The Army sent a sleep director to the Himalayas. Here's why.
Photo By Maj. Ian Roth |
U.S. Army Capt. Molly Danner, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division,......read moreread more
Photo By Maj. Ian Roth | U.S. Army Capt. Molly Danner, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, H2F mental readiness and sleep director, poses for a photo during Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 in Auli, India, Sept. 12, 2026. Danner supports soldier sleep scheduling and mental readiness at high altitude, helping ensure soldiers stay focused and mission ready during combined training with the Indian Army. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Ian M. Roth) see less
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The Army sent a sleep director to the Himalayas. Here's why.
AULI, India — A focused soldier is a lethal soldier, and keeping that focus sharp starts long before soldiers reach the training area, according to Capt. Molly Danner.
Danner, an occupational therapist and the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) mental readiness and sleep director for 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, said building a consistent routine keeps soldiers sharp and mission focused throughout Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026.
"We want soldiers to have expectations and structure, because that's what keeps them focused on the mission," Danner said. "A focused soldier is a lethal soldier."
Soldiers with 11th Airborne Division deployed from Alaska to Auli, India, crossing the International Date Line with a 13-hour time difference before beginning training at roughly 9,000 feet above sea level. Danner said her team distributed guidance to soldiers before they deployed, covering jet lag management, sleep scheduling and mental readiness strategies. That guidance was meant to prepare soldiers for high-altitude, mountain warfare training, field training exercises and counter-unmanned aircraft system operations planned during YA26.
"This is how you deal with jet lag, this is how you coordinate your schedule going somewhere that's 13 hours ahead of us," Danner said. "How you plan out your sleep to make sure you're recovering well for the training ahead."
Danner said the length of the trip itself worked in soldiers' favor. She said a long flight followed by a long bus ride consolidated soldiers onto a single, consistent sleep schedule almost immediately, rather than leaving them to fight jet lag over several days.
"Being up and traveling for so long forced them onto a schedule," Danner said. "Soldiers are arriving well-rested and ready to execute the training ahead of them."
Danner said her team also equips soldiers with practical tools to stay mentally sharp as they adapt to a new environment, from setting personal goals and building routines around their values to adjusting physical training schedules to account for the altitude.
"Figuring out how to handle all of those changing, dynamic things and still be mentally ready for the fight and ready to accomplish the mission, that's the goal," Danner said.
Danner said maintaining a routine is not a matter of comfort. She said it is directly tied to whether soldiers can perform when it counts.
This is Danner's first overseas mission. As soldiers move into the Field Training Exercise portion of YA26, she said her team will continue reinforcing the sleep and mental readiness strategies introduced before the exercise began.
Since 2004, Yudh Abhyas, a U.S. Army Pacific-sponsored bilateral exercise with the Indian Army, has enhanced combined interoperability and strengthened the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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