The Navy gathered several experts and leaders from the entertainment, public, and military sectors to address Sailor toughness during a Tactical Advancements for the Next Generation (TANG) event.

Held Feb. 6-9 at the Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation in nearby Suffolk, Virginia, the diverse gathering included members from NFL Players Association, New York City Police and Fire Departments, along with leaders of the Naval Postgraduate School and military commands across the region.

Together, they discussed Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson's recent promulgation of his four core attributes of a Sailor's identity: integrity; accountability; initiative; and specifically, toughness.

Of these four pillars, Sailor toughness is expected to be the hardest for Navy leaders to get their arms around. It is the immediate focus of Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT), who sponsored the four-day exploration. At the command, a team is defining, dissecting, and debating Sailor toughness TANG with the objective of generating innovative ideas around human resilience and human optimization for the 21st-century Navy.

TANG provides a uniquely designed thinking process developed around human-centered solutions to address possible challenges.

"We here at the TANG team just try to ignite creativity to deliver solutions for Sailors' toughness," said Josh Smith, Johns Hopkins University TANG director and Design Thinking Corps lead. "We start off with a pilot event which focuses on the human-centered approach to garner ideas to better empower, educate, and equip Sailors on the concept of toughness.

During the event, the diverse group of minds was divided into smaller teams which brainstormed conceptual ideas and discussed topics such as physical fitness, mental health, and identity.

"There are no stupid ideas; the different ways of critical thinking allow for a better learning experience and improved team building," said Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Amber Vida, from the Navy's culinary specialist "A" school. "Any time you want people to think differently, you have to bring them into a new environment which fosters innovation."

Past TANG projects have produced conceptual technology and inspirational experiences by bringing together warfighters, commercial vendors, and subject matter experts in the field of human psychology, human physiology, artificial intelligence, and human augmentation. By bringing together a diverse group of subject matter experts in the initial phase of the thinking process, the TANG team can generate some unique ideas and prototypes for a rapidly-changing society.

"We want to make what we have better," explained Lt. Nicholas Blevins, of SURFLANT. "These grass root ideas are a democratic approach of incorporating and implementing good conceptual ideas from Sailors to the fleet."

Through discussions and brainstorming, TANG event participants lend their keen insights on a Sailor's sense of identity, belonging, and maintaining fitness to strengthen stability and toughness in a 21st-century Navy.

"There are people here that are focused on the soft side of psychological thinking of what makes people tick," said Capt. Randal Dykes, Navy Surface Warfare Center chief of staff. "This is all about making ourselves better and ready to fight when the time comes for us to go into action."

"Societies, in general, are starting to fray a little bit because of rapid technological development, and the Navy is not immune to that," added retired Capt. Robert Gusentine. "Technology changes the speed at which we communicate. Social media, especially, has an impact on our social fabric. The Navy has to create a real sense of identity and belonging that goes well beyond organizational for Sailors, and it must be tribal.

"The financial, emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical fitness aspects are essential to maintaining readiness, along with avoiding corrosive choices, which ultimately erode the Navy's capability to fulfill its mission," he concluded.

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