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S4E6: Inside the Mission to Support Military Families · Empathy Affect

• 0:04
  Speaker: Behind every active duty service member is a family that is signed up to walk the journey right alongside them.
• 0:11
  Speaker: Not in uniform, but still in every way that counts.
• 0:14
  Speaker: They move when the military says move.
• 0:17
  Speaker: They wait when the military says wait.
• 0:19
  Speaker: They build a life, pack it up, and build it again.
• 0:22
  Speaker: Again and again.
• 0:25
  Speaker 4: My spouse is in the military, and that means we move a lot, and I'm alone a lot.
• 0:30
  Speaker 4: So I've been unable to get a lot of career traction because of those moves.
• 0:34
  Speaker 4: I've also been often underemployed because we might have been in a country where I couldn't work legally.
• 0:48
  Speaker 5: Careers are interrupted.
• 0:50
  Speaker 5: Child care can be out of reach.
• 0:52
  Speaker 5: Support networks are rebuilt from scratch every couple of years.
• 0:56
  Speaker 5: This is what day-to-day military family life often looks like.
• 1:00
  Speaker 5: And when these families are stretched thin, so is the Ford.
• 1:03
  Speaker 5: A warfighter who knows their family is supported can focus on the mission.
• 1:09
  Speaker 5: One who doesn't can't.
• 1:12
  Speaker: America's national security is directly connected to the well-being of the families behind the Ford.
• 1:18
  Speaker: A distracted, exhausted, or unsupported family means a distracted service member.
• 1:27
  Speaker: May is Military Appreciation Month.
• 1:29
  Speaker: And this year we wanted to go beyond the thank you to ask what it actually takes to support the families who make our armed forces possible.
• 1:38
  Speaker: To learn who is responsible for getting that right, and what it looks like when they do.
• 1:43
  Speaker: Because readiness starts at home.
• 1:46
  Speaker: This is Empathy Affect, the Ford Smarch Media podcast that explores the human side of government.
• 1:54
  Speaker: I'm Melissa Szyzinski, and today we're joined by Stephen Simmons, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Military Community and Family Policy.
• 2:04
  Speaker: He oversees and advocates for the programs and policies that support military families across every stage of their service.
• 2:13
  Speaker: After spending 17 years in the Marine Corps as a site commander, operations officer, and retention officer, he's lived and breathed what happens when family support fails, and what becomes possible when it doesn't.
• 2:27
  Speaker: We'll talk about what military families actually need, how the US military listens to them, what readiness looks like when it starts at the dinner table, and why the culture at the center of this moment in military leadership is not something you just build at the base.
• 2:43
  Speaker: It's something you build at home.
• 2:45
  Speaker: Steve, it's a pleasure to have you on Empathy Affect to share how your office supports military families and builds the kind of resilience that keeps our force ready.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Well, Melissa, thank you so much for having me.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Just so thankful uh you uh let me uh grace your show's presence and uh get to talk to you about military families and the broader community supporting them.
• 3:07
  Speaker: Of course.
• 3:08
  Speaker: So many people see the military through the lens of service members in uniform, when you you know just think of people who are deployed, when you think of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force.
• 3:20
  Speaker: But the story is so much bigger than that.
• 3:23
  Speaker: When you think about military families, what do you see that others might not fully understand?
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: Well, Melissa, I'm so glad you're asking this question because when when we look at the military, you know, I think we see jets, planes, uh bombs, and those things are awesome.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: But what a lot of folks don't always see is that family behind them.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Our military families are incredibly strong.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: They're incredibly resilient, they face a lot of challenges uh just uh, you know, by nature uh with the military lifestyle, but but through all that, they persevere and there's there's incredible strength that they display day in and day out, whether that's uh you know, on that long deployment or just the daily disruptions to life that you know usually are not as predictable as uh their civilian counterparts.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: And you know, and when we talk about military families, you know, it's not always just you know, uh mom, dad, and kids.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: You may see you know, grandparents, you may see cousins, you may see uh that extended family that is near and far.
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: So, you know, you know, we say families in a very, very broad term because there's so many loved ones that are very connected and deeply connected to that service member, but also their families, and they they see and bear the brunt of everything that that family uh faces, and they're there for them.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: So, you know, we we want to empower the military family, but we also want to support those that surround them to give that that fantastic support.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: You know, getting a little bit more deeper into this though, uh, our families play a very strategic role in our nation's defense.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: You know, readiness starts at home.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: And you know, you've probably heard Secretary Heggseth talk about the warrior ethos.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: Well, the warrior ethos starts at home as well.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: You know, it's it's not an eight to five ethos that you turn on or turn off.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: It's supported, it's fostered, it incubates at home.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: And so those families play a very strategic role in our military readiness.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: Because of that, my office, military community, and family policy or MCNFP.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Well, I'll try to not throw too many acronyms around here uh today.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: I know we can do that in the government a lot, but our office supports our war fighters and families with the policies and programs because we want to we want them to be absolutely successful.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: And, you know, I think you know, it's not just about supporting the war fighter and their family, but sustaining that lifestyle so they can thrive uh no matter what challenge comes their way.
