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Commentary | June 30, 2026

Volunteer to be your unit's next Resilience Coordinator

By AJ Pulkkinen, MyCG writer

If you are passionate about helping your shipmates thrive, the Integrated Primary Prevention (IPP) Program is looking for you. The Coast Guard is hosting the Resilience Coordinator and Unit Education (ResCUE) course at Training Center Yorktown from Sept. 21-25, 2026. Commands with 25 or more personnel are encouraged to solicit active-duty volunteers to serve as collateral duty Resilience Coordinators (RC). 

Seats are limited to just 20 personnel and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon completion of the five-day course, members will receive a Direct Access competency code certifying them as a Coast Guard RC. 

 

What to expect at ResCUE 

The ResCUE course features a custom curriculum designed by the Uniformed Services University's Consortium of Health and Military Performance. The training is built around key Primary Prevention concepts, including Health Education, Human Performance Optimization, and the Total Force Fitness Framework. Students will dive into evidence-based modules covering: 

  • Physical fitness and nutrition 

  • Sleep hygiene 

  • Primary prevention 

  • Stress management 

  • Tobacco cessation 

  • Other health and well-being topics 

 

What does a Resilience Coordinator do? 

As an RC, you will serve as your unit’s local access point for information and referrals regarding protective behaviors and available well-being resources. You will collaborate with your command, Workforce and Family Services Center personnel, and IPP staff to build educational programming and activities that strengthen the resilience of your unit. 

Depending on command approval, RCs may also serve as local trainers certified to teach the Operational Stress Management Course (STR-M 101), Suicide Prevention, and other behavioral programs. 

 

Who is eligible? 

To qualify for the program, volunteers must meet the following criteria: 

  • Rank: E-5/O-3 or above (exceptions can be made for smaller units or with command endorsement). 

  • Tour Length: Have at least two years remaining at a shore unit, or one year remaining at an afloat unit. 

  • Conduct: Have no disciplinary action in the last two years. Anyone with a conviction, non-judicial punishment, or punitive administrative action for sex-related offenses at any time is permanently ineligible. 

  • Suitability: Possess an approachable attitude, an interest in the coursework, and the availability to perform RC duties as a collateral assignment. 

 

How to apply 

Before attending the ResCUE course, selected members must complete two prerequisite trainings: an approved suicide prevention course (SAFE TALK, ASIST, or Suicide Prevention 2026) and the Operational Stress Management Course. You still have time to jump in on a virtual (Teams-based) Operational Stress Management course: 

  • July 7, 2026, at 1000 EST 

  • July 9, 2026, at 1600 EST 

  • July 14, 2026, at 1600 EST 

  • July 16, 2026, at 1000 EST 

To request a seat in one of these prerequisite sessions, email the ResCUE point of contact at RC@uscg.mil

Your commanding officer (or the first O-6 in your chain of command) must submit an endorsement letter confirming your selection and verifying that you have had no adverse administrative actions in the past two years. 

Submit your command endorsement and prerequisite completion certificates to RC@uscg.mil no later than July 31, 2026. Use the endorsement memo template found on the Integrated Primary Prevention SharePoint page

For any questions, please contact LCDR Catherine Wright at catherine.wright@uscg.mil

 

-USCG- 

 


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