ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The White House announced Jan. 31 that the 14th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation will take a closer look at the adequacy of pay and benefits for dual-income households. 

“The unique factors affecting military household incomes might require structural changes, to include the development of a new benchmark for military compensation,” says a memorandum from President Joe Biden establishing the review. 

Soldiers will have more time to spend with their growing families under DoD’s recent expansion of its Military Parental Leave Program. 

“It is important for the development of military families that members be able to care for their newborn, adopted or placed child or children,” Gilbert Cisneros Jr., undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in the memo announcing the expansion. 

Service members experiencing food insecurity may be particularly affected by issues such as stigma and a lack of awareness of resources, a Rand Corp. report found. 

Just over one-quarter of active-duty service members were food insecure in 2018, according to the report. Researchers also found that food insecure troops were more likely to be enlisted personnel in the grades of E-4 to E-6, single with children, married without children or a racial or ethnic minority.

The Association of the U.S. Army is releasing two new podcasts in December, following a major relaunch of its “Army Matters” series.

First up in December is an episode titled “Twenty-four Hours’ Notice to Deploy to Afghanistan,” featuring Lt. Col. Jacob Helgestad, executive officer for the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division.

The past two years have been marked by both challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and positive progress for military families and veterans, a report from Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute found.  

The report, “Measuring Our Communities: The State of Military and Veteran Families in the United States,” analyzed the status of American military and veteran families across nine themes, including employment, housing, K–12 and postsecondary education and behavioral health.  

Questions about mental health and access to behavioral health providers prompted a frank discussion with Army senior leaders at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Addressing a standing room-only, town hall-style forum with military families, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth gave her assurance that seeking help is “nothing to be ashamed about,” acknowledging that she has sought counseling during difficult times in her own life.

Military families should look to family and community relationships to build connections, a panel of experts said Oct. 11 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2022 Annual Meeting and Exposition. 

“Connections are extremely important for our families because of the unique lifestyle that we live,” said Karen Halverson, an Army spouse and AUSA senior fellow. “Being able to connect with people is a useful topic, perhaps the most useful skill that I use as a Naval officer and a longtime Army spouse.”

As they navigate the ups and downs of military life, Army families need grit to persevere and grow through the various challenges they face, military family leaders said Oct. 10.

Strong connections and robust quality-of-life programs are critical to the Army’s efforts to ensure soldiers and their families are taken care of, a panel of experts said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s inaugural Warfighter Summit and Exposition.

Speaking July 27 on the first day of the two-day event near Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the panelists emphasized the importance of building a strong community to help Army families navigate the stressors of military life.