Adequate sleep one of four performance measures in new CAF fitness strategy

[daftandbarmy]

Finally, something I can nail Platinum on...  :boring:


Adequate sleep one of four performance measures in new CAF fitness strategy

The Canadian Armed Forces has introduced sleep as one of four pillars of its updated fitness strategy that it unveiled on Tuesday.
Sleep and rest joins physical activity, nutrition and injury prevention as an indicative performance behaviour in the military’s new fitness strategy, “BALANCE,” which replaces an older version last updated in 2008. Sleep was not mentioned in the Armed Forces’ older fitness strategy.

Few adults can perform optimally on less than seven to eight hours of sleep, according to the military’s new fitness strategy, which references several studies on the effects of sleep on soldiers.

Recruits of the military should expect to get six hours of sleep during basic training, according to the military’s own recruitment website.

The new fitness strategy will be introduced by a “decentralized” method of implementation that will see bases and units develop their own plans to try and meet the military’s broader fitness objectives. Commanders will be encouraged to recognize units that achieve high fitness levels and share their best practices with a national BALANCE steering commitment, which will be tasked with collecting and sharing best tactics with other bases and units.

The national steering committee will also be tasked with providing progress reports, ensuring Forces personnel have the most up-to-date health information, and utilizing the military’s other applicable health services in order to provide the best possible programming.

The strategy encourages soldiers to make “small changes,” such as sleeping an extra hour, cycling or walking to work, ditching junk food and warming up properly before exercising as ways of improving fitness performance behaviour.

https://ipolitics.ca/2019/04/23/adequate-sleep-one-of-four-performance-measures-in-new-caf-fitness-strategy/?fbclid=IwAR1htEJfCEKwh4I-JKVKa34tRJBMYiTiF-NXEQ5rRJwEZaAHr4l57W3pyJI

 

[Michael OLeary]

Does this mean we're going to put forced rest back in as one of the steps of Battle Procedure?

 

[MJP]

The new fitness strategy will be introduced by a “decentralized” method of implementation that will see bases and units develop their own plans to try and meet the military’s broader fitness objectives. Commanders will be encouraged to recognize units that achieve high fitness levels and share their best practices with a national BALANCE steering commitment, which will be tasked with collecting and sharing best tactics with other bases and units.

I read that as nothing will change.  Units that didn't follow the last direction on physical training can safely ignore this direction.

Although I am with daftandbarmy on this one will nail the sleeping aspect cold!

 

[Haggis]

..... such as sleeping an extra hour OR, cycling or walking to work....

I added a slight modifier.  If you don't cycle or walk to (and from) work already, I doubt you'll find the time to do so without sacrificing an hour of sleep.

 

[mariomike]

For reference to the discussion,

Sleep Issues on course [MERGED]
https://navy.ca/forums/threads/91490.100
5 pages.

The Sleep Superthread- Apnea/ Disorders/ etc.
https://navy.ca/forums/threads/82.50
5 pages.

 

[TCM621]

I added a slight modifier.  If you don't cycle or walk to (and from) work already, I doubt you'll find the time to do so without sacrificing an hour of sleep.

That is literally why I don't bike to work now. I already get the bare minimum amount of sleep to function, Waking up even 30 mins earlier would be rough. Unfortunately, I am not in a position where that will change anytime soon either.

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . .
Recruits of the military should expect to get six hours of sleep during basic training, according to the military’s own recruitment website.
. . .

What the website says:

Daily routine

Your days start at 5 am. and ends at 11 pm. . . .

There is a big difference between getting "6 hours of sleep" and being 6 hours from lights out to wakey-wakey. 

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=daftandbarmy]

The new fitness strategy will be introduced by a “decentralized” method of implementation that will see bases and units develop their own plans to try and meet the military’s broader fitness objectives. Commanders will be encouraged to recognize units that achieve high fitness levels and share their best practices with a national BALANCE steering commitment, which will be tasked with collecting and sharing best tactics with other bases and units.

[/quote]

Ah yes. This might explain why the brigade commander wants units to apparently submit a weekly PT plan by platoon or company to him where I'm at.

Decentralized with just a little oversight

 

[Haggis]

"Daily routine

Your days start at 5 am. and ends at 11 pm. . . ."

