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Comprehensive Airman Fitness – A focus for life

  • Published
  • By By Col. Michael Hornitschek
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing commander
Leadership University Lesson No. 1: Take care of your Airmen, and they'll take care of the mission. This fundamental tenet of leadership has withstood the test of time through innumerable peacetime and wartime challenges. To that end, Air Mobility Command has recently launched a new awareness campaign for ensuring our Airmen and their families are equipped to meet the rigors of military life in the 21st Century.

The Air Force ops tempo is not likely to ease up any time soon, and that's why the AMC commander, Gen. Raymond Johns, Jr., has directed that the command embrace a better, more comprehensive way to promote mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellness for all our Airmen, family members and civilians.

Comprehensive Airman Fitness, or CAF, is not a program but a cultural mindset about building resilience to the stress associated with the demands of the mission and life. Strengthening a CAF culture will take time, but is a necessary approach for taking care of Airmen, civilians and family members so that they can take care of the mission and each other. A robust plan has been developed for incorporating all our helping agencies, such as the chapel and the Airman and Family Readiness Center, to execute a complete, holistic approach to wellness.

Scott AFB already has a very active Community Action Information Board, known as the CAIB, and its action arm, the Integrated Delivery System, to oversee much of the synchronization efforts of the various helping agencies. They will continue to be the lead for CAF and will undergo additional structuring to meet the commander's intent with regards to implementing CAF action items.

In the weeks and months to come, we will all become familiar with the basic components of CAF and its desired outcomes so we can begin reversing some of the negative behavioral health trends the command is experiencing. The Air Force as a whole has witnessed a rise in suicides, divorce rates, financial difficulties and alcohol incidents, but this trajectory can be reversed by CAF initiatives that improve the resiliency of our Airmen and their families for their overall well being, life balance and sense of belonging.

Understanding and accepting a change in methodology takes time, so together we will take a journey toward better wellness, exploring what CAF is and what it will mean to all of us--the programs, initiatives and activities that will build upon the foundations we have already identified in our wing strategy map. As we integrate our current programs with the CAF action plans, I am confident that we will strengthen our "Airman Resilience" and maximize the potential within every Airman. We have and will continue to focus on balancing mission and family, work on developing leaders, instilling pride in our Showcase Wing, and promoting and rewarding outstanding performance.

Along with building a strong physical, social, mental and spiritual core, you will hear about the "Five C's of Positive Behaviors," which are Care, Commit, Connect, Communicate and Celebrate. These behaviors are essential to developing a healthy sense of self and ability to effectively interact with others. More will be discussed in the coming weeks.

As General Johns said, "Comprehensive Airman Fitness reflects our commitment to developing a holistic approach to caring for our people that equips, enables and empowers everyone to grow more physically, socially, mentally and spiritually fit. It's not another program, but rather a means to enhance mission effectiveness by intentionally investing in one another."

As your Wingman, I want you to know that I am committed to your wellness, and I ask all commanders and frontline supervisors to assist in this effort. AMC cares about you and your families, and the more resilient you are, the better equipped you are to deal with the rigors of military life. We don't want to just survive through challenging times, we want to thrive. Through the CAF focus we can do just that!