Military pharmacology: historical, medical, ethical and legal aspects

Abstract

The effectiveness of combat operations depends not only on strategy, tactics and technical equipment,
but also on the personal qualities of soldiers: their courage, determination, stress resistance and ability to
follow orders. For centuries, mankind has attempted to «enhance» soldiers through natural means that
allow fighters to reduce fear, increase endurance, and improve mental clarity. In this way, a new direction
of military medicine was born – military pharmacology.
The purpose of the study is to analyze and generalize the data of scientific and special literature
regarding modern ideas about the use of military pharmacology by military personnel to reduce fear,
increase endurance and clarity of mind during war. Ethical and legal frameworks in which the use of pharmacological technology to enhance military effectiveness would be justified are also discussed.
First of all, the term military pharmacology is defined as «the use of medicinal products by a healthy
person, which contributes to the adaptation of the body to extremely high loads in combat conditions and
the performance of special military tasks bordering on the capabilities of a serviceman». The most significant and negative factor in military personnel is the feeling of fatigue, mental stress (stress), which
depends on their duration and intensity. However, when allowing the use of drugs for military purposes, it
is important that their effects on the human nature of soldiers, such as empathic understanding or mental
capacity, are not compromised and that soldiers comply with their moral obligations under international
norms. There are scenarios in which pharmacological enhancement of soldiers' performance would be
ethically and legally permissible, namely in the case of life-or-death danger, or strategic, absolutely
necessary mission requirements and to restore the physical and moral resources of combatants.