FORT BLISS, Texas, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. troops shouldn't be stigmatized if they need mental health treatment, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
During remarks at Fort Bliss, Texas, Gates said he would ask senior military leaders' help in getting combat-related mental healthcare for soldiers who need it, the Defense Department said in a news release.
In a related vein, Gates said seeking mental health treatment because of post-traumatic stress no longer will be an automatic bar to getting a government security clearance.
Gates said he directed that a question regarding mental health treatment be rewritten so it could be answered "no" if care were "strictly related to adjustments from service in a military combat environment."
Gates outlined other measures designed to reduce stress and improve a soldier's quality of life, including combat deployments being reduced from 15 months to 12 months.
Gates said gone are days of considering "broken" soldiers who suffering from combat-related mental health issues.
"The reality is that these extraordinary young men and women are far from broken," he said. "From my perspective, we are trying to strike a balance: To reduce the tempo of deployment without compromising our strategic objectives or national security."
