WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro established and held the Department of the Navy's first Integrated Resilience and Mental Health Forum, March 15.
WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro established and held the Department of the Navy's first Integrated Resilience and Mental Health Forum, March 15.
The inaugural meeting aimed to foster meaningful discussion across DON stakeholders, enhance the visibility of ongoing and new Navy and Marine Corps initiatives, and cultivate an environment for dialogue centered on mental health and resilience practices.
More than 20 senior leaders from across the Department attended the forum, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Franklin Parker, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, director of NCIS, and leadership from the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
"To ensure operational readiness, we must ensure our greatest strength-people-are, in fact, ready," said Secretary Del Toro. "And we owe it to our Sailors and Marines to mirror the loyalty, commitment, honor, and courage they display for our country by taking care of their minds, bodies, and spirits."
The Secretary has continued to champion mental health and resiliency initiatives across the Department, and looks for this effort to build on the great work Sailors and Marines are already doing in the Navy and Marine Corps.
In developing the forum, Secretary Del Toro sought to assess the state of DON resilience and mental health programs, identify gaps, and create a process to enhance collaboration on these important topics.
"Even when people are competent and motivated to do great things, the system and processes can still lead to poor implementation, or even worse, failure," said Del Toro. "This is a space to address these processes and systems, so that we can empower people with the means, policies, and resources that will have the most positive effect on our Sailors and Marines."
The forum is not a task force or working group, but is meant to facilitate an enduring environment of openness and collaboration to ensure continuity of effort across Navy and Marine Corps programs.
In addition to Secretary Del Toro, attendees heard from Honorable Parker; Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Darin Via; and Adm. (Ret.) James "Sandy" Winnefeld and his wife, Ms. Mary Winnefeld.
"This is our commitment to listening and learning from others, understanding different problem-solving approaches, seizing insights on best practices, and exploring innovative solutions together," said Secretary Del Toro.
In the future, the forum plans to hear from external partners from other military services, government agencies, academia, and the nonprofit sector.
The forums will occur on a biannual basis, with the next one already scheduled for this upcoming summer.
Examples of recent Department of Navy resilience and mental health efforts and resources can be found below:
· Expanded Operational Stress Control (E-OSC)
· USMC Interactive Mental Fitness Resource
· Marine Corps Total Fitness (MCTF)
