Posts Tagged ‘Military Families’

A video teleconference last week hosted by Army garrison leaders for community officials from across the country generated a plethora of ideas for partnering initiatives that could benefit the Army and its neighbors. Fort Hood Commander Col. Matthew Elledge highlighted the partnerships the post has with Texas A&M University and Central Texas College. Maj. Gen. John Uberti, Installation Management Command deputy commanding general for support, added that Army installations are establishing programs in science, technology, engineering and math in partnership with local institutions dedicated to fifth graders …

President Obama praised former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel for his dedication to service members and their families in announcing his nomination Monday to be the next defense secretary. The two-term Republican senator served as an Army sergeant in the Vietnam War and earned two Purple Hearts as an infantry squad leader there. Hagel also served as deputy administrator for the Veterans Administration and as CEO and president of the USO …

Erin Conaton, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, announced her intention last week to resign after assuming DOD’s top personnel and readiness post last June. Conaton has been on medical leave since October. Jessica Wright, a retired Army major general and former adjutant general of Pennsylvania and commander of the state’s National Guard, will be acting undersecretary until the president names a replacement …

The departure from the military for tens of thousands of service members over the next several years as part of DOD’s strategic shift to a smaller, more agile force will not be quite so abrupt due to two provisions in the final version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill. One provision will reinstate a previous authority allowing service members who are involuntarily separated from the military to continue to live, along with their families, in military housing for up to six months …

Colorado Springs, Colo., has launched a one-stop resource to help service members, veterans and their families find information about an array of services available in areas such as health care, housing, employment, education and legal services. The Peak Military Care Network, established as a six-month pilot program in November, allows people to learn about resources available in the Colorado Springs region and individual service providers to see what others are doing …

With the Pentagon planning to reduce the military’s end strength by tens of thousands of personnel over the coming decade and defense cuts of up to $1 trillion looming, defense communities will need to step in to ensure support for military families does not get lost in the shuffle. Next month’s Installation Innovation Forum will feature an interactive workshop focused on military family transitions, covering issues associated with separating service members and those simply moving between duty stations …

Better coordination among the Defense Department’s various initiatives for helping military spouses find employment would reduce confusion by participants and improve the programs’ effectiveness, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a new report. GAO found that the programs overlap and can be challenging to access because of inconsistent guidance from DOD, shortfalls in coordination and the lack of performance monitoring …

Children of service members at Fort Riley, Fort Polk and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake will attend class at new schools in a matter of years, following Tuesday’s announcement by the Defense Department that it is awarding $110.5 million to three public school districts to replace or renovate on-base facilities that are either in poor condition or overcrowded. Geary County Unified School District Number 475, Junction City, Kan., will receive $35.2 million to demolish and replace Fort Riley Middle School with a new 720-student school on the post to serve grades six through eight …

In a joint press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki unveiled a revamped Transition Assistance Program that will integrate what once were disconnected activities designed to prepare service members for civilian life into one cohesive initiative. One of the biggest changes to the program, now called Transition Goals Planning Success or Transition GPS, is that participation no longer will be voluntary …

Military families have greater access to a wide range of support programs, including installation and school transitioning, promoting employment for spouses and nonmedical military counseling services, said Charles Milam, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy. Other programs include Military OneSource, which offers financial counseling, tax preparation and help with making informed decisions in home buying and selling …