Total Force Fitness
A Brief Overview
Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health
and Traumatic Brain Injury
Prepared 7 MAY 2012
Total Force Fitness
 Introduce eight domains of Total Force Fitness (TFF) arranged in
mind and body categories
 Provide a brief background on development of TFF
 Explain what components are for each domain
 Provide some strategies leaders can take to make these domains
come alive in day-to-day operations
 Explain how the domains relate to each other
 Provide the basic references for TFF
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Why TFF?
 Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Initiative on Health of
the Force 2009
 CJCS Instruction 3405.01: “Chairman’s Total Force Fitness
Framework,” September 1 2011
 Joint Publication 1: “Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the
United States”
 CJCS Strategic Guidance to the Joint Force, February 6 2012
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Achieving our National Objectives in our current conflicts
Developing a Joint Force for 2020
Recommitting ourselves to the Profession of Arms
Keeping faith with the Military Family
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What is TFF?
Total Force Fitness: A state in which the individual, family and
organization can sustain optimal well-being and performance
under all conditions
Resilience: The resources to withstand, recover and/or grow
in the face of stressors and changing demands
Health: A state of complete physical, mental, social, and
spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity
Doctrine: A new doctrine not a new program
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TFF Core Components
1. Requires a holistic approach to best serve our
warfighters, families and communities
2. Spans a warfighter’s lifecycle for accession through
retirement and recognizes the unique challenges of
deployment and redeployment
3. Is about leadership … leaders set the conditions for
fitness in the total force
4. Recognizes the family as the cornerstone of
warfighter success
5. Utilizes valid and reliable metrics
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How Did TFF Develop?
 Total Force Fitness Working Group called
by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
– 70 individuals from all services, academia and
civilian sector met December 6-9 2009
Mind
Body
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Psychological
Behavioral
Social
Spiritual
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Physical
Medical/Dental
Environmental
Nutritional
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Mind Body Domains
Cover of Military Medicine, August 2010, Volume 175, No 8
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Total Force Fitness Domains
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Physical
Definition: The ability to physically accomplish all aspects of the
mission while remaining healthy and uninjured
Components:
Strength
Endurance
Power
Flexibility
Mobility
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Develop balanced strength training
 Teach and enforce sound sleep habits
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Medical and Dental
Definition: The ability to meet
established standards for
medical readiness
Components:
Immunizations
Screening
Prevention
Strategies Leaders May Use
to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Ensure Medical and Dental Readiness
 Provide a stigma-free command culture for
help seeking behaviors
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Environmental
Definition: The ability to perform mission-specific duties in any
environment
Components:
Heat/cold
Altitude
Noise
Air quality
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Ensure members understand their
working environment
 Ensure proper protective gear is provided
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Nutritional
Definition: The ability to recognize and select the requisite
nutrition to sustain and optimize physical and cognitive
performance and health
Components:
Food quality
Nutritional requirements
Food choices
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Provide training and education on nutrition
 Reset command culture to view healthy
foods as performance enhancers
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Psychological
Definition: The ability to effectively cope with the unique mental
stressors and challenges needed to ensure mission readiness
Components:
Coping
Awareness
Beliefs/appraisals
Decision making
Engagement
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
 Model optimism and self-confidence
 Learn and use unit members’ strengths
to promote engagement
DoD Photo
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Behavioral
Definition: The relationship between one’s
behaviors and health
Components:
Substance abuse
Hygiene
Risk mitigation
Peer support
DoD Photo
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
 Encourage esprit de corps within the command
 Discourage the use of tobacco products
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Social
Definition: The ability to engage in healthy social networks that
promote overall well-being and optimal performance
Components:
Family cohesion
Social support
Task cohesion
Social cohesion
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Encourage unit cohesion through intentional leadership
 Extend leadership to families and be a positive role model
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Spiritual
Definition: The ability to adhere to beliefs,
principles or values needed to persevere and prevail in accomplishing
missions
Components:
Perspective (worldview)
Core values
Identity, meaning and purpose
Ethical foundation
Embracing diversity
Strategies Leaders May
Use to Promote Domain:
DoD Photo
 Encourage unit members to appreciate diversity in their unit
 Teach unit members their service motto and core values
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Domain Overlaps and Relationships
Physical
Nutritional
Behavioral
Spiritual
Total Force
Fitness
Psychological
Social
Medical/
Dental
Environmental
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References
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction
3405.01
Joint Publication 1: “Doctrine for the Armed
Forces of the United States”
Military Medicine
August 2010, Vol. 175,
No 8
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