Three family focused forums are scheduled during the Association of the U.S. Army’s October Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

On opening day, Oct. 8, an afternoon forum will discuss 16 indicators of success or failure in policy and programs for Army families. Stacy Ann Hawkins, a research scientist specializing in the health and well-being of military families, will lead the examination of issues such as physical and mental health of family members, marital strain, finances, social support networks and a family’s deployment experience.

Two family forums are scheduled for Oct. 9.

A 9 a.m. discussion will focus on spouse employment and financial-management issues. Included will be advice on how to use spouse preference policies to gain work with the federal government, with guidance on recent changes.

At 3 p.m., senior Army leaders—the secretary of the Army, chief of staff and sergeant major of the Army—will hold a livestreamed town hall meeting to answer questions about soldiers and family members. Questions can be submitted in advance on the AUSA Family Readiness page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUSAFamily/.

Patty Barron, AUSA’s Family Readiness director, said the forums were organized to address pressing problems. “In the past year, we have heard from many Army families regarding their concerns for their quality of life. We have also heard encouraging dialogue on the new focus to hire military spouses both in the public and private sector,” she said. “I am thrilled that the subject-matter experts assembled for these forums will bring meaningful dialogue to these issues.”

For details on registration and the full schedule of events, visit http://ausameetings.org/2018annualmeeting/.