Better Together: NAVIFOR summit links warfighter resilience to operational readiness

ByJoshuaRodriguez

Navifor Public Affairs Office

SUFFOLK, Va Naval Information

Forces (NAVIFOR) hosted the inaugural Warfighting Resiliency Summit July 25-27, 2023,inSuffolk Va

Morethan150Sailorsandciviliansparticipatedintheevent representingNavyInformationWarfarecommandsfromaroundthe globe The summit is specifically aimed for IW leaders to engage with subject matter expertstodiscussthechallengesandopportunities facing IW Sailors in order to build strong cultures, drive performance and promotereadiness.

The theme for the summit, “Better Together,” emphasizes the connections between command leadership teams and Sailors in enhancing overall mental health and wellness During the summit, participants learned strategies to improve inclusion,promotementalandspiritualwellness, and enhance unity and connection within commands

NAVIFOR Commander Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbachstressedtheimportanceofactive participationintheeventtoattendingleaders

“This summit is a critical way to encourage leaders at all levels to share how they deal with mental health challenges, what they’re doing to build resilience, and how they’re developing connectedness in their commandstosupporttheirSailorsandbuild strongteams,”saidAeschbach.

Aeschbach also put out a call to action to all participants to engage in thoughtful discussionsandassessthemselvesandtheir teams “Your participation here is a key signal thatyoutakeveryseriouslyourresponsibilitytobuildconnected,resilientteams,”said Aeschbach “Whatmattersmostishowyou bring these tools and these conversations backtoyourcommandsandhaveauthentic necessary discussions with your deckplate leadersandSailors.”

The summit featured interactive workshops, peer-to-peer program discussions and several panel sessions for senior leaders and triads, in which junior officers and enlisted Sailors were encouraged to participate Discussion panels on mental health challenges inclusion, and leadership and family issues empowered attendees to give direct feedback on issues and challenges directlyrelatedtooperationalreadiness.

NAVIFOR Force Master Chief Laura Nunley affirmed the importance of this in-person,two-waycommunication.

“As the IW force master chief, I take very seriously my role, and the role of all our IW leaders in meeting with our IW Sailors aroundtheFleetandlearningwhatbarriers they have to performing to their full potential, said Nunley “This summit is meant to address these concerns head-on, with subject matter experts on hand to provide IW leaders valuable tools and resources on Sailor mental health, wellness, and resilience.”

“Thediscussionsovertheselastthreedays are absolutely essential to ensuring our IW Sailors from our leaders down to the deck plates are ready for any operation, said Nunley

Mental health promotion was a critical component of the summit, with experts on handtodiscusssleephygiene,theInterper- sonalTheoryofSuicide,spiritualreadiness, and community identity The NAVIFOR force medical team also provided updates onwatchfloorstudiesandvariousNAVIFOR mentalhealthprograms

According to Lt Cmdr. Robert Torrison, NAVIFOR’s force mental health provider, the summit combined the topics of past mental health and diversity, equity and inclusion summits into one overall tool for anIWSailor’sleadership toolbox Withthe growingdemandforIWprofessionalsinthe Fleet, the summit promoted access to critical resources that ensure every IW Sailor is ready to meet the mission, in a climate that enableseverySailorandciviliantomentally andphysicallythrive.

“Thissummitputsrealactionbehindthe tenet that our people are our most valuable resource and this is the responsibility of every leader,” said Torrison. “We must all work to create an environment that is open and conducive to having sometimes difficultanduncomfortablediscussionswithour people and that encourages them to come forwardwhentheyneedhelp.”

NAVIFOR’s mission is to generate, directly and through our leadership of the IW Enterprise, agile and technically superior manned, trained, equipped, and certified combat-ready IW forces to ensure our Navy will decisively DETER, COMPETE, andWIN.

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