Roles of the Military Dietitian in Combat Operations and Humanitarian Assistance-Professional Development and Utilization

Military dietitians have long been valued members of the health care team, called on for their expertise as early as World War I. However, in the more recent conflicts over the past two decades, their role in health care delivery as a component of medical stability operations has been largely undefined. The purpose of this study was to explore the types of missions supported by U.S. military dietitians and characterize any unique competencies critical to their success during these missions using an online questionnaire. Sixty-five military dietitians responded to an online questionnaire and 49 (75%) shared their deployment experiences, lessons learned, and recommendations for future training based on 57 deployments from 1975 to 2014. Results indicated that during these deployments nutrition- and dietetics-related competencies were capitalized along with staff positions in support of combat and humanitarian operations. The majority (n = 24; 51%) valued mentorship as a useful resource before deployments followed by field experience (45%) and Web-based training (43%). The authors propose standardized formal training for military dietitians aimed at increasing strategic level awareness of partnerships and collaborations between U.S. Government and interagency organizations; these associations are vital for sustained synchronization of global health efforts.