Well-Being
 

Posted Thursday, October 6, 2005

The benefits of serving in the Army go beyond the paycheck you receive. Not only do you grow as a person, but you develop friendships that will last a lifetime. You also gain the satisfaction of having served your country and the pride that goes with it. Army well-being is the total package of programs and benefits with the ultimate purpose of maintaining combat readiness by caring for the needs of soldiers and their families.

Well-being is “the personal—physical, material, mental, and spiritual—state of soldiers, civilians, and their families that contributes to their preparedness to perform the Army’s mission.” Soldiers have a responsibility to ensure that personal issues do not impair their ability to deploy and conduct the mission. Army well-being helps them fulfill this responsibility.

The goal of Army well-being is to improve and sustain the institutional strength of the Army. Institutional strength is the force behind the Army that distinguishes it from occupations and other professions. It is the force that binds us together as the Army Team.

Well-being is the human dimension of Army Transformation. As the Army changes, well-being represents our resolute commitment to prepare now to meet future needs, as well as today’s needs. Army well-being is closely linked to four key outcomes—performance, readiness, retention, and recruiting.

• Army well-being enhances performance by strengthening command climate and the bond between the leader and the led.
• Army well-being enhances readiness by producing self-reliant soldiers who are able to focus on their mission, confident in the preparedness and self-reliance of their families.
• Army well-being enhances retention and recruiting by creating the environment for positive decisions by the right men and women to join and stay in the Army.