Army wants all troops in new training program by 2032. How’s it going?

The Army recently announced that its comprehensive health and fitness program will expand to 111 designated brigades across the Army.

Since its launch in 2018 with a pilot program, the Holistic Health and Fitness Program, or H2F, has sought to educate and improve the performance of soldiers in the areas of physical, mental, nutritional, spiritual and sleep. .

To that end, the military has established brigade-level civilian teams of approximately twenty contracted personnel, which include the H2F program manager; nutrition, risk management and mental health managers; registered dietitians; physical therapists; athletic trainers; strength trainers; psychologists and occupational therapists.

The brigades also receive exercise equipment such as kettlebells, stationary bikes and various other equipment.

The Army’s original goal was to enable its 110 closest combat forces by 2030. As H2F continues to roll out throughout the service, Army Times spoke with officials at the Army Training Center of Training and Studies, which oversees the program, as to where the service is located. now.

Here’s a look at the numbers.

Fifty active brigades now have H2F Task Forces. This includes a combination of combat units, such as infantry, armor and Stryker units, and support units, such as military police, medical, engineering, training and support units.

The service expects task forces to be fully deployed in the first 111 brigades, or 47% of the Army’s total forces, by fiscal 2027.

The remaining 53% of the Army’s brigades will begin seeing operational units beginning in fiscal 2028. The goal is to complete all units by fiscal 2032, officials said.

“The general model will have an H2F Area Support Team that would be responsible for several installation teams that already have an H2F Operations Team,” said Dr. Kevin Bigelman, assistant director of H2F.

The Armed Forces will begin to see operational teams at their bases in fiscal 2026. All 28 of the Army’s commands and divisions will have teams by fiscal 2030.

At the same time, the Army is developing the H2F Soldier Performance Management System, or H2FMS, to help soldiers and leaders measure, evaluate and improve their individual and team health, performance and well-being. good, Bigelman said.

Funding for the task force and the first 111 brigades has already been included in the budget for 2026 to 2030, officials said.

The H2F Task Force costs an estimated $3 million to operate and $2.5 million to save annually, officials said. An Army Corps of Engineers or Reserve Unit costs about $1.3 million to operate and $1 million to maintain.

“Early investment returns show that H2F will pay for itself as it reduces musculoskeletal injuries, reduces dysfunction, and helps injured soldiers return to work faster,” said Bigelman.

Preliminary data comparing brigades with H2F equipment and brigades without equipment show:

• Although musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) have increased across the Army, brigades with H2F Task Forces have a lower 14% increase in MSKI and a lower 30% increase in MSKI over time longer than 90 days.
• 23% pass rate for passing the Army Combat Fitness Test.
• 27% of additional soldiers qualified as marksmen.
• A modest 22% increase in behavioral health reports.
• A low 502% increase in drug abuse reports.

Source: Army First Training Center

The military does not rely solely on civilian experts to advise its units. Senior leaders are looking for soldiers who lead physical training but also have a working knowledge of other H2F areas.

In October 2023, the Army changed its Master Fitness Trainer Course to the H2F Integrator Course and renamed its Fitness Academy the H2F Academy.

The curriculum for students includes:

• Establish training programs to improve operational efficiency and reduce the risk of accidents.
• Practice and improve movement patterns.
• Fats for daily life and physical activity.
• Practice stress management techniques.
• Learn to seek, and connect to a greater purpose.
• Use the basics of rest, recovery and sleep to aid training programs.

Source: Army First Training Center

The school graduated 754 H2F integrators last year, officials said.

But to expand access, the Army has also conducted satellite training on H2F for Guard and Reserve participants. That produced another 611 H2F coordinators, for a total of 1,365 current Army coordinators.