The Competency of the Military Fitness Training Leaders in the Hellenic Army
Abstract
Background: The Military Fitness Training Leader (MFTL) is considered a parameter that affects the efficiency of the Hellenic Army Physical Readiness Training (APRT).
Purpose: The competencies of 5 different types of Greek MFTLs were assessed and compared according to the opinions of the Regular Army Personnel.
Material and Methods: ANOVA corrected by post hoc comparisons were used to compare the selected opinions coming from 2864 survey questionnaires. The statistical significance was indicated up to 0.05 to compare the differences for all 5 types MFTLs graded by 3 different groups: Senior Officers, Junior Officers, and Non- Commissioned Officers/Permanent Enlisted Soldiers.
Results: The Senior Officers scored the “Officer” as the best MFTL and the “Physical Education Graduate” as the highest contributors to the APRT’s effectiveness. Junior Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers/Permanent Enlisted Soldiers scored the “Physical Education Graduate” as being more useful as MFTL, although being seldom applied to APRT programs. The Officers’ military experience and leadership specialisation combined with the Physical Education Graduate’s professionalisation has been revealed as the main characteristics of an effective profile for a MFTL.
Conclusion: The results, reinforced by similar research in the field, indicate that the Hellenic army should focus on creating professional standards to achieve a more efficient MFTL training program.
Conflict of Interest: There were no financial or personal conflicts of interest for this study. The results of the present study do not constitute endorsement of the product by the author or the Journal.
Key Words: Army Physical Readiness Training, Regular Army Personnel, Military Fitness Training Leader, Army Organisation Efficiency, Survey Questionnaire.
