Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the practice of mindfulness among (a) serving armed forces staff, (b) reservists and (c) veterans.

The Defence Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2023 made a significant commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of all Defence Personnel. Its primary goal is to ensure that every member of the Defence community leads a healthy lifestyle in a supportive environment. Defence is dedicated to enhancing the overall health and wellbeing of our people. This includes promoting mental fitness and resilience and normalising time spent working on mental fitness, as with physical fitness, whilst embedding healthy habits.

Throughout their Service, members of the Armed Forces have access to a wide range of support to ensure their mental fitness and resilience is maximised and they are given opportunities to enhance their wellbeing. To support mindfulness, members of the Armed Forces, Regular and Reserve, and veterans have access to HeadFIT For Life, a mental fitness tool to support the whole force. HeadFIT is an externally accessible website that assists Defence personnel in developing a proactive approach to mental fitness. Its aim is to establish healthy habits that will help unlock potential, achieve personal goals, and reach optimal well-being.