Early Experience of an Aviation Peer Support Program in the US Air Force to Drive Readiness and Address Healthcare...

Medical readiness is essential to sustaining operational capability in U.S. Air Force (USAF) aircrew. However, mental health care-seeking is often delayed or avoided due to perceived career consequences, leading to potential decrements in individual and unit-level readiness. Aviation peer support programs, widely adopted in global civil aviation, offer a non-clinical, confidential intervention to reduce stigma and facilitate early help-seeking. This report presents the first known implementation of an aviation-specific peer support program in a USAF operational flying unit.

A provisional peer support program was launched at the 86th Operations Group (86 OG), Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. A multidisciplinary working group led the design and implementation, drawing from civilian aviation peer support models and adapting for the military context. Peer supporters were selected based on interpersonal credibility and trained in nonclinical support using the Mayday Model. From November 2024 to July 2025, peer interactions were recorded in a secure, de-identified database, with contact characteristics (defined as a documented interaction between a peer supporter and a program user) summarized using descriptive statistics. A focused group discussion among program leads was conducted to synthesize lessons learned across implementation phases. The activity was approved by the 86 OG and determined not to constitute human subjects' research.

A total of 81 peer contacts were recorded, including 28 repeat users. Most contacts (79%) related to well-being and family stressors. No contacts met criteria requiring escalation for suicidality, homicidality, or operational risk. Peer supporters referred users to a wide range of support services, with 77% of contacts resulting in at least one referral. Lessons learned emphasized the importance of command endorsement, stakeholder engagement, recurrent training, and program visibility in sustaining peer support within the operational environment.

Aviation peer support can be established and maintained within a USAF flying unit and may represent a promising approach to reduce health care avoidance, enhance resilience, and preserve readiness. Further investigation is warranted to assess clinical and safety outcomes.

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