Over the past decade the study of resilience in humans has increased in multiple fields. During the 1970s, resilience was viewed as a trait that one was born with, but over the years this idea has decreased in popularity and resilience is now viewed as a process. When resilience is regarded as a process, there is the potential to teach people how to be more resilient. The United States Army is attempting to do just this through the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program and the four main pillars that support it. Previous research has shown that learned resilience can be further enhanced in individuals by those around them such as peers, parents, and supervisors. With this information it could be deduced that in order for the CSF to show results, senior leaders should have confidence in the CSF and the overall idea that resilience can be built and promoted. This qualitative case study will be an in-depth examination of resilience and how it is perceived and potentially promoted by field grade officers in the Army examining the following research question: What do U.S. Army field grade officers perceive as their role in building resilience in Soldiers?

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)