Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness

Army Expert Badges Will Share a Physical Fitness Assessment

02/28/2023
The Army’s Expert Infantryman, Field Medical and Soldier badges will now share a common fitness assessment while maintaining the integrity and history of each badge. The Expert Physical Fitness Assessment (EPFA) is a continuation of the effort to make it easier for units conducting three separate events throughout the year, much like the creation of the E3B. The EPFA considers how the Army now tests Soldier fitness with the Army Combat Fitness Test, which replaced the Army Physical Fitness Test.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Pillars for Empowerment

02/28/2023
It’s important to remember that our Soldiers, Civilians and their Families are people first and that their readiness and resilience are determined by our ability to understand and connect with them.

Advice for Springing Forward Into Sobriety

02/28/2023
Since winter is ending soon, now is the time to spring forward into sobriety by taking the appropriate steps to tackle harmful drinking habits. Karen Morin, risk reduction coordinator for the Maine Army National Guard, offers recommendations for enjoying your community and the outdoors during spring while staying sober.

New Year, New You: A Different Approach to Resolutions

02/28/2023
Although our intentions are always best when we set our resolutions, attempting to establish new habits and practices on the first day of the year isn’t ideal. This new year, I encourage you to go against tradition and set resolutions in February, instead of January.

New Podcasts Highlight TASP, Leadership

02/28/2023
In December we heard from Sgt. Maj. Sharita Onugha, a nominative senior enlisted adviser for the U.S. Army Resilience Directorate, in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, at the Pentagon. Onugha offered a detailed view of the Total Army Sponsorship Program and resources for Soldiers to increase their resilience.

Keys to Connection Welcomes New 10th Mountain Division Soldiers to Fort Drum, With Focus on Purpose, Goal Setting

02/27/2023
Keys to Connection, a new spiritual readiness initiative from the Fort Drum, New York, and 10th Mountain Division Chaplain Section and Religious Support Team, strives to make a meaningful first impression on Soldiers as they get established at their new duty station. At the bimonthly, 90-minute forum, Soldiers engage in meaningful discourse, self-reflection and goal-setting exercises.

Crafting Enduring Relationships

02/27/2023
U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey (PoM), in cooperation with Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center chaplain teams, hosted Crafting an Enduring Relationship Ceramic Night. Using a Monterey pottery cooperative venue, PoM’s Military Family Life counselor, Chaplain Maj. David Ditolla, brought couples together for an evening event aimed at helping them enrich their relationships.

Operation Resiliency

02/24/2023
Chaplains across the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, came together to conduct Operational Resiliency. The first of many holistic health and fitness initiatives put together by Col. Tom Helms, the command chaplain for the XVIII Airborne Corps, the event was an open-forum discussion about how chaplains, behavioral health experts and local civilians can help Soldiers be more resilient.

Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee Releases Report

02/24/2023
The Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC) released its report, which includes the committee’s findings and recommendations.

Interactive DUI Prevention Training Sends Sobering Message

02/22/2023
Driving under the influence of alcohol is the top crime affecting Fort Wainwright, Alaska. There has been a significant increase in DUI arrests since 2019. In 2022, from April to June, 37 Soldiers were arrested for DUI. To reduce drunken driving incidents and save lives, the Fort Wainwright Police Department has developed a new interactive training program to educate Soldiers on the effects alcohol has on their driving ability.

Quality of Life Takes Center Stage at Fort Polk

02/22/2023
Three ribbon-cutting ceremonies took place at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana, highlighting quality-of-life improvements across the installation. Fort Polk garrison commander, Col. Sam Smith, stated, “This is a great quality of life enhancement that is in line with our Army and Brig. Gen. Gardner’s first priority, which is to care for our people, and make Fort Polk a great place to live, work, deploy from and come home to.”

Sustainment Unit Launches Male Mentorship Program

02/16/2023
A new male mentorship program for 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion personnel officially began monthly leadership lessons. Led by Army spouse David Schenaker, the Samurai Diamond program aims to provide male members of the unit with an opportunity to look within themselves while learning skills that can help uplift others. Schenaker hopes that the program will evolve into one-on-one mentorships being formed among the participants.

Getting Out of Your Head by Getting Out of the Barracks

02/16/2023
Retired Cpl. Joshua Justice always knew that a life in the Army was for him—until it wasn’t. A knee injury he sustained before enlisting acted up while he was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, in his 11th year of service. Justice went to the Fort Stewart Soldier Recovery unit for surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament. This setback put his future in the Army in jeopardy. He admits it was difficult to work on his physical recovery while also contending with emotional turmoil over the possibility of having to make significant life changes.

Suicide Prevention Training Is Changing the Culture to Reduce Suicide

02/15/2023
At a three-day Ask Care Escort Suicide Intervention tier-2 training class, Soldiers learned how to be an effective resource in preventing suicide. They also acquired suicide prevention tactics such as using gun locks on weapons and self-soothing techniques (among them, bilateral stimulation, which helps the brain process daily events), according to Rhonda Gilchrist, psychological health program director for the 63rd Readiness Division.

