Steeling the Mind: Combat Stress Reactions and Their Implications for Urban Warfare
Describes the known precipitants of combat stress reaction, its battlefield treatment, and the preventive steps commanders can take to limit its extent and severity.
Todd C. Helmus
Senior Behavioral Scientist; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Expertise
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Todd Helmus is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. A nationally recognized expert on disinformation and violent extremism, Helmus specializes in the use of data and evidence-based strategies to understand and counter disinformation and extremism. He has studied the disinformation threat posed by deepfakes, Russian-led propaganda campaigns targeting the United States and Europe, and the use of social media by violent extremist groups. He has also led research on domestic extremism risks of veteran and active duty military populations.
In addition to his research, Helmus is a frequent speaker at security conferences. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security and has served as a deployed analyst to U.S. military commands in Iraq and Afghanistan. His work has been featured in various media outlets including the New York Times, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, Harpers Magazine, Forbes and MSNBC.
Helmus holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
Education
Ph.D. in clinical psychology, Wayne State University
Selected Work
- Helmus, Todd C., Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and Disinformation: A Primer, RAND Corporation (PE-A1043-1), 2022
- Todd C. Helmus, Ryan Andrew Brown, Rajeev Ramchand, Prevalence of Veteran Support for Extremist Groups and Extremist Beliefs: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey of the U.S. Veteran Community: Appendix, RAND (RR-A1071-3), 2023
- Helmus, Todd C., James V. Marrone, Marek N. Posard, and Danielle Schlang, Russian Propaganda Hits Its Mark: Experimentally Testing the Impact of Russian Propaganda and Counter-Interventions, RAND Corporation (RR-A704-3), 2020
- Helmus, Todd C., Marta Kepe, A Compendium of Recommendations for Countering Russian and Other State-Sponsored Propaganda, RAND Corporation (RR-A894-1), 2021
- Todd C. Helmus, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Andrew Radin, Madeline Magnuson, Joshua Mendelsohn, William Marcellino, Andriy Bega, Zev Winkelman, Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe, RAND (RR-2237), 2018
- Helmus, Todd C., S. Rebecca Zimmerman, Marek N. Posard, Jasmine L. Wheeler, Cordaye Ogletree, Quinton Stroud, and Margaret C. Harrell, Life as a Private: A Study of the Motivations and Experiences of Junior Enlisted Personnel in the U.S. Army, RAND Corporation (RR-2252-A), 2018
- Helmus, Todd C., Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Empowering ISIS Opponents on Twitter, RAND Corporation (PE-227-RC), 2017
- Todd C. Helmus, Christopher Paul, Russell W. Glenn, Enlisting Madison Avenue: The Marketing Approach to Earning Popular Support in Theaters of Operation, RAND (MG-607), 2007