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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jul 16, 2009
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September 2009, Vol 99, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1595-1602
© 2009 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.152983

GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND LAW

"Everywhere the Soldier Will Be": Wartime Tobacco Promotion in the US Military

Elizabeth A. Smith, PhD and Ruth E. Malone, RN, PhD

Elizabeth A. Smith and Ruth E. Malone are with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco.

Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Elizabeth A. Smith, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3333 California St, Suite 455, San Francisco, CA 94118 (e-mail: libby.smith{at}ucsf.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.

Deployment of young Americans in military engagements places them at increased risk for not only war hazards but also tobacco addiction and disease. Tobacco use diminishes troop health and readiness, and increases medical and training costs.

Military tobacco control efforts began in 1986, yet tobacco use remains high. To determine whether and how the tobacco industry targets military personnel in wartime, we analyzed internal industry documents about the Gulf War (1990–1991) and constructed a historical case study. During this conflict, tobacco companies targeted troops with free cigarettes, direct advertising, branded items, ways to communicate with family, and "welcome home" events. Military authorities sometimes restricted this activity, but frequently enabled it; tobacco companies were regarded as benefactors.

Considering tobacco use a benefit undermines military health priorities. Stronger policy is needed to reframe tobacco use as incompatible with military ideals.






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