Live from AUSA: ILW, G3/CSF TF Panel - “Building Resilient Soldiers, Families and Civilians”

“In a force where 60 percent of Soldiers are married, taking care of Families is more vital than ever,” Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, said recently during a visit to the Fort Hood Resiliency Campus in Texas.

Not surprisingly, with seven-plus years of sustained combat, Army leadership is seeking new or improved ways to meet the needs of those military men and women who have experienced increased levels of stress.
“The Army needs to make our resilience training for Soldiers, Families and Civilians turn post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth,” said LTG James D. Thurman, deputy chief of staff for Army G-3/5/7.”

The Army currently faces increased rates of post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and suicide – all serious indicators of Soldier-stress levels. To alleviate this, Army leadership, through the Army Family Covenant, is committed to providing Families a strong, supportive environment where they can thrive.

LTG Mark P. Hertling says that the Army should begin post-traumatic training early. “Post-traumatic resilience must come before the trauma happens,” he explained. “Everyone will have resilience training before deployment to give Soldiers a high level of resilience before a trauma occurs.”

Historically, and for obvious reason, physical fitness has been an integral part of a Soldier’s military career and the Army has heavily invested time and resources into maintaining a physically fit force.

The mission is to develop and institute a holistic, resilience-building fitness program for Soldiers, Family members and Army Civilians. The overarching goal is to provide individually tailored skill training that leads to a balanced, healthy, self-confident force whose resilience and overall fitness enables them to thrive in this current environment and beyond.

The Army now recognizes that these additional dimensions of fitness are as important to readiness as physical health and fitness. Building strength in the five dimensions of strength - physical, emotional, social, Family, and spiritual – enables the Army to sustain our Soldiers, Families and Army civilians in an era of persistent conflict.