Navy Adm. Mullen Says "Total Force Fitness" Starts Day One 

Emily Greene, health.mil
February 7, 2011

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff initiated Total Force Fitness as a means to focus on the total well-being of service members.

The
2011 Warrior Resiliency Conference opened Feb. 7 with a powerhouse of
speakers addressing this  year’s theme of “Total Force Fitness,” an
initiative from the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Navy
Capt. Paul S. Hammer, Medical Corps, director of the Defense Centers of
Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury welcomed
the audience consisting of senior officers and enlisted leadership from
across the services for the two-day conference. 
Hammer
defined Total Force Fitness as a state in which the individual, family
and organization can achieve and sustain optimal well-being and
performance under all conditions.
“Resilience is real, leadership is critical and this is a conversation,” he said.
Leaders
engaging in the dialogue included Clifford L. Stanley, Ph.D., under
secretary of defense for personnel and readiness and Army Col. Christian
Macedonia, M.D., medical sciences advisor to the chairman of the joint
chiefs of staff, defense sciences office program manager, Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Stanley emphasized the responsibility leaders hold for the well-being of service members both at home and abroad.
“Our troops deserve the very best; they deserve our love,” Stanley said.  “Taking care of our people is so fundamentally basic.”
Macedonia
added that Total Force Fitness represents a fundamental change in
doctrine, rather than a single program.  While each branch of service
has developed a way to care for their troops, there is always room for
improvement he said.  He also emphasized the importance of leadership
engagement to foster development of Total Force Fitness.
“Leaders set the conditions for a  culture of fitness,” Macedonia said. 
Navy
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff delivered
the keynote address.  He spoke about the obligation of all levels of
leadership to ensure the well-being of service members and their
families.
“This is an
important part of who we are and what we are,” Mullen said.  “We need to
take care of our men and women in uniform.  We have to make sure we get
it right for our people.”
Mullen
also said the services and the Department of Defense must find better
ways to provide for them from the day they enter the service throughout
the rest of their lives.
“Building
resilience starts the moment that soldier, sailor, airman or Marine
raises their hand and shows up at boot camp,” Mullen said.  “Taking care
of families and service members starts from day one.”
An
emphasis on garrison leadership is a priority Mullen spoke about this
morning, saying the service branches, DoD and Department of Veteran’s
Affairs must work together in order to ensure troops and their families
are getting what they need at home both during and after active service.
“We
must take care of our most precious resources; our people,” Mullen
said.  “I think we underestimate the significance of the challenge.”
In conclusion, Mullen charged leaders to be open to new ideas and best practices from outside sources. 
“I ask you to be open to new ideas; exploring territory we haven’t explored,” he said.  “Be open to what else is out there.” 
Watch Mullen's full speech on the Pentagon Channel at https://www.pentagonchannel.mil/ .

IN THE MEDIA

Yoga International

Joelle
Hann reviewed the range of mind/body approaches that the military is
currently investigating, including MMFT, in the Spring 2011 issue of Yoga International .  The article August 2010 issue of Military Medicine . takes as its starting point the concept of Total Force Fitness, which is developed in detail in the supplement to the

New York Times

Tom Shanker and Matt Richtel examined the negative effects of data overload in the military for the New York Times .  The story mentions MMFT as a possible training approach for mitigating these
negative effects on decision-making and military effectiveness.

Newsweek

A recent  Newsweek article by Sharon Begley explored the burgeoning field of brain training and
cognitive enhancement and tried to sort out what really works.  The
article explains that many approaches to brain training may enhance
specific cognitive functions, but they are not generalizable to a range
of tasks.  It concludes by naming a select few techniques – including
Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training – that do train transferable
skills.

Military Times

Jon Andersining in the military.  The article highlights our work at MFTI.

Men's Journal

on of the Military Times wrote a feature on the application of mindfulness tra

Venessa Gregory penned a piece in the November 2010 issue of Men's Journal reporting on the experiences of the Marines who participated in the pilot study of MMFT .

WHYY Radio Program, Voices in the Family

Voices in the Family, a
weekly program on the National Public Radio affiliate WHYY, hosted by
Dr. Dan Gottlieb, dedicated a show to exploring the implications of the
pilot study of MMFT with Marines Reservists.  The show featured Dr.
Amishi Jha, the principal investigator of the pilot study, Dr. Elizabeth
Stanley, the creator of MMFT, and MAJ Jason Spitaletta, a Marine
Reservist who participated in the pilot study.  The conversation
explored how mindfulness training can train attention and the
implications for MMFT with the military.  The show aired on May 10. 
Listen to the program here:  MMFT, Training Attention, and theMilitary on WHYY

Mind Fitness and Deployment:  An Interview

Liz
Stanley spoke with Carole Sargent, host of the Georgetown Forum radio
show about MMFT and using mind fitness training to prepare for the
stressors of combat.  To hear that interview, click here .

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