Photo By Maj. Ian Roth | A senior leader with 1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, completes fitness testing...... read more read more
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FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) team from 1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, has launched a new initiative aimed at improving the well-being of majors and first sergeants, a demographic often overlooked in traditional Army wellness programs.
The program, called Functional Rehabilitation of Senior Tacticians (FROST), was executed in April 2026 and is designed to help senior leaders prioritize their own health. The initiative was conceived by Col. Christopher Brawley, commander of 1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, who recognized a gap in wellness support for his senior leaders. "Majors and first sergeants spend so much time looking after their formations that they neglect themselves, which is what makes FROST so important," Brawley said. "The idea was to bring this type of program to our brigade, leveraging our H2F team, to look after leaders who spend all of their time focusing on others."
Brawley drew inspiration from two established programs: the U.S. Army War College's health assessment for students and the Ranger Regiment's Phalanx program, which is designed to keep Rangers serving longer by addressing medical needs early. "At the War College, a health assessment is completed with all students, and I saw it lead to many students choosing to make significant lifestyle changes," Brawley said. "Through Phalanx, I personally knew a service member who uncovered a significant medical problem they were then able to address."
The program also drew from Senior Leader Sustainment at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. The goal, said Dr. Ellie Van Luit, H2F program director, is to "encourage majors and first sergeants to spend a day taking care of themselves and potentially catch health concerns they were unaware of." Each participant attended a one-day FROST session, with the initiative spread over three weeks after the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Rotation 26-02.
During the event, each leader participated in five one-on-one appointments with licensed providers and H2F coaches, along with body composition testing, fitness testing and lab work. Feedback was based on objective data, as well as the participants' self-identified priorities. "This provided them an opportunity to examine their nutrition, physical, sleep, mental and spiritual readiness to support continued service and leadership," said Angela Hartman, H2F deputy mental readiness director. Providers assigned each leader an "action item" to help them start making desired changes, and follow-up appointments or outside referrals were scheduled as needed.
The program saw strong engagement in its first iteration, with 41 senior leaders participating. FROST was strategically scheduled in April during the recovery period following an intensive collective training cycle, which concluded with JPMRC Rotation 26-02. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with nearly all reporting they gained valuable insights into their own health and wellness and left with a clear understanding of next steps. The majority indicated they had already begun making changes based on what they learned, while others said they were actively considering adjustments to their routines.
"FROST helped to bolster relationships between these key leaders and the H2F team to further drive H2F integration and principles into the brigade," Van Luit said.
For participants, the impact was personal. One anonymous attendee wrote, "As a first sergeant, I spend 100% of my time focusing on the well-being of my formation. FROST forces those senior leaders to take one day to focus on themselves and how they need to get better." Another added, "FROST should be mandatory at the start of coming into a position and at least every six months to show decline, steady state, or increase in overall health. I would have adjusted myself a year ago and not be at the point I am now if I truly understood the impacts this job can sometimes have on my holistic health."
While performance and health changes are still too preliminary to report, the feedback has been clear: participants overwhelmingly recommend completing FROST again. The H2F team plans to conduct the program at least twice a year and is currently gathering feedback from the initial pilot to inform and support its ongoing implementation for all newly arriving brigade leaders.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2026 18:30 |
| Story ID: | 564136 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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