The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is rolling out a comprehensive “Culture of Fitness” initiative, aiming to fundamentally transform how Airmen and Guardians approach physical well-being and readiness. This strategic shift goes beyond traditional physical training, emphasizing a holistic approach that integrates nutrition, mental resilience, and continuous fitness to ensure service members are “wholly resilient, healthy and ready to defend our nation,” according to Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink.
This new push comes after a critical review highlighted that previous fitness programs fell short in fostering the holistic well-being and operational readiness demanded by modern missions. The initiative seeks to empower Airmen and Guardians to be more “dominant, agile and lethal” through sustained physical fitness and a broader understanding of health.
The Pillars of a New Fitness Culture
The “Culture of Fitness” is built upon four key lines of effort designed to create a more robust and responsive force:
Being Physically and Medically Ready
This pillar focuses on proactive health management to minimize duty limitations, ensuring that all forces, whether deployed or employed-in-place, are capable of executing operations. It underscores the importance of consistent physical conditioning and preventative care to maintain a high state of readiness.
Fostering a Culture of Fitness
The initiative aims to elevate the importance of regular unit physical conditioning, encouraging collective fitness activities, and holding leaders accountable for the physical well-being of their teams. This move seeks to embed fitness deeply into the daily routines and values of the DAF. One example of this effort includes making more gyms accessible 24/7, with 77 out of 84 installations already providing such access at their primary fitness centers.
Fueling a Culture of Fitness: The Critical Role of Nutrition
Recognizing that physical performance is inextricably linked to dietary habits, “Fueling a Culture of Fitness” emphasizes providing nutritional resources and promoting holistic well-being. The Air Force is actively modernizing its approach to nutrition:
- Dining Facility Overhauls: In March, the Air Force announced an overhaul of the 28-day rotating menu used by its dining facilities. This includes introducing 50 new recipes and a wider variety of healthier options, such as whole wheat hamburger buns instead of highly processed white ones.
- “Go for Green” Program: The DAF continues to support and expand its “Go for Green” efforts, which aim to make healthy food choices more identifiable with green labels in dining facilities. A 2024 Government Accountability Office report had previously noted the Defense Department’s need to improve access to nutritious food and establish leadership structures to encourage healthy eating.
- Nutrition Education and Resources: The Air Force Medical Service offers programs like “Nutrition Kitchen,” a series of online cooking classes that inspire healthy meal choices and teach the science behind them. Registered Dietitians are available at over 40 installations, outpatient nutrition clinics, and through telenutrition services, providing individualized and evidence-based nutrition interventions, dietary education, and sports performance nutrition. These experts emphasize the “triad of proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep” for optimal performance.
Measuring a Culture of Fitness
The DAF plans to “revolutionize” fitness assessments to better reflect operational demands and drive data-informed training. This involves moving beyond a “fit to test” culture to one that prioritizes year-round fitness. Changes have already been seen in Basic Military Training (BMT) where, as of April, trainees no longer have alternate PT drill options if they fail an initial assessment, now needing to retake the entire test. This is part of a broader curriculum rewrite for BMT to incorporate more physical training focused on combat-relevant skills. There have also been discussions about potentially switching the 1.5-mile PT test run with a two-mile run and increasing testing frequency to twice a year, though no final decisions have been announced.
A Holistic Approach to Readiness
The “Culture of Fitness” extends beyond just physical training and diet, encompassing a broader “Comprehensive Airman Fitness” (CAF) framework that includes mental, social, and spiritual domains.
Mental Health and Resilience
The DAF recognizes that mental resilience is as vital as physical readiness. Programs are in place to empower service members to stay mentally prepared for high operational tempo environments, offering stress management techniques, resilience-building strategies, and counseling. Efforts like the Department of the Air Force Coaching and Mentoring Program aim to foster personal and professional growth, enhancing capabilities and resilience.
Lessons from the Space Force
The Space Force has been a trailblazer in implementing a holistic approach to fitness, adopting a “Holistic Health Approach” since 2022. This science-based program supports overall well-being across eight areas: social, physical, financial, spiritual, preventive care, environmental, nutritional, and psychological. Rather than periodic fitness tests, the Space Force uses continuous fitness assessments informed by data from wearable fitness monitors, a method found to be “overwhelmingly popular” among Guardians. They have also established Guardian Resilience Teams, embedding experts in mental health, nutrition, fitness, and family support directly within units.
Moving Forward: A Future-Ready Force
Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier is leading the “Culture of Fitness” effort, emphasizing that its success relies on the attention and commitment of command teams across the Air Force and Space Force. This initiative is a continuous evolution, integrating evidence-based programs to optimize health and readiness and shifting the focus from simply passing a test to fostering a sustained lifestyle of health and fitness.
By prioritizing both physical training and proper nutrition, alongside broader mental and holistic well-being, the Air Force aims to cultivate a force that is not only fit to fight but also resilient and capable of meeting the complex demands of future conflicts.