There is a big difference between getting "6 hours of sleep" and being 6 hours from lights out to wakey-wakey.

  Then they are not using their breaks or lunch periods effectively.  Nowhere does it say the six hours is consecutive.

 

[medicineman]

Recruits of the military should expect to get six hours of sleep during basic training, according to the military’s own recruitment website.

I'd like to think that when I was in Cornwallis that I averaged about 6 hours of sleep...out of every 72  ;D

MM

 

[RocketRichard]

I'd like to think that when I was in Cornwallis that I averaged about 6 hours of sleep...out of every 72  ;D

MM

I don’t think I slept until week 7 when we were permitted to go as far afield as Halifax and sleep in a hotel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I don’t think I slept until week 7 when we were permitted to go as far afield as Halifax and sleep in a hotel.

Week 7 was the CI's inspection followed by the Cmdt's inspection Week 8...I remember falling asleep while waxing the floor with a kiwi cloth on one of those inspection preps in the wee hours.  No floor waxing at CFLRS.  rly:

Re: sleep, there are times when sleep deprivation is part of 'good training', basic trg is one of them I think, and a good place to start.  The enemy isn't always going to plan the attack to ensure we get 8 hours/night so we're nice and fresh.

One thing I do like in my current gig (especially now that I'm a little older);  we have some well documented rules for crew rest, duty day lengths.  Our rules also permit folks to self-ground for things like fatigue;  as long as it is not abused, people are treated like adults. 

I've never understood why those rules don't extend to maintainers and others who are involved with duties of similar responsibility and consequences if things go sideways.  I make a point of understanding new folks on crew/Sqn know they are not doing anyone service if they 'suck it up' and fly when they should not be.  Sucking it up means being honest and sitting it out sometimes.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I took a cursory look thru BALANCE;  one of the things missing, IMO, and a key aspect that the Local Command Team level needs to look at if this plan is to have its greatest impact is workload/workload management.  If you don't have time to stop to eat, or go to the gym or you are so overloaded you are at work early and leave late...this plan will fail and not improve the status quo.

I was filling 2 separate positions at the Sqn (crew Lead and Stds/Trg), as well as 2-3 secondary duties until late this winter.  I usually didn't even stop to go to the break area to heat my lunch up, I'd fairly regularly either show up 2 hours early (best time to actually get work done), stay 2 hours late (same reason) and sometimes do both if things were really piling up.

I haven't / don't even dream of having time to go to the gym.

Some might say "that's a leadership failure" etc but you can't have crews without Leads and you can't have flying Sqn's with certain positions in Standards & Training not getting that work done as well.  I wasn't the only person double-hatted. 

Add op tempo into the equation...

I'll stay open-minded but as mentioned, the rules on "fitness" and PT time (including the contents of the CDS Guidance to Commanding Officers) has been adhered to inconsistently across the CAF for years...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Ah yes. This might explain why the brigade commander wants units to apparently submit a weekly PT plan by platoon or company to him where I'm at.

Decentralized with just a little oversight

Just when I thought that I had seen everything related to micromanagement, you come along with stuff like this  :facepalm:

 

[dapaterson]

Did you read about the USMC Major general who issued a daily schedule for his division?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Did you read about the USMC Major general who issued a daily schedule for his division?

Oh man... that would be awesome to see... and horrifying

 

[medicineman]

I don’t think I slept until week 7 when we were permitted to go as far afield as Halifax and sleep in a hotel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Week 7 sucked arse for the Pennant Inspection - we might have gotten a couple hours during the week prior...night before I played three games of water polo before doing the final clean up.  A buddy of mine found me passed out under a toilet, scrubber stuck to the pipe I was cleaning.  We had PT first thing for 2 hours then 2 hours of weapons class and we utterly baked by that point - then the Pl WO started listing off names of recoursees and handed us a piece of beat up hessian as our "pennant".  Most of us were just gutted at that point because our brains simply weren't processing anything right.

On a different note, I recall the BAOR did a study on sleep deprivation in the 70's or 80's while putting one of their Brigades through a high intensity op where basically it was move, dig in, fight, move, dig in, fight, wash/rinse/repeat with little chance of doing much in the way of rest.  Many senior leaders at all levels were incapable of carrying out simple tasks of basic hygiene, much less leadership - even very experienced SNCO's and officers - by about the 72-84 hour mark.  Some were near the edge of psychological collapse.  Food for thought...

