FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
The Department of Defense has launched a force-wide climate assessment known as the Defense Organizational Climate Survey to gauge how service members and civilian employees are feeling and doing overall.
The survey is part of DoD's “Prevention Plan of Action 2.0 (2022-2024),” released in May 2022 to help prevent self-directed harm, reduce prohibited-abuse harm, and strengthen healthy climates and build resiliency across the force. It will open to Pennsylvania National Guard members and civilian employees on Aug. 11.
“The information we collect during the 2023 climate assessment cycle will enable us to better understand what our folks need to be successful and will drive policy and program resource priorities for 2024,” said Matthew Kilner, Integrated Primary Prevention lead for the Pennsylvania National Guard.
DEOCS is used by unit commanders and supervisors to gain insight into their personnel and the issues they face day-to-day.
The DEOCS survey window is open to the Pennsylvania National Guard Aug. 11 through Sept. 29. During this window, commanders and supervisors will select dates for their personnel to complete the survey.
Information collected from these assessments will be used to better understand what service members and civilian employees need to succeed so resources can be allocated accordingly.
Service members and civilian employees will receive an email to inform them of the time they are to take the survey. The assessment takes approximately 10 minutes, and once completed, the information will automatically be reported back to the command team.
When a unit's window is open, service members and civilian employees will need to enter their email address and DoD ID number to access the survey.
“The real takeaway from this is that it gives the service member a direct way to give feedback up the chain, and it gives the commanders and stakeholders the evidence to get more resources,” Kilner said.
Those resources could be as simple as drill changes, to increased funding for regional social workers or behavioral health providers.