Holistic Health as a Twenty-First-Century Military Strategy: Stoic Philosophy and Spiritual Fitness for Optimizing Warfighter Readiness

Abstract

This article serves as a response to the issues addressed in the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN) 677/21, FY-22 Professional Development Training Course for Chaplains and Religious Program Specialists (2021); All Marine Corps Activities (ALMAR) 033/16, Spiritual Fitness (2016); and ALMAR 027/20, Resiliency and Spiritual Fitness (2020), all of which focus on an understanding of spiritual fitness. The central theme is that Stoic philosophy and spirituality, to specifically acknowledge and include religion, are synergistic and complementary strengthening factors additive to building character, instilling core values, and optimizing warfighter readiness. This article leverages extensive clinical evidence and argues that Stoicism and spiritual fitness must be emphasized more intentionally, robustly, and systematically by leaders at all levels in the U.S. Department of the Navy to optimize warfighter readiness and attain a military advantage over the United States’ adversaries in the twenty-first century and beyond.