New CAF initiative designed to ensure health of Airmen, families Published July 16, 2010 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- On the heels of The Year of the Air Force Family comes a natural extension of that theme, which amounts to a comprehensive system of initiatives designed to deal with all aspects of Airman and family fitness. Comprehensive Airman Fitness is not fitness in just the physical sense, though health certainly is a component, but covers a range of focal points including suicide prevention, relationship building, personal and family preparedness, Airman and family resiliency, and military child education. There are two cornerstones of the new initiative, first being the 5 Cs: connect, care, commit, communicate, and celebrate. The second is the 4 Pillars of Fitness -- physical, social, mental, and spiritual fitness. According to Gen. Raymond Johns, Air Mobility Wing commander, "Comprehensive Airman Fitness reflects our commitment to developing a holistic approach to caring for our people that equips, enables and empowers everyone to grow more physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually fit. It's not another program, but rather, a means to enhance mission effectiveness by intentionally investing in one another." AMC's CAF "vision is a community of balanced, healthy, self-confident Airmen and families whose resilience and total fitness enables them to thrive in an era of high opstempo and persistent conflict." According to information provided by AMC, CAF is a response to a "disturbing rise in negative behavioral health trends that is taking a toll on the health and wellness of our force." This trend has persisted despite a "substantial institutional investment in a wide range of programs designed to promote the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellness of our members," according to the AMC background information. CAF got its start in January 2010, when Air Combat Command, in an effort to turn around the disturbing trends in preventable self-defeating behaviors, introduced the CAF approach to caring for Airmen and their families. ACC's effort was based on the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness approach. Soon after COMACC briefed CAF at CORONA, the AMC Commander decided that AMC, too, would implement CAF across the command, with a target launch date of July 2010. What is CAF? As CAF rolls out this month, it represents the Air Mobility Command's investment in readiness of the force and quality of life for our Airmen, family members and civilians. This philosophy focuses on maximizing the development potential of our Airmen and their families. This initiative will help to reduce self-defeating behaviors, feelings of hopelessness and despair...and yield stronger, healthier, happier, more resilient Airmen and families who are better equipped to manage the rigors of 21st Century military life. Why is CAF important? It reinforces the very actions required to thrive in both good and bad times. It reflects the essence of what we expect in strong "wingmen", men and women who are not afraid to stand for what they believe and fight to keep each other safe from harm. Individuals will find strength in seeking help when they struggle and have compassion for others during difficult times. It creates the conditions necessary for individual and organizational resilience to take root. This philosophy defines our AF culture as a distinctive, living and viable system capable of sustainment within a rapidly moving and ever changing world. It provides a structural and behavioral element to teach our Airmen how to be stronger and more deeply connected to one another. By synchronizing our collective efforts to take care of Airmen and their families, we achieve the following objectives: · Improve Airman Performance and Readiness · Build Confidence to Lead and Courage to Follow · Enhance Community Resiliency · Maximize the Potential within Every Airman · Reduce Self-Defeating Thoughts and Behaviors · Improve Individual Strength What is the Vision? Our vision is a community of balanced, healthy, self-confident Airmen and families whose resilience and total fitness enables them to thrive in an era of high opstempo and persistent conflict. We will continuously strive to improve Airmen performance and readiness, by building their confidence to lead, courage to stand up for one's beliefs and compassion to help others. Comprehensive Airman Fitness is about maximizing one's potential. What is the Goal? The goal is to strengthen and sustain a culture of balanced, healthy, self confident Airmen and their families whose resilience and total fitness enables them to thrive in an era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict around the world. It does this within a more robust support framework for us through the 4 pillars and the 5 C's of positive behaviors: Care, Commit, Connect, Communicate and Celebrate. Through the lenses of the 4 pillars and 5 C's Air Mobility Command is striving to create and strengthen a community of fit and resilient Airmen, Civilians and families. The 4 pillars provide the structural element, focusing leadership on a means or methodology for addressing and meeting the needs of Airmen and their families. The 5 C's provide the behavioral element, focusing Airmen on these five simple behaviors which positively create a sense of belonging. The end state is a visibly stronger, more cohesive network of Airmen, Families and Civilians. A culture of people who care for each other, offer support when necessary and have the courage to seek help when they need it. An Air Force community that works together, struggles together and plays together for the good of all its members.