Implementing Mental Performance Programs in Elite Military Units

This chapter presents opportunities, challenges, and considerations for program development and service delivery in the context of mental performance training within elite military units and organizations. A high-level overview of theoretical and applied frameworks to guide program development and implementation is offered, and the experiences of subject matter experts who have worked in or supported applied mental performance programs within military establishments are summarized. We focus on Special Operations Forces (SOF) operatives, who are confronted with the challenge of sustaining peak performance consistently, despite the escalating demand for their services. This heightened demand underscores the critical need to prioritize the optimization of their job performance, which in many cases has a mental component. Another elite military population with regard to performance is jet fighter pilots, however, since this example is described in detail in Chapter 11, we will not further elaborate here.