Work engagement, by enhancing employees’ motivation and energy in organizational settings, contributes to improved performance and reduced burnout, findings that are applicable to military contexts as well (Schaufeli & Taris, 2014). This qualitative study aimed to identify factors influencing and strengthening work engagement in a military context to propose strategies for enhancing operational readiness and organizational resilience. The target population consisted of permanent personnel from a defense institution, from which 19 participants were selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. In-depth, semi-structured interviews served as the primary data collection tool, and data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software and a grounded theory approach. The findings revealed that improved perceptions, tactical flexibility within the command structure, strengthened communication, and operational knowledge development act as causal conditions driving work engagement. Empowering personnel, fostering commitment, promoting individual accountability, improving infrastructure, ensuring operational convenience, and reinforcing a sense of duty create the necessary contextual conditions. Individual and environmental pressures pose barriers that may disrupt this process, but strategies such as enhancing self-efficacy, addressing psychological factors, providing incentives, and offering operational support can mitigate these challenges. The outcomes of fostering work engagement include enhanced operational efficiency, individual sense-making, improved performance, and mission-oriented growth, all of which contribute to greater readiness, higher morale, and sustainable organizational development. These results suggest that by focusing on coordinated and structured interventions, work engagement in military forces can be strengthened, thereby achieving strategic objectives.