Navy warfighter perspectives on mindfulness practices for combat readiness.

Abstract

Mindfulness practices have been empirically linked to enhancements in cognitive performance, attention, emotion regulation, and resilience, all of which are essential capacities for military personnel engaged in sustained high-stress environments. However, little research has examined how U.S. Navy (USN) warfighters perceive the relevance and applicability of mindfulness practices for warfighter readiness. This study analyzes qualitative feedback from USN Sailors who participated in educational sessions introducing the science and practical application of mindfulness for warfighting readiness. Data were collected through a survey. Inductive thematic analysis revealed consistent themes related to the participants' perceived benefits of and barriers to incorporating mindfulness practices among the fleet as a part of enhancing Sailor readiness. Four themes related to the benefits of mindfulness practices for readiness emerged, including increasing focus for mission readiness, fostering resilience through adaptive readiness, promoting stress management and emotion regulation, and improving decision-making under stress. Three themes related to perceived barriers and their mitigation emerged, including operational demands and competing priorities, skepticism and lack of understanding, and institutional support and leadership integration. Findings suggest that mindfulness practices are viewed by USN warfighters as a meaningful, feasible, and relevant tool for strengthening cognitive fitness and psychological readiness for sustained combat.