Master Sgt. Jason Audette, an air traffic controller with the 75th Operations Support Squadron, has overcome numerous challenges throughout his childhood and 15-year Air Force career, learning the significance of mental fitness and resilience. When the airfield operations community introduced the Airfield Operations Strong (AO Strong) team and sought volunteers, Audette eagerly stepped forward.

AO Strong aims to promote mental health awareness, provide essential resources, combat stigma, and eliminate barriers to mental wellness within the high-pressure airfield operations community. This group includes professionals in air traffic control, airfield management, and radar, airfield, and weather systems. The program builds on the success of Air Traffic Control Strong, which focused solely on air traffic controllers.

“During the pandemic, the air traffic control career field completed a data call about mental health,” said (Senior) Master Sgt. Keara Fraser, AO Strong representative at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. “The data call uncovered barriers and stigmas that prevented air traffic controllers from seeking help, such as the belief that seeking help for mental health would be detrimental to one’s career. The ATC Strong initiative was created to tackle these obstacles. Once the initiative became well known, fellow airfield operations members also expressed interest in the initiative.”

Though AO Strong is still in its early stages, rolling out to Air Force units nationwide, Audette believes the team will help cultivate consistent and creative ways for AO units to foster healthy cultures. The objective is to enable Airmen to meet demanding missions while maintaining their resilience and mental well-being.

“A resilient and healthy Airman is a combat-ready Airman,” said Audette. “It is our responsibility to provide our AO Airmen with every chance to master their combat toolkits ahead of any conflict.”

As the Air Force shifts its focus in the era of Great Power Competition, Audette underscored the critical role of mental fitness. 

 “We must ensure our Airmen develop a diverse multi-capable and mission ready skillset, but they must also push to instill a warrior mindset capable of dealing with a modern conflict,” he added.

AO Strong’s mission has two main components. 

“As a first step, we need to provide tools, data, connection to resources, and create opportunities to grow and develop healthy mental health habits,” he said. “This is done through sharing, teaching, and supporting each other.”

The second focus is creating a culture where seeking help and fostering mental fitness feels safe and encouraged.

“An AO Strong Culture is a culture that encourages our Airmen to feel safe to seek out assistance and develop healthy mental fitness and resilience habits,” said Audette.

The AO Strong team, comprising 34 Airmen and one civilian chosen through an application and interview process, has identified 46 barriers across four areas: stigma, culture, mental health awareness, and accessibility. To address these challenges, the team has developed 12 initiatives, including newsletters, a resilience calendar, anonymous drop boxes, peer support groups, sharing sessions, and a “Love Me Showcase.”

Audette acknowledged that securing unit-level support is one of the initiative’s toughest hurdles. 

“Our AO Airmen face rigorous challenges every day that keep them busy and sometimes it’s easier to avoid extra work, even if it helps us in the end. We cannot adopt our AO Strong values without support from our peers at each station,” he said.

Audette added, “The only way for change and growth to occur is through initiative and dedication from people who have the capability and persistence to push regardless of the challenges they face. The goal of the program is for it to become a mantra, a mindset, and a culture that belongs to every Airman in our AO community.”

In his AO Strong application, Audette expressed his excitement about leadership’s commitment to promoting mental health. His passion lies in equipping Airmen with the resilience skills he’s developed, ensuring their mental strength.

“Our Airmen deserve it, and often don’t realize they need it. Just as one works out to improve their physical fitness, we need our Airmen to build their mental fitness muscles with focused effort,” he said. “For that, we need to empower them with knowledge and create safe spaces for them to incorporate it into their lives.” λ