More than 100 colleges and universities have signed on to a Joining Forces initiative to better prepare educators instructing military-connected children, Jill Biden and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno announced Tuesday. “As a military mom and as second lady, I have heard over and over from military families just how important it is that school be a supportive environment for children …
The new Seitz Elementary School at Fort Riley, Kan., dedicated last month was funded through the Residential Communities Initiative program, the Army’s family housing privatization effort. Picerne Military Housing, the post’s RCI partner, was the project’s developer; the project’s other partner was Unified District 475 of Geary County Schools. This is the first time the partnership between Picerne and RCI has been used to build a school, which expedited the building process and allowed the school to open sooner …
The Navy Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor program, which provides non-medical assistance to seriously wounded sailors and Coast Guardsmen, moved from the service’s Total Force Requirements Division to Commander, Navy Installations Command on Monday. The initiative now will fall under CNIC’s Fleet and Family Readiness Program. The realignment will help the Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor program better leverage existing services available at Navy installations …
The Coalition to Save Our Military Shopping Benefits — a group formed last year to fight legislative efforts to privatize military exchanges and commissaries, and eliminate their federal subsidy — has gained support from a handful of new organizations recently, reports CQ Weekly. The effort stems from a bill introduced by Sen. Richard Burr last year to privatize commissaries and exchanges. This year the coalition has been warning about the impact of sequestration, which it says could result in shorter hours or higher prices …
Two Houston hospitals have found a rich supply for new employees — military veterans. Officials at the Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center say veterans are service-focused, hardworking and, equally important, many have experience in health care …
Children at Fort Sill, Okla., will get a new elementary school courtesy of a $37.1 million grant from the Defense Department to Lawton Public Schools, officials announced last week. The grant will cover the cost of demolishing two existing elementary schools and replacing them with a single 1,400-student Freedom Elementary School on the installation …
A new California law is expected to bolster the state’s effort to shape impending decisions in Washington regarding the defense budget. Under a bill California Gov. Jerry Brown signed last week, the governor’s office of planning and research will serve as the state’s liaison to the Pentagon. Local officials and business leaders in San Diego had pushed for the measure as DOD begins to slash spending and consider a future BRAC round …
Protecting troop and family support programs from budget cuts and increasing support to service members transitioning out of the military were named as the top priorities for the coming fiscal year by DOD’s Military Family Readiness Council after meeting last week. The council said it wants to ensure there is sufficient time for service members and families to transition, and that transitional compensation and health care coverage is needed to help cross over to civilian life …
The Air Force Personnel Center is taking a tailored approach to how it provides morale, welfare and recreation services at installations, along with the type of programs it offers. Under the Services Transformation Initiative, which has been launched at eight bases so far, installations will offer only those programs and services that airmen and commanders who live and work there want …
President Obama on Thursday nominated Frederick Vollrath to be assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management. Vollrath, now the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management, has been serving as the assistant secretary on an interim basis. The position is responsible for policy in the areas of civilian and military personnel, readiness of the force, and military communities and families …