Interesting link indeed:
Frequent claims have been made for the effectiveness of decompression, although this is without much in the way of supporting evidence to date. But should post-deployment decompression now become mandatory? Both Australia and the United Kingdom have, perhaps, made it clear that this would be a bridge too far at this stage.
The Australian Government recently declined the opportunity to implement mandatory decompression, arguing that: “ADF [Australian Defence Force] personnel returning from operational deployments are best managed with a degree of flexibility that allows commanders to make decisions based on the best interests of their subordinates. The nature of the deployment should drive the need for any period of decompression.”
Similarly, current U.K. policy on the use of decompression acknowledges the fact that “mandated decompression could be unhelpful if personnel are not allowed to return immediately to their families (and) mandating (the use of decompression) could therefore be detrimental to morale.”
(My bold text for emphasis).
....a degree of flexibility that allows commanders to make decisions based on the best interests of their subordinates.