MM

 

[Blackadder1916]

Oh man... that would be awesome to see... and horrifying

Have at it.  This may be one of those scenarios that starts out as a good premise but loses perspective in execution and follows on with not knowing when to shut up.

https://taskandpurpose.com/furness-micromanagement-oped

This two-star Marine general has turned micromanagement into an art form

By Paul Szoldra |April 19, 2019 at 04:34 PM

The two-star general in charge of the roughly 15,000-strong 2nd Marine Division has turned micromanagement into an art form with a new policy letter ordering his Marines and sailors to cut their hair, shave their faces, and adhere to a daily schedule that he has prescribed.

In his "Policy Letter 5-19," Maj. Gen. David Furness lamented that he has noticed "a significant decline in the basic discipline" of troops he's come in contact with in the division area, which has led him to "FIX IT immediately," instead of relying on the thousands of commissioned and non-commissioned officers below him to carry out his orders.

In the letter, sent to the entire division, Furness writes that "we have allowed Marines and Sailors to walk around with long hair, nonexistent or poor shaves, unserviceable boots and utilities and improper civilian attire. There are weeds growing around our buildings and work spaces and trash everywhere but the dumpsters where it belongs."

Besides airing grievances regarding discipline and professionalism, Furness went on to outline a routine schedule that "EACH AND EVERY Marine and Sailor" should embrace, beginning with a 5:30 a.m. reveille and ending with liberty at 4:45 p.m.

. . .

(more at link including copy of the policy letter)


https://taskandpurpose.com/general-ied-seatbelt

General says Marine killed by IED in Afghanistan could have lived if he wore his seat belt

By Paul Szoldra |April 23, 2019 at 01:03 PM

The commanding general of 2nd Marine Division said in an interview last week that a Marine under his command could have lived through a roadside bombing in Afghanistan if he were wearing his seat belt.

The claim by Maj. Gen. David Furness was regarded by a number of Marines reached by Task & Purpose as insensitive, since it suggested that a Marine killed by enemy action could somehow be to blame for their own death. The general made the remark while connecting things Marines do in combat with things they do in garrison as a way of explaining his decision to release a letter outlining steps to correct disciplinary and leadership problems in his unit.

But it didn't seem to come out very well.

"In Iraq and Afghanistan, I was presented right up front with the fact that the more disciplined a unit is going into a fight, the less it bleeds, period," Furness said on All Marine Radio, which is hosted by a Marine he previously served with. "I've seen it played out time and time and time again."

"The last one in Afghanistan, 19 of the 31 casualties we had, those 19 were the fault of the Marine, either doing something he was told not to do and he was trained not to do, or not doing something that he was trained to do. Like wear a seatbelt. Like do not mess with an IED once it's been identified."

. . . .

 

[cld617]

Re: sleep, there are times when sleep deprivation is part of 'good training', basic trg is one of them I think, and a good place to start.  The enemy isn't always going to plan the attack to ensure we get 8 hours/night so we're nice and fresh.

Agreed, however the issue is you have people with zero training on how to properly implement this walking through the mega at 2245 and yelling at recruits for being in their bunks. What should be calculated use to provide a training experience is instead bastardized by old Sgt's who had it worse who think with enough coffee and yelling there's no reason the recruits can't function on 6 hours of lights out (less of sleep) for 2.5 months.

 

[TCM621]

Agreed, however the issue is you have people with zero training on how to properly implement this walking through the mega at 2245 and yelling at recruits for being in their bunks. What should be calculated use to provide a training experience is instead bastardized by old Sgt's who had it worse who think with enough coffee and yelling there's no reason the recruits can't function on 6 hours of lights out (less of sleep) for 2.5 months.

I got to be honest, after all these years, coffee and yelling can get me pretty far.  I never understood getting after people who are sleeping. Maybe I know that I need a little more sleep to function, so I get my personal and section duties done fast so I can to bed earlier. There is nothing stopping them from taking note of who is a asleep and using that against them at a PRB. Depending on the outcome, getting extra sleep could mean good time appreciations or laziness.