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Overall, airmen and commanders indicated a high degree of satisfaction with how UNITE was implemented

• Many of the comments from respondents suggested that airmen, in particular, perceived UNITE events to be an opportunity to relax and unwind while getting to know their fellow unit members.
• However, there also were concerns about low attendance at some events, which could mitigate some of the perceived positive effects of the initiative.

C3s were viewed as a valuable resource by unit commanders

• However, C3s sometimes felt overburdened by a combination of UNITE and other duties assigned to them by installation leadership.
• C3s also showed interest in continued training and education, as well as more networking with fellow C3s.

Improvements could be made in messaging about UNITE

• C3s, unit commanders, and airmen all agreed that it was important to make sure that airmen are aware of specific events and that they know the purpose of the overall UNITE Initiative.
• One cause of concern is the perception by some airmen that UNITE events are “mandatory fun.” Another is the lack of consistent marketing materials available to C3s.

Certain UNITE event characteristics were associated with post-event measures of cohesion

• Participation in UNITE events that airmen rated as an opportunity to decompress, interact with other airmen, and reinforce peer, squadron, and Air Force values were associated with higher levels of overall unit cohesion two weeks after participation.
• However, the associations between social interaction and overall unit cohesion dissipated over time (i.e., eight weeks after participation).

In 2016, the Air Force began an effort to revitalize squadrons, aimed at promoting the readiness and resilience of the force. In light of this effort, the Air Force Services Center established the UNITE Initiative and hired Community Cohesion Coordinators (C3s) across participating installations to plan programs, activities, and events that directly support unit cohesion, leveraging Force Support Squadron activities along with resources and activities in the local community.

Previous research suggests that providing units with opportunities to participate in group activities could serve to improve cohesion. However, the Air Force lacks data that demonstrate a correlation between the use of these activities and expected outcomes. In this report, the authors examine this connection by conducting an initial evaluation of the UNITE Initiative. The authors accomplish this evaluation by conducting interviews with C3s and reviewing post-event feedback from C3s, units, and airmen participants to understand how the program was implemented and identify successes, limitations, and lessons learned. The authors also use two post-event surveys, completed by airmen roughly two and six weeks after participating in a UNITE event, to examine whether participation was associated with perceptions of unit cohesion.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Developing an Evidence-Informed Framework for UNITE

• Chapter Three

  Process: How Is UNITE Implemented?

• Chapter Four

  Outcome: What Does UNITE Do?

• Chapter Five

  Summary and Policy Implications

• Appendix A

  Cohesion Literature Review Methods and Findings

• Appendix B

  Qualitative Evaluation Methods: Process Evaluation

• Appendix C

  Airman UNITE Survey Development and Administration

• Appendix D

  Quantitative Evaluation Methods: Outcome Evaluation