ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Army’s top leaders fielded questions from family members on a variety of issues—from marijuana use to food insecurity to moving household goods—while reassuring them that no matter what the issue, the leaders are there to help.

“Every time we do this, I learn more and more about our Army,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said Oct. 12 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition, held at the D.C. convention center. 

Military families are ready to take on a more vocal, active role in military family readiness, Patricia Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, said during a military family forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

After an unprecedented year, from the COVID-19 pandemic to wildfire response and more, the Army is continuing to adapt to ensure that soldiers and their families have access to the support and resources they need, according to a panel of experts.

The Association of the U.S. Army and Operation Deploy Your Dress have teamed up again for the fourth annual Operation Deploy Your Dress D.C. pop-up event.

For the first time, every active-duty military spouse will have the opportunity to give feedback to military leaders through the 2021 Active Duty Spouse Survey. 

While some spouses will still be randomly selected for the scientifically sampled survey, DoD is now offering all active-duty spouses the opportunity to provide feedback on the most pressing military life issues, the Pentagon said in its announcement.

At the peak of moving season, the Army is rushing to shift report dates, lower on-post hotel rates and adjust housing allowances to pay for longer hotel stays as leaders work to address housing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calling it an “especially stressful” year for the summer surge in permanent change-of-station moves, Maj. Gen. Omar Jones, deputy commander of Army Installation Management Command, said the Army “is all in” to help soldiers and their families get where they’re going.

A new survey of reserve component military spouses found mostly good health and financial stability, but there also were reports of higher levels of personal stress due to deployments.  

More than 50,000 reserve component military spouses from the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve responded to the survey, the Pentagon announced.  

The Army is making progress on its promise to expand access to child and youth services despite the challenges it faces during the pandemic. 

“This is really important because it directly impacts the Army's number one priority, which is people,” Dee Geise, chief of the Soldier and Family Readiness Division in the Army G-9, said April 21 during a phone call with reporters. 

Holly Dailey is the new director of family readiness at the Association of the U.S. Army, bringing more than 35 years of employment and volunteer service experience to the educational nonprofit. 

“I am humbled and wholeheartedly grateful to the greatest association for this honorable opportunity to continue serving our soldiers and families, veterans, civilians, members and community partners. Thank you, AUSA, for welcoming me home to my Army family,” Dailey said March 15 after her appointment was announced. 

Patricia Barron, the Association of the U.S. Army’s family readiness program director, has left the association for a Pentagon job. 

She moved to DoD to become the deputy assistant defense secretary for military community and family policy, a job she’s spent a lifetime preparing to fill.