<P> Smoking in the United States military has been observed in previous wars, but smoking's close association with the United States military started in World War I when tobacco companies began to target military personnel through the distribution of cigarettes to servicemen and the eventual inclusion of cigarettes into rations . Although the military has attempted to implement tobacco control initiatives, the association between smoking and military personnel has persisted to the present day as smoking rates remain high, despite declines in civilian rates . Such high rates have led to questions about the effect of smoking from the apparent health risks to troop readiness and training costs . </P> <P> With the entrance of the United States into World War I in 1918, cigarette use increased dramatically among United States military personnel as they were targeted by tobacco companies which touted cigarettes as a way for soldiers to psychologically escape from their current circumstances, boosting overall troop morale . Cigarettes became so integrated into life on the battlefield that these symbols of pleasure and comfort were also used as a form of currency . Although cigarettes had been regarded as a physical and moral hazard by early anti-tobacco movements around this time, by 1918, previously anti-cigarette organizations and the military began supporting efforts to distribute cigarettes to troops . The New York Times garnered support for these efforts by stating that cigarettes "lighten (ed) the inevitable hardships of war", and another popular periodical described cigarettes as the "last and only solace of the wounded ." With the rise of World War II, tobacco companies continued to foster this culture of wartime smoking by sending free cigarettes to troops and supporting the inclusion of cigarettes into the soldiers' rations . Advertisements also encouraged citizens back home to support the troops by sending cigarettes . In 1965, first during the U.S. Army's Basic Training Course & later in Pre-Airborne Infantry Training, while being allowed a break from P.T., or during a long march, it was commonplace for a Drill Sergeant to say "smoke' em if you got' em, do pushups if you don't". Non-smoking soldiers would quickly "bum" a cigarette from a friend & they too would soon be smokers . Despite mounting evidence in the 1950s of the adverse health effects of smoking and tobacco use, the military continued to include cigarettes in rations until 1975 . </P> <P> With the scientific data about the health risks of smoking and information about the effect of smoking on troop readiness, in 1975, the United States Department of Defense discontinued the inclusion of cigarettes in K - rations and C - rations . By 1978, the Department of Defense had implemented basic smoking regulations, including the designation of smoking and nonsmoking areas . In 1985, the Department of Defense conducted a study that revealed that smoking rates of military personnel (47%) were significantly higher than that of US civilians (30%) and concluded that smoking had a negative effect on troop readiness . The report also cited an estimated tobacco - related healthcare costs as high as $209.9 million, and recommended potential methods to curb smoking in the military, including the elimination of tobacco products from stores, raising tobacco prices to civilian levels, and the implementation of an educational program to discourage smoking . In 1986, the DoD Directive 1010.10 was issued by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, who announced, "an intense anti-smoking campaign...at all levels of all Services ." It established a policy on smoking and other health risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption . The policy banned the use of tobacco during basic training, increased the number of designated nonsmoking areas, and prohibited health care providers from smoking on duty . The goal of the policy was to reduce all tobacco use rates to below that of civilians, and to reduce personnel and active duty rates from 52% to 25% by 1990 . In 1992, the DeCA Directive 40 - 13 policy prohibited commissaries and exchanges from participating with promotions by tobacco manufacturers directed specifically at military personnel, and required commissaries to stock cigarettes in the back . In 1993, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN - 71) became the first smoke - free Navy ship . By 1994, the Department of Defense had implemented Directive 1010.15 which banned smoking in workplaces, designated outdoor smoking areas, and created the precursor of an education program that sought to distribute information to new personnel on the health effects of smoking and to encourage smokers to quit . Executive Order 13508 in 1997 banned smoking in all government - owned, rented, or leased interior spaces, but the Department of Defense approved a three - year phase - in period for their facilities and eventually implemented the ban on December 7, 2002 . Despite these attempts, by 1988, the smoking rate had only decreased to 42% and far exceeded the rate of civilians . And although prevalence did decrease to 29.9% from 1980 to 1998, it has increased since then and appears to still be increasing . </P>

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