Among the highlights of a RAND survey of members of the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile force:
— Launch officers and more junior members of the missile security forces are suffering "burnout," based on their confidential responses to questions about how they view their jobs. Burnout is defined as a combination of mental and physical exhaustion, cynicism and feelings of ineffectiveness.
— Among the reasons voiced for feeling stressed: too little autonomy, pressure from frequent inspections, the remoteness of the bases on which service members work and unpredictable schedules. Missile officers also harbor doubts about the degree to which the Air Force is committed to the nuclear mission.
— Air Force figures show that in 2011 and 2012, the rate of spousal abuse and courts-martial within the missile force were higher than in the Air Force overall. The trendline, however, is improving this year And Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, told the AP that he is confident that problems like this will be fixed.
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