The impact of partial sleep deprivation on military naval officers’ ability to anticipate moral and tactical problems in a simulated maritime combat operation

Abstract

The current research investigated how long-term partial sleep deprivation influenced naval officers’ abilityto generate anticipations of potentially critical problems at the entry of an operation. The study was organisedas a balanced experimental design, testing the officers both in a rested and a sleepless conditionduring a complex naval simulator exercise. The results showed that lack of sleep severely impaired theofficers’ ability to foresee important problems within both the moral and tactical domain of the operation.These findings indicate that lack of sleep may obstruct planning and preparations in maritime operationsin a way that may increase the risk of accidents and fatal errors, which again underscores the importanceof sleep and rest as an integrated element of maritime operations and leadership.