldier was some sort of “super” soldier that could not be stopped. They marched, fought and destroyed with little food or rest.

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