Enhancing Resiliency and Optimizing Readiness in Military Special Forces Trainees
Abstract
Objectives and Rationale: Over the past 17 years, the U.S. military has increasingly relied on the use of Special Forces to meet operational requirements worldwide, placing a need on the Department of Defense (DoD) to properly train and graduate a greater number of these elite personnel. Special Forces training is exceptionally grueling, physically and mentally, not only because of the added military skills and physical abilities needed to complete real-world missions, but also to build exceptional resiliency. The U.S. Air Force Special Forces, known as Battlefield Airmen, undergo one of the longest Special Forces training experiences in the world, spanning 2 years. Aspiring Battlefield Airmen complete an initial 8-week training course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to prepare them for evaluation and selection into the program. The historical washout or non-graduation rates from this Battlefield Airmen and Selection Course are around 80%; once individuals complete the course, the subsequent washout rate in Battlefield Airman training is very low (less than 10%). This, then, seems an ideal place to intervene with additional resiliency training both to boost graduation rates and provide psychological skills that will benefit Battlefield Airmen throughout their careers. The proposed training program, Resilience Enhancement through Acceptance and Commitment Training (REACT), will work with this population to provide a brief psychological intervention to enhance resilience and optimize readiness. As named, the program utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based intervention that provides individuals with cognitive and psychological tools they can use to increase psychological flexibility (ability to look at things differently) and improve volition (the power to use one’s will to push on) to engage in values-based and goal-oriented behavior. The process will entail building willingness to experience greater levels of distress, both emotional and physiological, thereby increasing capacity to engage in goal-oriented action even in the face of intense distress. The project as proposed will be conducted in three phases. In the first phase, Air Force leadership and civilian experts will collaborate to develop a practical and scientifically valid resiliency program that is informed by military leadership and civilian experts. During the second phase, the program will be tested and validated with 50 Battlefield Airmen. Lessons learned from this phase will be used to modify the program to maximize resiliency training while not misusing Service members’ time. The final resiliency program will be examined as part of a randomized clinical trial involving 600 participants. Large groups of Battlefield Airmen trainees participating in the Special Forces preparation course will be assigned to participate in the resiliency program or regular training. All trainees will be assessed prior to and following the Special Forces preparation course, and graduation rates will be examined. Efficacy and Effectiveness of Resilience Interventions: Currently, few studies have validated the existing resiliency enhancement programs utilized by the U.S. military. The current research project, developed by military and civilian experts within the DoD and from premier academic institutions, utilizes ACT, an intervention shown in a recent report by the Cochrane Corporation as a model that is likely to enhance resiliency. In over 250 published or in press, randomized clinical trials utilizing ACT in diverse domains (e.g., work performance under stressful conditions, completing difficult physical exercise regimens, dealing with medical health issues including pain, etc.), ACT has demonstrated a proven track record of improving performance and functioning across a range of conditions, including those involving intense physical and emotional distress. Expected Benefit: It is expected that Battlefield Airmen who par
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910628
Entities
People
- Alan L. Peterson
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio