The success of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness program, based on measurable positive effects on soldier performance, has led to an expansion in resources for the effort, senior Army leaders said.

In remarks Dec. 4 at a Hot Topic on Holistic Health and Fitness hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, Lt. Gen. David Francis, commanding general of the Center for Initial Military Training, highlighted the positive return on investment the program, known as H2F, has had on soldiers.

Pointing to data gathered on the initial fielding of H2F performance teams in 28 brigades compared to brigades without H2F over a three-year period, Francis said the results “were so astounding” that senior leaders “seized the opportunity … to expand resources and develop doctrine to enhance these findings.”

Among the findings were a decrease in behavioral health profiles, two times fewer substance abuse profiles, an increase in soldier retention and satisfaction, higher pass rates on the Army Fitness Test, increases in expert rifle qualifications, fewer medical boards, greater use of performance professionals and 140% fewer injury referrals, Francis said.

With the “full backing of the secretary of war and the secretary of the Army on down,” Francis said, “we’ve been directed to move fast” on expanding the H2F program.

“When your formation has less referrals because they have direct access to an H2F performance team at the point of injury, and more importantly, creating an environment that reduces the risk of injury in the first place, you can’t ignore these results,” Francis said.

The H2F program was established to address the need for soldiers to have higher levels of health, fitness and well-being for peak performance and to help empower them by optimizing performance while minimizing injury. The system promotes mental, sleep, nutritional, physical and spiritual readiness and is supported at the brigade level with specialists and equipment.

Central to the H2F program are 22-person teams with subject-matter experts who work directly with the chain of command to assess the program and execute functional fitness. The teams work for the commanders and provide the expertise needed to do the assessments and programmatic aspects of H2F.

Lt. Gen. Brian Eifler, deputy Army chief of staff for personnel, G-1, noted that the H2F program is critically important, not just for the longevity of a soldier’s career and beyond, but for the rigors of combat.

Citing evidence of how hard combat is by pointing to the war in Ukraine, Eifler said soldiers “don’t have any off season. We have to be ready all the time.”

“Look at Ukraine. They’re figuring it out. They’re adapting and adjusting,” Eifler said. “The speed of combat requires that, and the same thing with us. We can’t wait another day to work on all these things in H2F because the soldier is our most important weapon.”