Great breakdown - I wonder about another side effect that may occur. Combat MOS Soldiers intentionally score below the Combat MOS AFT standard but still pass in order to force a reclass.
Sir, one quick question unrelated to the points hammered home in the article. You said “And in the worst cases, the culture of the unit comes to condone things like steroid use.”
I assume you have the experience and/or knowledge to label that scenario as “the worst case” like you did. Admittedly, I have a lot of scar tissue with this issue myself.
This is probably another example of me living in a bubble, but do you think that steroid use in our formations makes the list of our top 5 concerns?
Jeremy, I'm not sure I entirely hit on what you're asking, but I'll try to get an initial reply. Please feel free to reply back if I miss the mark.
Your 'I have a lot of scar tissue with this issue myself' reads in contrast to 'do you think that steroid use in our formations makes the list of our top 5 concerns?'
To be clear, that was written in the context of the AFT and fitness in general. Like in my opinion, any units #1 concern needs to be 'Can you execute your wartime mission?'.
'Top 5 concerns' is also a commander's call. Do you prioritize the problem you have the most, or the most pernicious one? When it comes to my units culture and fitness, the latter is a bigger concern than the former.
For me, steroid use is both a problem and a sign of a toxic unit culture. Again, the army doesn't need soldiers using steroids, which is why it's against UCMJ (Article 112a). Even the better known steroids have known health impacts, and that's assuming soldiers have gotten ahold of something even close to medically safe. Life in combat arms is going to take it's toll on our bodies already, I see no reason to accelerate the process. Also, while steroids were not the cause, nor an excuse, there was a 100% correlation with cases of DV in my battalion and soldiers using. I lost nothing by rooting out the culture.
I say culture because that's what makes steroids so insidious. On top of the deteriorating health impacts for the individuals, they can quickly become something other soldiers think they need to also join in on to participate. Pretty soon whole companies are basically indocing new soldiers with them. SOF's been struggling with this in pockets for some time. There's a lot to unpack there, but some of the problem is the moral license soldier's give themselves when they think that illegal supplements are the only way to perform. Suddenly lots of other activities are on the table.
When your unit's culture is violating UCMJ, consuming illicit substances of dubious quality, and covering for 'good dudes' who can't perform without them, what have you got left?
So while 'improve my soldiers fitness' is absolutely a priority, soldiers who don't meet the AFT minimums aren't ruining the core of my tribe's culture.
Does that make any sense? What's been your experience?
Sir, thanks for the perspective. I fully acknowledge my RFI came completely out of left field, I’ll try to do a better job of unpacking my thoughts.
I think leaders have been conditioned to view steroid use as villainous behavior. It’s still somehow a bad word, and synonymous with murdering civilians in Afghanistan. At this point, we should be talking about legally supplementing hormone levels to best achieve longevity, quality of life, and lethality. But we’re not. And I think it’s because we are getting in our own way with how we characterize it.
I think the bigger issue is that soldiers don’t have access to legal steroids prescribed by a physician. Yet, the physical requirements through the years of team time persists. This is especially urgent for our enlisted and warrant brothers who don’t have the luxury of rotating off the line. Steroids like testosterone are extremely beneficial for longevity and quality of life (not just the AFT). The Army says the total testosterone levels in healthy adult males range from 300 to 1000 ng/dL. We have folks in our formation with testosterone levels in the low 300 range and we are telling them to drive on. By now, we have all heard of operators syndrome, and we know it’s killing us.
In my inexperienced opinion, this should be a command issue, but it never is. I think maybe this is a missed opportunity to demonstrate that people really do matter. Perhaps our understanding of steroid use is stifling our growth.
I also fully acknowledge that your depiction of steroid culture isn’t the same thing as legal TRT. I’m probably just being too sensitive with the words “steroid culture” decided to go on a thought experiment. Sorry, and thanks for humoring a response this messy rabbit hole.
