Mission: Family: Branches could share ideas for family programs - Army Spouse and Family Resources - Army Times

Mission: Family: Branches could share ideas for family programs

What programs do Army families have that might benefit Air Force families? Are there unneeded family programs that could be replaced by more effective programs run by the Marine Corps or Navy?

These are not new questions. Families have noticed differences among the services’ programs for years, and have wondered why a program is offered at one base and not at another.

While some programs are mandated for all the services, many others are developed individually by each service, with considerable differences developing along the way.

Senior officials are looking to address these issues. At the Dec. 13 meeting of the Military Family Readiness Council, service officials repeatedly suggested bringing everyone’s family readiness programs to the council for review.

This would help determine commonalities among programs and perhaps raise awareness of some service-unique programs that other branches might want to adopt, said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert.

And it’s not just about being more consistent for families. In the face of looming budget cuts, all programs and their funding sources should be reviewed, Greenert said.

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Howie Chandler said one of his key issues is doing everything possible to ensure families know about and have access to programs — reaching out to the young enlisted member’s wife who lives off base and has no access to the Internet, for example.

The service officials at the council meeting agreed that they would like to lay out their respective programs for each other to review.

That is, in fact, one of the core mission taskings of the council, created in 2008 because of lawmakers’ concerns that many family support programs appear to run independently and ad hoc.

Lawmakers wanted to foster a coordinated approach across all services and improve oversight by the Pentagon in developing and sustaining programs that support family readiness.

When the council was created, family advocates praised the move, saying it was time to look at best practices and see what works for military families.

Researchers are beginning to look at the effectiveness of family programs in the Defense Department and officials are looking for more opportunities to share ideas. One example is the Tutor.com free online tutoring program, which began as a Marine Corps initiative and has spread to all military families.

These decision-making service officials have the right idea. They speak passionately about their family programs. If they sit down with each other and take a hard look at what’s going on in other branches, maybe more good ideas will get to families faster.

Questions? Comments? E-mail staff writer Karen Jowers at kjowers@militarytimes.com.