Total Force Fitness Articles

Total Force Fitness is a new paradigm within the Department of Defense and is a framework for building and maintaining health, readiness, and performance in the United States Armed Forces. It views optimal performance as a holistic concept that requires a connection between mind, body, spirit, and relationships. Eight important domains make up Total Force Fitness: physical, nutritional, medical and dental, environmental, behavioral, psychological, spiritual, and social. The HPRC parallels many of these domains on our site.

Here are important recent developments in Total Force Fitness. These articles will keep you up to date on Total Force Fitness initiatives.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI)
In September, 2011, the CJCSI on Total Force Fitness was released. It describes eight important domains for Total Fitness: physical, nutritional, medical and dental, environmental, behavioral, psychological, spiritual, and social (for more information on each of these domains, read the 2010 Total Force Fitness supplement of Military Medicine).  The CJCSI describes a way to understand, assess, and maintain Total Force Fitness. It reinforces that performance optimization/resilience is an integrated process across all of the eight domains. The CJCSI also suggests metrics to use for each of the eight domains.

Promoting Psychological Resilience in the U.S. Military
The RAND National Defense Research Institute (RAND NDRI) conducted a focused literature review to identify individual, family, unit, and community-level factors for promoting psychological resilience. The results are summarized in the DoD-sponsored report Promoting Psychological Resilience in the U.S. Military. The study also included a review of resilience programs. The full report can be downloaded free from the RAND website, where you also can order a print copy.

HPRC at the DoD/USDA Family Resilience Conference
In addition, following the Total Force Fitness paradigm, there is a newly developing Military Family Fitness Model that identifies specific characteristics at the individual, family, and community levels that promote/detract from overall Warfighter resilience. This model emphasizes the central role that family relationships play in promoting Warfighter resilience and optimum performance.

Tri-Service Resilience Efforts [PPT] [PDF]
In this PowerPoint presentation, CAPT Johnston, Director of the Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, gives an overview of what resilience is in the Armed Forces, what the Total Force Fitness paradigm is, and what each service is doing to promote resiliency. He highlights the shift from treatment to wellness that is reflected in the current resilience initiatives in the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy.