A successful transition from the military to civilian life is important for servicemembers and their families, and the Department of Defense is constantly seeking improvement in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).

Since 2001, the Department of Defense has been conducting a large-scale, long-term study of military personnel and veterans to help close the information gap. The Millennium Cohort Study randomly selected the first of what were eventually about 150,000 participants from all service branches, the National Guard and the reserves, asking them to answer health-related questionnaires once every three years over a span of 21 years.

BEAUFORT, S.C. - More than 100,000 service members are enrolled in a long-term study to identify health effects associated with military service. Health experts from the Department of Defense and the Veteran's Administration developed the Millennium Cohort Study ...

Transcript from the JAMA Report's interview with Millennium Cohort Study researchers ...

A study that will be published next month found that the escalating use of stimulants by the military in active duty soldiers, including those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was strongly correlated with an increase in the rates of PTSD, even when controlling for other factors, like the rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The study examined the use of prescription stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, and the rates of PTSD in nearly 26,000 military service members between 2001 and 2008, and found that the incidence of PTSD increased along with the prescriptions.

Starting in May, the Department of Defense will launch the third recruitment phase of the largest prospective health project in military history...

VA and DoD are working together and in partnership with various private institutions on studies regarding possible adverse health effects related to exposure to open-air burn pits.

This month, the Department of Defense (DoD) will launch the third and final recruitment phase of the largest prospective health project in military history -- the Millennium Cohort Study.

Combat experience is one of the factors that increases the risk that U.S. soldiers will start smoking, a new study suggests.Researchers analyzed data from a long-term study to assess the long-term health effects of service in the U.S. military. The study began in 2001 and will continue until 2022. The researchers collect survey data every three years.The focus of this study was military personnel who had never smoked or had quit smoking. The researchers wanted to tease out possible factors for either starting or resuming smoking.They found that factors linked to resuming or newly starting a smoking habit included pay grade, service branch, combat deployment, mental health history, stress and individual characteristics.

A University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher will examine the role of cumulative psychosocial stress – as well as race, ethnicity and gender – among U.S. military personnel to gauge their impact on cardiovascular health and healthcare utilization. The study is funded by a $1 million grant from the Defense Health Agency, part of the Department of Defense (DoD). The findings will help the military develop programs for health promotion and health readiness for active duty and Reserve/National Guard personnel.