FORT BELVOIR, Va., -- In October 2009, the U.S. Army launched the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program which, according to director Brig. Gen. Jim Pasquarette, is an effort to establish a structured, long-term assessment and development program to build the resilience and enhance the performance of every Soldier, Family member and Department of the Army civilian.

The Army defines the mission of the CSF as developing and instituting a holistic fitness program in order to build an Army of balanced, healthy, self-confident Soldiers, Families and Army civilians whose resilience and total fitness enables them to thrive in an era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict.

The CSF program is divided into five areas of specialized individual improvement areas which provide servicemembers with defined targets as they work to become resilient warfighters and individuals. Known as the Five Dimensions of Strength, the areas are defined as Physical, Emotional, Social, Family and Spiritual according to the U.S. Army's CSF mission statement.

There are four primary components of the CSF, the first of which is the Global Assessment Tool. The GAT is an online, 105-question survey that takes most people less than 15 minutes to complete, with responses treated as strictly confidential. Completing the GAT is an annual training requirement for all Soldiers. There are variants of the GAT for Family members and for Department of the Army Civilians, but completing the GAT is optional for these groups.

The second component of the program includes the Comprehensive Resilience Modules, which are online training modules that focus on specific resilience skills. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness has released 20 CRMs -- there are five modules per dimension (social, emotional, spiritual, and family) -- and each module takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. While CSF directors believe that all modules may be beneficial to individual Soldiers, completing any of the modules is completely optional. Soldiers may not be coerced by anyone to participate in the online training in any of the four dimensions.

The third component is the Master Resilience Trainer Course. This is a 10-day resilience train-the-trainer course offered in three formats: Temporary Duty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, TDY at Victory University at Ft. Jackson, S.C. and TDY as part of a Mobile Training Team at an Army facility. Local commanders typically select non-commissioned officers -- usually senior staff sergeants or sergeants first class serving in platoon sergeant or brigade staff positions -- to attend the course. Upon graduation, these NCOs serve as the commander's primary resilience trainers for the unit. MRTs receive an Additional Skill Identifier upon graduation. The initial Army requirement for MRTs, as directed by the Army Chief of Staff, is to have one MRT in every battalion and brigade (or like-sized organization).

The fourth component of the CSF is Institutional Resilience Training. RT was fully implemented during the 4th quarter FY11 and as such, resilience training is required at every level of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System and the Officer Education System. Resilience training will occur across a Soldier's entire career, at every major career milestone. The RT program of instruction is currently under joint CSF, Training & Doctrine Command, and University of Pennsylvania development.

CSF marks a new era for the Army by equipping and training Soldiers, Family members and Army civilians to maximize their potential and face the physical and psychological challenges of sustained operations, according to CSF officials.

"We are committed to a true prevention model, aimed at the entire force, which will enhance resilience and coping skills enabling Soldiers, Family members and DoD civilians to grow and thrive in today's Army," reads the CSF mission statement. "The goal is to improve Soldier performance and readiness, to build confidence to lead, courage to stand up for one's beliefs and compassion to help others. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is about maximizing one's potential."