An Army release notes efforts by the US Army training leadership to support the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness campaign through its Battle Command Training Program, an “exportable” training center.

The Army’s Comprehensive Fitness Program is designed to bring together several agencies, key organizational members and initiatives to address the “Five Dimensions of Strength” which sustain the U.S. Army Soldier: Physical, Emotional, Social, Family and Spiritual.

The BCTP is a team that travels to Army bases to bring specialized training to them.  CSF is a whole-person fitness concept designed to alleviate the Army’s prior emphasis solely on physical and combat capabilities.  Eventually, the Army became aware that it needed its Soldiers to be “fit” in all aspects of their lives, and that fitness made them better Soldiers in broader circumstances, including acting as a deterrent to suicide.

The article makes an interesting reference to the Global Assessment Tool, which has been previously maligned:

The [GAT] is the first step Soldiers take in determining which dimensions they need to address in their individualized CSF program. Soldiers can voluntarily elect to take the GAT, which is not tracked by the Command nor is part of a Soldiers Official Military record, to determine for themselves what type of help they need or even if they need help.

For Soldiers who choose not to take the GAT, or have not done so recently, BCTP approaches Comprehensive Soldier Fitness from a holistic point of view. Spiritual Fitness is one of five parts to this holistic approach.