Relevant, ready and resilient

GREENSBORO, NC, UNITED STATES

03.22.2015

Story by Lt. Col. Patty Brewer 

352nd Civil Affairs Command

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Commanders throughout the U.S. Army Reserve are challenged to keep their Soldiers prepared for eventual deployments while simultaneously balancing the competing necessities of civilian life. After more than 10 years of war, military leadership recognized the need to better prepare Soldiers and their families and developed the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program. In 2012, the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, a U.S. Army Reserve unit located in Greensboro, North Carolina, successfully implemented the pilot CSF2 program and improved the resilience of its of Soldiers, families, and Army civilians.

CSF2 was established in August 2008 by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey to improve the way a war-weary Army overcame the stressors and challenges of multiple deployments. As The Hill, a U.S. political website, reported in October 2009, Casey had been searching for a reliable technique to better prepare the Army’s 1.1 million Soldiers for the shift from combat to civilian life. Casey found the basis for a program in the research of Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte at the University of Pennsylvania. Reivich and Shatte developed a process to help high school students prosper under pressure and adapt to change. They published 15 years of research in “The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles.”

When Casey learned of Reivich and Shatte’s findings, he pushed for what would eventually be known as CSF2, a training and support mechanism focused on resiliency. CSF2 is a critical component of the larger Ready and Resilient Campaign that synchronizes multiple programs to improve the readiness and resilience of Soldiers, U.S. Army civilians and families.

Resiliency is defined by the Ready and Resilient Campaign as the mental, physical, emotional and behavioral ability to face and cope with adversity, adapt to change, recover, learn and grow from setbacks. Resilience can be built, maintained and strengthened through regular unit training. CSF2 provides hands on training and self-development tools to ensure participants are better able to cope with adversity, improve performance in stressful situations and thrive in life. The active-duty Army has successfully employed CSF2 since October 2009, but how could an Army Reserve unit adapt the active-duty focused CSF2 training?

“Army Reserve Soldiers and National Guardsmen often do not have the same access to training and support mechanisms offered to their active duty counterparts due to units’ and members’ geographic locations,” said Col. Robert S. Cooley, Jr. former commander of the 422nd.

In 2012, the 422nd became the first U.S. Army Reserve unit to implement CSF2. The two biggest challenges were the lack of contact between Battle Assemblies and time limitations during training weekends.

“CFS2 is relatively easy to apply on an Army installation with active-duty Soldiers whose full time job is to attend the training assigned to them,” said Lt. Col. Richard Brown, commander of the 422nd.

For Army Reserve Soldiers, being ‘Twice the Citizen’ also means having twice the responsibilities. Civilian jobs, school, children, and other major life events fill the space between Battle Assemblies. Unlike the active-duty Army, first line leaders may go weeks at a time without direct contact with their Soldiers.

“I determined CSF2 was a benefit for Soldiers if I could adapt the program to fit a reserve unit’s requirements.” said Cooley. “Modules had to be tailored and prioritized to fit within already demanding weekend training and we also had to establish measures of effectiveness.”

The battalion leadership worked closely with CSF2 resources at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to develop training for four-Soldier civil affairs teams. These teams had specialized regional training in preparation for a rapid deployment where they would integrate within the maneuver commander’s civil-military operations. CSF2 training involved building mental skills foundations and teaching personal energy management. The culminating CSF2 activity included family members in multiple, age-specific training sessions designed to teach resilience skills. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“In October 2013, we shifted gears and focused CSF2 application within the constraints of a Battle Assembly weekend for Delta Company,” Brown added.

Delta Co. and CSF2 staff together determined that based on the upcoming marksmanship qualification and Army Physical Fitness Test, the best modules to focus on would be energy management and goal setting. The CSF2 trainers and the small group dynamic encouraged a strong dialogue between trainers and Soldiers. The CSF2 trainers implemented Soldier feedback and adjusted training plans to increase involvement.

The end result, for both the civil affairs teams and Delta Company, was a resounding success. Delta Company significantly improved their weapons’ qualification and APFT scores. For deployed civil affairs teams, unit members and Families reported better coping and communication mechanisms during mobilization.

In 2014, CSF2 was integrated into companies’ preparation for the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, scheduled for 2015. The focus transfers from individual performance indicators to improving collective performance results of teams and units.

“Continued application of CSF2 during major training events in 2015 gives us an opportunity to measure results between Soldiers who previously participated in CSF2 and those who did not,” added Brown.

With diligent and thoughtful application of CSF2, the 422nd was able to produce results similar to those experienced by the active-duty army. The pilot program’s initial successes demonstrated that Soldiers and their families were becoming more resilient. CSF2 is now available to the entire U.S. Army Reserve. Leaders throughout the U.S. Army Reserve can take the lessons learned and apply CSF2 to benefit their units.

“In order for the Army Reserve to remain an operationally viable force, leaders must maintain ready Soldiers and teams to meet immediate contingencies worldwide,” said Cooley. “CSF2 provides the Army Reserve a means to ensure Soldiers and teams are prepared to meet those contingencies.”

For additional information on CSF2, go to http://csf2.army.mil/

For additional information and a more detailed paper on CSF2 implementation by the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, contact Lt. Col. Patty Brewer at 703-470-6521 or [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 03.22.2015
• Date Posted: 03.23.2015 23:42
• Story ID: 157860
• Location: GREENSBORO, NC, US
• Hometown: FORT MEADE, MD, US
• Hometown: GREENSBORO, NC, US
• Hometown: WASHINGTON, DC, US