Operation Collaboration: Exploring Military and Civilian Tobacco Control Partnerships

Military culture is as pronounced and distinct as that of any other racial/ ethnic/ linguistic group in the United States. It has its own language, dress code, culture, norms, and expectations, including longstanding customs and rituals around the use of cigars, smokeless tobacco, and cigarettes. These strong cultural pressures contribute to tobacco use rates that are higher among military service members than the general public. As self-contained communities, military bases and installations operate with limited access to traditional civilian tobacco cessation and prevention services. The civilian services that are offered seldom address service members in a culturally appropriate way. Operation Collaboration has sought to bridge the gap between military and civilian services by developing a series of tobacco cessation and education recommended practices and resources for creating military-civilian public health partnerships. These practices and resources were designed to meet the ever-growing demand for national, culturally appropriate cessation information, tobacco education, and military-public health materials. Operation Collaboration has provided services to select military installations throughout the nation and hopes to expand even further. With the resources and experiences gained through this program, this innovative approach could be used throughout the nation to increase military-civilian partnerships that address tobacco use by military service members.