The utilization of risk assessments in tactical command decisions

Traditional risk assessments (as delineated by regulatory agencies) use health outcome endpoints of interest to society as a whole, and are based on broad assumptions about the demographics of the potentially exposed populations and the routes of exposure. Immediacy of impact is not normally a major consideration. In tactical situations, the commander must balance considerations of short-term health effects against mission accomplishment. Often the commander will decide to accept a risk that would not be considered under other circumstances. The traditional tools of human-health and environmental risk assessment may be used, but the risk levels and projected consequences must be adapted to the tactical scenario (i.e. the performance decrement associated with a short-term exposure tactical operation vs. the long-term health out-come for an exposed population under ‘normal conditions’). Risk assessors and health professionals must learn to articulate risk in terms that the tactical commander can place in his operational risk management (ORM) process. The process may require that the commander weigh non-health related mission critical considerations against health outcome issues. This presentation is intended to begin a dialogue that will lead to a harmonization of the use of risk assessment tools and their application in ORM as seen by tactical commanders, and a clarification of the strengths and limits of their utility in such applications.