Meet the Winners of the 2023 Army’s Best Medic Competition

02/14/2023
The annual Command Sgt. Maj. Jack Clark Army Best Medic Competition is a grueling three-day test of strength, knowledge and endurance. This year some of the Army’s best medics competed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The winners, Capt. Alexander Kenney and Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Petty, of the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, Airborne Ranger Training Brigade, demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and teamwork, solidifying their place among the service’s top medics.

Senior Leaders Support Fort Huachuca’s RAPID Escape Challenge

02/10/2023
Senior leaders from the Military Intelligence Corps attending the pre-command course navigated the Resilience, Awareness, Prevention, Inclusion and Diversity (RAPID) Escape Challenge at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Better known as the RAPID Escape Room, this challenge gave commanders the opportunity to take a more interactive and personal approach to RAPID. The Army’s Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention Program was also a key focal point.

DOD Survey Delivers Data on Well-Being of Military Spouses

02/10/2023
The “Survey of Active-Duty Spouses” looks at the experiences and attitudes of spouses across the military. Findings provide the Defense Department with a reliable scientific assessment that can help leaders to adjust Family policy and programs in the coming years. The survey gathers data on issues such as spousal employment, permanent change of station moves, spousal education, financial health, food insecurity, childcare and satisfaction with military life. The DOD’s Office of People Analytics, within the Defense Personnel Analytics Center, conducts the survey every other year, in collaboration with the department’s Military Community and Family Policy.

AMC Employees Honored for Selfless Service, Impacts to Mission

02/10/2023
From budget support and money-saving initiatives to readiness improvements and employee development, 11 Army Materiel Command employees set themselves apart.

Sexpectation: Healthy Relationships and Consent

02/09/2023
The U.S. Army NATO Brigade hosted three sessions about healthy relationships and consent, titled “Sexpectation,” at the Religious Support Office. The one-hour discussion featured Cherisse Staten, Landstuhl regional medical command sexual assault response coordinator, as the guest speaker.

USU, Canadian Armed Forces Host Military Women’s Health Workshop

02/07/2023
Uniformed Services University and the Canadian Armed Forces Health Services cohosted the first International Military Women’s Health Workshop to advance research on women’s health issues and to optimize care for women in uniform. The event included panel discussions on women’s health issues, such as reproductive health, women’s mental health and operational women’s health, as well as ways to best implement their efforts and take further action.

Former NFL Player Talks Resiliency at Spiritual Readiness Breakfast

02/07/2023
The 10th Mountain Division’s (LI) Unit Ministry Team hosted a spiritual readiness breakfast at Po Valley Chapel at Fort Drum, New York, with guest speaker Oscar Roan, a former NFL tight end. In an uplifting speech about forging ahead through adversity, Roan recalled hearing his father, a military police Soldier, talk about the importance of resilience.

Fusion Directorate Received Positively by Soldiers, Response Agencies During Pilot

02/06/2023
The Fusion Directorate pilot established six active-duty locations in April 2022 and one virtual pilot from the reserves in July 2022. During the one-year pilot, sexual assault response coordinators and victim advocates reported seeing managerial benefits such as smooth case and workload distribution, eased scheduling coverage from leaves or vacancies and enhanced capability to anticipate needed advocacy support.

Soldiers, Local Leaders Learn the Values of Forgiveness During Seminar

02/03/2023
Several service members spanning all ranks, plus Fayetteville community leaders, took part in the Forgiveness Counseling Training seminar led by renowned psychologist Dr. Everett Worthington and leaders of XVIII Airborne Corps’ ministry team, at the All-American Chapel at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “Forgiveness is essential to spiritual health and mental well-being,” said Worthington. “Individual relationships and communities are impacted by resentment, bitterness, anger and unforgiveness.”

West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug and Drug Demand Reduction Programs Prove Vital to Community Safety

02/03/2023
Since 1989, the West Virginia National Guard has been engaged with the Counter Drug and Drug Demand Reduction programs in an effort to protect West Virginians against the ravages of the illicit drug trade, which have significant and costly effects on the state’s economy and the well-being of its residents.

Super Bowl Sunday: One of the Deadliest Days

02/03/2023
When it comes to drunken driving, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the country’s most deadly days. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you must “Know the Score.” In the two hours it takes to watch the Super Bowl, three people will lose their lives to drunken driving.

Survivor on Two Fronts: Soldier Overcomes Two Tragedies To Find Healing

02/01/2023
Steve Von Jett had been fighting his own battle with suicide for more than three years when he learned that his friend, Maj. Paul Carron, took his own life. Von Jett finally sought professional help at the behavioral health clinic at Fort Meade, Maryland, and began attending behavioral counseling sessions.

Drug Prevention: Crossing T’s, Dotting I’s

02/01/2023
The Fort Bragg Army Substance Abuse Prevention Program held the first quarterly battalion prevention leaders’ meeting in North Carolina. Combat uniformed personnel and civilians circled the conference room with one common purpose: to ensure substance abuse prevention policies are followed throughout the installation.