ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Army efforts to build highly trained, disciplined and fit teams are working, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston told Congress, describing it as creating a culture “where we don’t fight the enemy inside our formations.”

Grinston is describing an Armywide effort to create a culture that doesn’t tolerate sexual assault and harassment or acts of racism and extremism, and a climate where suicide prevention is a priority.

Soldiers whose commanders communicated well during the pandemic were less likely to experience anxiety or loneliness, and more likely to practice good habits to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a new survey.

“[COVID-19] really just reaffirmed what we already knew—that commanders who communicate effectively reduce stress within their organizations,” Lt. Col. Sam Preston, chief of the behavioral health division in the Office of the Surgeon General and psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, said May 6 during an interview.