Spouses Have a Say on Family Program Policies

December 20, 2005

By John Buhl

Military spouses will have the opportunity to provide feedback that could influence how Department of Defense (DoD) policymakers choose to fund military family programs by completing a DoD-sponsored study.

The survey was distributed to 74,000 randomly selected military spouses. Active duty, National Guard and reserve families each received different versions.

Participants received notifications last month, and the survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Responses to the survey will be confidential and used to determine how DoD will direct family program resources.

John Molino, deputy undersecretary for military and family policy, said, “There is always competition for limited resources, [so] we want to make sure we spend our money smartly in the future.”

Molino added that the survey is “an opportunity for military spouses…to be sitting around the table with us, to be giving us their input so that we can make smart decisions on how to spend these monies and these resources in the future.”

The most recent military spouse survey was taken in 1999. According to DoD, results from that survey led to an effort to improve child care facilities and education benefits.

With increased military operations and deployments, Molino hopes that the new surveys will give DoD insight on how to best help families deal with the changes in circumstances.

“The world has changed since 1999. A lot has changed within the military and a lot has changed in the nature of the military (and) the makeup of the military family,” Molino said.

The survey is also aimed at improving retention, as DoD knows that families that are satisfied with the programs offered may be less likely to leave the service. Currently more than half of military personnel are married.

“The decision to join the military may be an individual decision, but the decision to stay in the military is a family decision,” Molino said.