NGB-J1 Initiatives and Programs

 www.nationalguard.mil/wrf January 2023 1

The National Guard Bureau (NGB) Manpower and Personnel Directorate’s (J1) Warrior Resilience and Fitness (WRF) 

Division supports evidence-informed activities with broad application across the National Guard (NG) to prevent 

harmful behaviors among Service members and their families by addressing risk and protective factors. 

NGB-J1 Initiatives receive technical and financial support to evaluate effectiveness and feasibility of expanding from 

local implementation to NG-wide execution. NGB-J1 Programs, which are administrated by NGB-J1, receive priority 

funding and ongoing technical support. Many NGB-J1 Initiatives and Programs began as State Initiatives (see State 

Initiatives fact sheet for details on current activities).

For more information, please contact SFC Daniel Hoke at daniel.l.hoke.mil@army.mil.

NGB-J1 Initiatives

Comprehensive Health 

and Wellness Program 

Establish a culture of health and wellness within units. Practical courses use behavior change, 

motivational interviewing, organizational development, and emotional intelligence to enable unit 

leaders and Service members (SM) to intervene at the root causes of risky behaviors across five 

wellness domains. This is a former State Initiative. 

Warfighter Brain Fitness Increase productivity and improve mental acuity through an online cognitive training program.

Cognitive trainings and assessments delivered through a virtual portal to optimize online delivery 

of brain fitness program.

Project SafeGuard Provide lethal means safety training and counseling curriculum using peer-to-peer intervention. 

The train-the-trainer model helps to reduce the negative stigma associated with delivering lethal 

means training and provide SMs with tools to protect themselves, fellow SMs, and their families.

NGB-J1 Programs 

Start Expand gatekeeper skills through online suicide prevention training. Online gatekeeper training 

distributed to leadership, SM and spouses, and community partners to improve ability to identify 

and respond to SMs at risk for suicide. This is a former State Initiative. 

Prime for Life

Motivate SMs to change substance use behavior through nonjudgmental training. Training 

provides substance abuse education and behavior change strategies for SMs identified as a 

substance abuse concern. Available as an in-person (Prime for Life) or online (MyPrime) training.

This is a former State Initiative.

Star Behavioral Health 

Providers (SBHP)

Improve military cultural competence of Behavioral Health (BH) providers. Tier-based 

continuing education program to enhance BH providers’ knowledge and skills for treating SMs, 

Veterans, and their families with reintegration- and deployment-related concerns. SBHP 

maintains an online registry to make it easy to find trained local support.

Work for Warriors

Streamline employment support services using online platform. Screening and referral to 

employment assistance and other NG resources for SMs, Veterans, and spouses through the 

online Zoho platform, which has built-in reporting capabilities to inform program efforts. This is a 

former State Initiative.