{"id":72090,"date":"2022-10-04T23:09:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T23:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/04\/addressing-military-families-needs-a-to-do-list-not-a-wish-list\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:26:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:26:50","slug":"addressing-military-families-needs-a-to-do-list-not-a-wish-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/10\/04\/addressing-military-families-needs-a-to-do-list-not-a-wish-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing military families\u2019 needs: a \u2018to-do list\u2019 not a \u2018wish list\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2022\/Sep\/22\/2003083398\/-1\/-1\/0\/TAKING-CARE-OF-OUR-SERVICE-MEMBERS-AND-FAMILIES.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">memo<\/a> recently released by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demonstrates what military families have always known: Their needs are one key to the success of the all-volunteer military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The memo addresses, among other things, the rising cost of housing, food and relocation; military spouse employment; access and cost of child care; and the critical need to provide financial stability to military families at a time when many are struggling. It comes at a time when the military is failing to reach its recruiting goals. Notably, Austin describes the issues as personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These issues aren\u2019t new. Defense and service officials have struggled for decades to address the problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 10 years ago, together with a team of military spouses (many of whom were volunteering to fill employment gaps in their resume as a result of their military spouse status), we worked to develop a survey that has informed decision makers ever since. It was important then \u2014 and it still is \u2014 that we had a seat at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issues we highlighted have also been seen in Defense Department surveys and other studies for decades. Many are included in Austin\u2019s memo and are now considered enduring components of the modern military family experience \u2014 issues like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2022\/07\/20\/new-program-to-cut-child-care-costs-for-military-families-coming-to-more-states\/\" target=\"_blank\">child care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2022\/07\/15\/heres-dods-plan-to-help-the-24-of-troops-experiencing-food-insecurity\/\" target=\"_blank\">food insecurity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2022\/09\/14\/military-spouse-unemployment-financial-fallout-is-far-reaching\/\" target=\"_blank\">spouse unemployment and underemployment<\/a>, licensure, financial security, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2022\/09\/28\/dod-considers-universal-pre-kindergarten-for-4-year-old-military-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\">child education<\/a>, and the impact of deployments, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2022\/05\/26\/services-detail-plans-to-beef-up-mental-health-services-for-troops-families\/\" target=\"_blank\">mental health<\/a>, suicide, and family separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2022\/09\/20\/extraordinary-circumstances-facing-hungry-military-families\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mil-family.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Extraordinary circumstances\u2019 facing hungry military families<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Congress and the Defense Department can take action to help bring relief to struggling military families and service members experiencing food insecurity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We now know that understanding the sacrifices made by military families are part of a holistic approach to military retention and encouraging future military service; addressing these issues should be part of a \u201cto-do list\u201d not a \u201cwish list.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What have we learned? Military family issues have generally taken a secondary role to the needs of service members and veterans. Yet, this memo reveals that military families are essential to military\u2019s national security goals, and their needs cannot be ignored. Those needs have become clearer over time, but they have not disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through collaborative efforts like the <a href=\"https:\/\/bluestarfam.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BSF_MFLS_Results2021_ComprehensiveReport_03_14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Star Families Survey<\/a>, as well as ongoing partnerships with the <a href=\"https:\/\/statepolicy.militaryonesource.mil\/about\" target=\"_blank\">DoD<\/a> and organizations like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Hiring our Heroes Foundation<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iava.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">IAVA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moaa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">MOAA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taps.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">TAPS<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legion.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">The American Legion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militaryfamily.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">NMFA<\/a> and countless others who have continued to work tirelessly \u2014 partnering with both the government and <a href=\"https:\/\/veteranjobsmission.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">the private sector<\/a> \u2014 to spotlight these issues, these military family problems issues have gotten more attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/08\/12\/us\/politics\/us-withdrawal-afghanistan.html\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan<\/a>, the memo\u2019s recommendations come at a time when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/theaters\/us\/2022-08-23\/military-recruiting-struggles-7077916.html\" target=\"_blank\">military is struggling to reach its recruiting goals<\/a>, public interest in the military is shifting, and <a href=\"https:\/\/militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/03\/10\/trust-in-the-military-is-dropping-significantly-new-survey-suggests\/\" target=\"_blank\">trust in the military has diminished<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These combined factors make addressing <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2022\/Sep\/22\/2003083398\/-1\/-1\/0\/TAKING-CARE-OF-OUR-SERVICE-MEMBERS-AND-FAMILIES.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">these issues<\/a> more urgent, but it shouldn\u2019t take a recruiting crisis for the voices of military families to be heard. Too often, recommendations like Austin\u2019s are the end of the conversation, and while they look promising on paper, often they fail to result in real changes. Even so, I have hope that the past decades of work is having an impact or at a minimum, informing today\u2019s conversation. Hopefully, Secretary Austin\u2019s memo reveals that military leadership has begun to understand the central role families play towards the military\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military community has seen substantial changes as a result of ongoing collaboration and coordinated efforts from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, and those efforts must continue to ensure military family voices play a central role in understanding and mitigating the true opportunity costs of military service. While Secretary Austin\u2019s memo might have been published in September \u2014 there have been decades of work, research, thought, and deliberate collaboration that brought attention to the important issues that the memo addresses. It was because of these concerted efforts that such a memo could be written at all. His memo reveals the countless opportunity costs of military service, but it also shows that this work is far from done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"mailto:Dbradbar@syr.edu\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Dr. Deborah Bradbard<\/i><\/a><i> is senior research associate at the D\u2019Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) and also a military spouse.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have an opinion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This article is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please <\/i><a href=\"mailto:opinions@militarytimes.com\"><i>email us<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Want more perspectives like this sent straight to you? <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/link.militarytimes.com\/join\/5b9\/sign-up-opinion\"><i>Subscribe to get our Commentary &amp; Opinion newsletter<\/i><\/a><i> once a week.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense and service officials have struggled for decades to address the problems military families face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":105978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":73,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[73,101,23,89,26,14],"tags":[],"coauthors":[6764],"class_list":["post-72090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-newsletters","category-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"KYU2AKE3X5CIZDPHGRAKYJAKG4","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/10\/04\/addressing-military-families-needs-a-to-do-list-not-a-wish-list\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Addressing military families\u2019 needs: a \u2018to-do list\u2019 not a \u2018wish list\u2019 - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Defense and service officials have struggled for decades to address the problems military families face.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Addressing military families\u2019 needs: a \u2018to-do list\u2019 not a \u2018wish list\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Defense and service officials have struggled for decades to address the problems military families face.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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