Resilience in the military system, at individual and collective level: impact on operational efficiency and role in psychosocial risk prevention policies

1. Introduction

The term resilience derives from the Latin resilire, meaning „to spring back” or „to rebound”, with a connotation of protection. The term is frequently used in metallurgy, where it denotes the property of a solid material to return to its original state following an external impact.

The Explanatory Dictionary of the Romanian Language (DEX, 2016, p. 1051) defines resilience as „a characteristic quantity of the behaviour of materials under impact loading, equal to the ratio of the mechanical work performed to fracture a test piece by bending under impact to the initial value of the cross-sectional area at the point of fracture.”

In the psychological and social sense, resilience refers to adaptability and flexibility — the capacity to successfully adapt to stressors while maintaining psychological well-being in the face of adversity and to recover following difficult experiences.

2. Theoretical foundations of resilience

Resilience is grounded in three essential factors (Boniwell & Tunariu, 2019):

• Recovery — returning to normality or to the pre-stressor level of functioning;
• Resistance — limited or no signs of disruption following the stressor;
• Reconfiguration — returning to a different capacity than before; a self-regulation that helps the organism respond to stressors and find a new stability depending on circumstances.

The military environment is well known as a generator of occupational stress, characterised by complexity and continuous change, in which military personnel must develop resilience — that is, the capacity „to adapt emotionally, mentally, spiritually and behaviourally, in combination with psychological, physical and social skills in order to perform favourably” (Badiu & Țică, 2023, p. 136).

3. Resilience in the military context

Military personnel must develop their skills and consolidate their capacity to cope with difficult situations and to manage stress under various circumstances. For military personnel, resilience is an indispensable ability through which they can push beyond their limits and recover following stressful or negative events, maintain their equilibrium, and continue their mission.

4. International programmes for resilience development

Various NATO armed forces have implemented programmes for developing military resilience, from personnel in training to officers in senior hierarchical structures:

• USA and United Kingdom — the MRT programme (The Mental Resilience Training Programme);
• Australia — the Battle Smart programme, through which military personnel practise techniques and methods for building resilience in order to cope with difficult and high-risk situations.

5. The seven pillars of mental training

Step 1: Self-confidence — confidence in one’s own abilities and judgement.

Step 2: Positive thinking and effect — the capacity to interact in a positive manner.

Step 3: Emotional control — the capacity to understand and express one’s own emotions.

Step 4: Mental control — the capacity to control thinking, attention, concentration, focus, self-awareness, reflexivity, and problem-solving.

Step 5: Purpose — the motivation to move forward.

Step 6: Overcoming — adaptability and natural coping strategies assimilated through the management of previous stressful situations.

Step 7: Social support — the interpersonal and institutional support network.

6. Conclusions

Resilience in the military system extends beyond mere psychological adaptation, becoming a strategic component that directly influences the success of missions and the long-term health of military personnel. The individual resilience of each military member contributes to a strong collective resilience within the community of which they are a part.

The multidimensional character of resilience — emotional, mental and social — can be cultivated through systematic training and institutional support. The implementation of programmes inspired by international models such as MRT or Battle Smart represents a necessity in the management of psychosocial risks, reducing the incidence of occupational burnout and post-traumatic stress.

Impact on prevention policies: the implementation of programmes inspired by international models such as MRT or Battle Smart represents a necessity in the management of psychosocial risks, with the effect of reducing the incidence of occupational burnout and post-traumatic stress.

The consolidation of resilience at both individual and collective levels within the military system represents a priority investment in social welfare and protection policies. The development of these adaptive mechanisms can also have a direct impact on the family, providing military personnel and their loved ones with the resources necessary to manage the specific challenges of military life and separation during missions.

Operational efficiency: a resilient military member is one who maintains team cohesion even in situations of unpredictable risk.