Comprehensive Airman Fitness, or CAF, is one of the Air Force’s highlighted programs. Its goal is to build and sustain a thriving and resilient Air Force community that fosters the four domains of mental, physical, social and spiritual fitness.
“Master resilience trainers, or MRTs, are important for sustaining our momentum,” Devitt said. “We’re trying to revamp and let everyone know how important the resilience program is. We want to re-engage.”
One of the program’s goals is to have more MRTs who will train resilience training assistants, or RTAs. Together, this team will teach resilience courses across the installation.
“We should have one MRT per 200 personnel members – military, civilians and contractors – at Wright-Patt,” Devitt said. “Currently there are 34 MRTs at Wright-Patterson AFB, while the need is for at least 137,” she said. “Plus, each unit or squadron should have at least one resilience training assistant as the point of contact for their resilience efforts.”
The goal is to train the Total Force to continually enhance resilience skills based on the four domains of health and to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle.
“The Air Force understands our people are our most valuable asset,” she said. “We are the support system for our military community. We must take care of ourselves and each other, to build and sustain a culture of resilient Airmen and families.”
“Resilience is key to our folks completing the mission – whatever the particular mission is,” said Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Arbona, 88th Air Base Wing command chief. “We have a lot of technology and innovation in our Air Force, but if we don’t have a strong, resilient human component behind those resources, then they cannot be fully utilized. We have to ensure our Airmen – officer, enlisted and civilian – are as resilient as they can be, so they are in the right frame of mind while they are executing their mission.”
He said he understands Air Force personnel are extremely busy, but he wants to encourage interested individuals to consider becoming engaged.
“It’s important we have people trained to support their organization. Every Air Force specialty code is different and has its own nuances, so who better to understand the dynamics of an organization, be able to identify issues with their own people and then step in to assist?”
Arbona said he recognizes it takes every level of leadership to be engaged with personnel and notice changes in behavior or morale.
“It takes functional experts who can, no kidding, reach people at the tactical level to make them understand how what they are doing fits within the organization’s ‘job jar.’ That’s probably more effective than someone coming from outside that organization who may not know as much about that organization’s ‘battle rhythm,’” he said.
Resilience is not an additional duty, the chief emphasized.
“It needs to be a part of our Air Force culture,” Arbona noted. “It should be talked about at every level of development, from basic training to technical training to first term Airman to every level of professional military education.”
The chief drew an analogy between resilience and rubber bands.
“Every rubber band has its own elasticity, and if you stretch it too far it is going to break,” he said. “People are no different, and they have different tolerance levels. It’s important we don’t push too far, because we need to maximize their potential. It’s a fine balance.”
The more people understand and utilize the Comprehensive Airman Fitness Program, the more productive they will be, Arbona said.
He said he wanted to encourage all leaders, whether formal or informal, managers or supervisors, to receive some level of training in resiliency.
Individuals who are interested in becoming an MRT or RTA for their squadron or unit can do so through their local leaders: commanders, first sergeant, MRTs, RTAs or Devitt (mary.devitt@us.af.mil).
The preferred MRT candidates will be outgoing, leaders in their area and hard-chargers who are willing to lead first term Airmen in day-long trainings at the First Term Airman Center.
The next resilience trainer assistant course is July 16-18 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“Some people have told me the resilience training is the best Air Force training they have ever taken,” Devitt said. “It is useful dealing with people everywhere.”
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