Great breakdown - I wonder about another side effect that may occur. Combat MOS Soldiers intentionally score below the Combat MOS AFT standard but still pass in order to force a reclass.
There's easier ways to become an air defender, but I don't think you're wrong either. We certainly saw some sandbagging when we rolled out the ACFT.
Sir, one quick question unrelated to the points hammered home in the article. You said “And in the worst cases, the culture of the unit comes to condone things like steroid use.”
I assume you have the experience and/or knowledge to label that scenario as “the worst case” like you did. Admittedly, I have a lot of scar tissue with this issue myself.
This is probably another example of me living in a bubble, but do you think that steroid use in our formations makes the list of our top 5 concerns?
Jeremy, I'm not sure I entirely hit on what you're asking, but I'll try to get an initial reply. Please feel free to reply back if I miss the mark.
Your 'I have a lot of scar tissue with this issue myself' reads in contrast to 'do you think that steroid use in our formations makes the list of our top 5 concerns?'
To be clear, that was written in the context of the AFT and fitness in general. Like in my opinion, any units #1 concern needs to be 'Can you execute your wartime mission?'.
'Top 5 concerns' is also a commander's call. Do you prioritize the problem you have the most, or the most pernicious one? When it comes to my units culture and fitness, the latter is a bigger concern than the former.
For me, steroid use is both a problem and a sign of a toxic unit culture. Again, the army doesn't need soldiers using steroids, which is why it's against UCMJ (Article 112a). Even the better known steroids have known health impacts, and that's assuming soldiers have gotten ahold of something even close to medically safe. Life in combat arms is going to take it's toll on our bodies already, I see no reason to accelerate the process. Also, while steroids were not the cause, nor an excuse, there was a 100% correlation with cases of DV in my battalion and soldiers using. I lost nothing by rooting out the culture.
I say culture because that's what makes steroids so insidious. On top of the deteriorating health impacts for the individuals, they can quickly become something other soldiers think they need to also join in on to participate. Pretty soon whole companies are basically indocing new soldiers with them. SOF's been struggling with this in pockets for some time. There's a lot to unpack there, but some of the problem is the moral license soldier's give themselves when they think that illegal supplements are the only way to perform. Suddenly lots of other activities are on the table.
When your unit's culture is violating UCMJ, consuming illicit substances of dubious quality, and covering for 'good dudes' who can't perform without them, what have you got left?
So while 'improve my soldiers fitness' is absolutely a priority, soldiers who don't meet the AFT minimums aren't ruining the core of my tribe's culture.
Does that make any sense? What's been your experience?
Sir, thanks for the perspective. I fully acknowledge my RFI came completely out of left field, I’ll try to do a better job of unpacking my thoughts.
I think leaders have been conditioned to view steroid use as villainous behavior. It’s still somehow a bad word, and synonymous with murdering civilians in Afghanistan. At this point, we should be talking about legally supplementing hormone levels to best achieve longevity, quality of life, and lethality. But we’re not. And I think it’s because we are getting in our own way with how we characterize it.
I think the bigger issue is that soldiers don’t have access to legal steroids prescribed by a physician. Yet, the physical requirements through the years of team time persists. This is especially urgent for our enlisted and warrant brothers who don’t have the luxury of rotating off the line. Steroids like testosterone are extremely beneficial for longevity and quality of life (not just the AFT). The Army says the total testosterone levels in healthy adult males range from 300 to 1000 ng/dL. We have folks in our formation with testosterone levels in the low 300 range and we are telling them to drive on. By now, we have all heard of operators syndrome, and we know it’s killing us.
In my inexperienced opinion, this should be a command issue, but it never is. I think maybe this is a missed opportunity to demonstrate that people really do matter. Perhaps our understanding of steroid use is stifling our growth.
I also fully acknowledge that your depiction of steroid culture isn’t the same thing as legal TRT. I’m probably just being too sensitive with the words “steroid culture” decided to go on a thought experiment. Sorry, and thanks for humoring a response this messy rabbit hole.