In Review – Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

– February 22, 2012Posted in: U.S. Army

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

Today we have a guest blog post from Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette, Director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.

The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is starting to yield the results we hoped to see when the U.S. Army embarked on this program several years ago. We recently published a technical report that analyzed the effectiveness of resilience training in units. Specifically, we looked at four brigade combat teams (BCTs) that had one master resilience trainer (MRT) per company and conducted resilience training. We compared their aggregate psychological health and resilience GAT scores over time to four brigade combat teams that neither had MRT’s nor conducted resilience training. The three important findings were:

The aggregate psychological health and resilience of the four BCT’s that conducted resilience training led by company level MRT’s improved over time. The aggregate psychological health and resilience of the four BCT’s that did not conduct resilience training remained relatively the same over time.
The resiliency training conducted in the four BCT’s was most effective in 18-24 year old’s – the Army’s high risk age group.
There is no evidence that resilience training causes any harm to those exposed to it.

We have also starting to see some evidence on the efficacy of the enhanced performance part of the CSF program. Specifically, the graduation rates of Jumpmaster School, rifle range qualification, and basic training graduation rates have all markedly improved for Soldiers that have participated in the CSF PREP program.

Finally, we are in the midst of a CSF program review process. We are looking at the entire program to identify the effectiveness and efficiency opportunities. I’d like to hear what your thoughts are on the CSF program – what is working; what is not working; and any ideas on the way ahead. I believe we are making a positive difference in the lives of Soldiers and their families – but I’m sure we can improve things through input from you.

CPT Matt Basil

“The aggregate psychological health and resilience of the four BCT’s that conducted resilience training led by company level MRT’s improved over time.”

It may be true that the resilience and psychological health of the force may be improving. It is also possible that the reason the surveys say we’re improving is that some Soldiers lie on them to avoid additional training.

While I was a company commander, I recall conducting surveys prior to redeployment, immediately after homecoming and a few months later. A comment I overheard one Specialist say to another is, “just say that you’re doing fine. If you say you have any issues, they’ll make you go to these counseling sessions.”

I immediately corrected the soldiers. I let them know that if they’re having problems, they are encouraged to seek help, and that there are no negative results from seeking help. Whether they were honest on the survey after I spoke with them, who knows.

The Soldiers must understand that seeking help is the honorable way to deal with a problem. When their honest responses on a survey tell them they must go to a counselor, they see it as punishment.

I believe the mass surveys are an ineffective way of measuring the mental fitness of the force. It must be done at the supervisor level. Troops must trust their leaders enough to tell them when there is a problem. Leaders must be able to communicate to their Soldiers what resources are available to them if they need help.

Armywide solutions tend to be a broadsword where junior level leadership and involvement is the scalpel that such issues need.
Don

I just completed two modules of CSF in IBOLC and I have a friend who finished the one week course here at Fort Benning. I’m sold on the program through the minimal exposure I’ve received. I hope to take the extended course as soon as possible.
http://www.opensis.com/ student information system

Well the program sounds interesting, it will probe the actual efficiency of the combats. I personally think the idea of enhancement in training structure that you have planned is just perfect, only physical fitness is not all a combat must have all-round efficiency to keep the nation safe.
MAJ Robert Rodock

As a former Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) Commander, I believe that the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is essential to the health and growth of the Army as our operational tempo slows and the Army transitions to training and preparation in a resource constrained environment. For more than ten years, our Soldiers have been preparing to fight, fighting, or recovering from a fight with little time for family, psychological health, or educational growth. Many of our Soldiers joined the Army to defend the nation in a time of war and have “lost” time to grow as individuals, members of families, and members of teams within the Army. In my WTU, we understood the emotional, mental, and physical toll that these years of war took on our Soldiers, and we fully embraced the concepts of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness to provide our Soldiers an opportunity to heal as well as grow in all aspects of their life. Our mission was to provide the Soldiers opportunities to improve so that they might better serve the Army in greater capacity.
I strongly believe that the tenants of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness should be applied in operational units in a manner similar to their application in the WTU. Specifically, the automated comprehensive transition plan (aCTP) and focused transition review (FTR) should be used to enhance the standard Army counseling program. Although the focus should not be on transitioning the Soldier as in the WTU, the focus should be on the growth of the Soldier across all aspects of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. The online aCTP and direct level monitoring provided by the FTR could be altered to develop Soldiers in operational units in order to improve the potential of individual Soldiers as well as give unit commanders additional tools to monitor the overall fitness of their organizations.
In my experiences as a company commander in combat I wish I would have had the tools that I had as a WTU commander to measure the individual progress of my Soldiers.

Robert R. Rodock
Major, Military Police Corps

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