“Most importantly, we are staying true to our first SOF Truth – “Humans are more important than hardware” – by investing in our people, ensuring a trusted, capable, diverse, and committed force that is ready to meet any challenge.”
-GEN Richard Clarke (Commander, USSOCOM)
Our Mission
The mission of the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) is to optimize and sustain Special Operations Forces (SOF) mission readiness, longevity, and performance through integrated and holistic human performance programs designed to strengthen the Force and Family.
Our End-State
The end-state of POTFF is a resilient SOF enterprise with optimized performance across all domains, enabling improved readiness to best meet operational demands for the duration of a SOF career.
Core Tenets
POTFF is Performance and Readiness Focused.
POTFF utilizes Embedded and Specialized Professionals.
POTFF is composed of Multi-Domain Cross Functional Teams.
POTFF is a Proactive and Holistic Approach.
POTFF is Evidence-Based.
POTFF provides Centralized Oversight and Decentralized Execution.
POTFF Domain Priorities
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Physical — Sports Medicine, Strength & Conditioning, Performance Nutrition
- Optimize — Provide resources to maximize physical performance of SOF.
- Recover — Provide early access to care to reduce illness and injury duration/severity.
- Advance — Leverage innovation in science to advance training and treatment.
- Prevent — Synchronize preventative efforts to mitigate long-term impact.
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Psychological —
Assessment & Selection, Behavioral Health, Suicide Prevention
- Assess & Select — Identify and select the right SOF personnel.
- Treat — Optimize behavioral health and resilience through access to embedded care.
- Enhance — Enhance mission performance and deployability for individuals and units.
- Evaluate — Utilize data & analytical tools for evaluation & improvement.
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Cognitive —
Cognitive Enhancement, Monitor Exposure, Protect Brain Health
- Enhance — Optimize cognitive performance, capacity, agility, and resilience through training.
- Monitor — Monitor brain health to keep warfighters lethal longer.
- Advance — Leverage innovation in AT&L-ST to further cognitive function and protection.
- Protect — Synchronize all efforts to implement protection measures of SOF cognition.
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Social & Family —
Relationship Enhancement, Peer Mentoring, Social Connectedness
- Integrate — Integrate SMs and families into units, installations, and communities.
- Strengthen — Build resilient families that can withstand the rigors of SOF optempo.
- Connect — Strengthen familial and social bonds to build sense of belonging.
- Prepare — Transition SMs and families to new units, circumstances, or life after SOF.
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Spiritual —
Spiritual Practice, Character Ethics, Values & Beliefs, Meaning & Purpose
- Provide — Counseling, support of individual beliefs, and facilitation of spiritual practices.
- Connect — Increase sense of belonging and feeling a "part of something bigger than self".
- Strengthen — Strengthen character through developting of ethical values, morals, and beliefs.
- Assess — Continuous assessment of SOF spiritual fitness to tailor programs.
Key Points
POTFF is a priority for the Commander and will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the Force of their Family.
POTFF is an integrated, embedded, and multi-domain model to maximize human performance through increased access to services, improve continuity of programs, and minimize stigma associated with seeking care.
POTFF initiatives were developed in response to a clear demand signal from the SOF components, the units, and their families.
SOF deployments are unique in scope and requirements.