• 5:47
  Speaker 5: Yeah, you clearly come at this with a lot of passion.
• 5:50
  Speaker 5: And I know that you work at the policy level, but you know, since your work touches the daily lives of so many families around the world, you were mentioning too how families are so key to readiness.
• 6:01
  Speaker 5: I love how, you know, we're not looking at the warfighter in a vacuum.
• 6:06
  Speaker 5: They have families, we all have families.
• 6:07
  Speaker 5: Um so being able to support families matters a lot.
• 6:10
  Speaker 5: So since you're so passionate about this, you know, what drew you personally to the mission of supporting military, community, and families?
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Melissa, and I'll say I'm incredibly passionate about it for a couple of reasons.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: And A, we were a military family for 17 years.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: I saw how my service directly impacted my family.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: You know, I'd say they're better for it, but I also know that there's challenges and sacrifices they face.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: So, like on a very personal level, yeah, I'll say I'm very driven to support military families because we were a military family.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: And I know just uh, you know, where those challenges lie.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: And I would want somebody at my level when I was serving to be laser focused on fixing those issues and addressing those challenges.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: So, you know, I want to make sure that I I do the same for for them and and give back.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: But you know, I think I think largely, you know, speaking to kind of personal experience, when I was in the Marine Corps, I worked a very unique role at in retention.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: And that was, you know, working on keeping Marines in the service.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Uh, you know, it's it's one thing to recruit somebody, it's a whole other thing to retain someone after the fact.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: And and so, you know, I would I would travel around trying to retain Marines and in the service, but universally, when they chose to leave, 99% of the time it was not because of them, it was their family.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: And when a warfighter usually chooses to serve initially, that's a choice that they make.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: But when they choose to continue to serve, it's a choice their family makes.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: And so, you know, what I saw oftentimes was how do we, you know, not just sell the military lifestyle to the warfighter, but we have to sell it to the family as well and make sure that that family uh you know is taken care of and has all the resources that they they see that this is something they want to continue to serve.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: And so that experience really kind of brought me to see full picture just how critical support for that family is and how much that weighs on those long-term term career decisions for our warfighters.
• 8:05
  Speaker 5: So this work has always been personal to Steve.
• 8:08
  Speaker 5: And while his own family had their own challenges, the families his office serves are anything but uniform.
• 8:14
  Speaker 5: Military life varies depending on where you are in it, and the challenges that come with it are just as varied.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: I would say a family that's newly joined the military has served for two or three years and has two children under the age of five, their needs are going to be very childcare specific and how to help a young family thrive, while maybe a family that's served for 22, 23 years, very different set of challenges, but equally important as they uh kind of come to the end of their career as well.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: So we want to be able to support both those families.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: And you know, that's that's two of thousands of unique situations.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: And just when we think we've solved all of them, there's a new situation that we'd uncover, or there's a new family that's joining the military, and we've got to solve it for them as well.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Y'all talk about a couple of these high-level challenges, though, that we see.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: And you know, the first one is uh, you know, there's a a cycle of transition in military life.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: And this really is centered around uh the permanent change of station, the PCS move.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: And you know, typically uh military families relocate every two to three years.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Uh that's just part of the military lifestyle it's been since uh really the the modern military for the last hundred, hundred and fifty years.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: What we see, though, is this transition point where they move every two to three years that impacts the kids.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: They they have to restart school, they have to make new friends, they have to uh learn a new neighborhood or a uh you know new styles.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it it's tough.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Uh anybody who's moved as a kid knows how how tough those moves are.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: Well, military kids have to do that every two to three years.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: And you know, the the good news is they come out very, very resilient at 18, uh, because usually they're they're already used to some change and transition in life, and they actually do very well as adults, but it's very, very challenging and tough on them as kids, and especially at those teenage years, you know, 10 to 17, it's a you know, that's a tough, very impressionable time.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: So we want them to succeed.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: On the other side of the equation is the spouse.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: And every two to three years, uh that spouse is having to find a new career and restart a job.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: And so uh what we see, and we're we're we're doing a lot of work right now as a department to tackle spouse unemployment and spouse underemployment.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: But for our spouses, uh, what we see is they have to restart their jobs every two to three years.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: And it's a wicked problem, it's a vicious cycle.
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: But you move, spouse puts their j job, their career on hold to get the kids settled, get them into the next school or next care, and then about six months later, they start to look for work.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: And what happens is they either find work, but they're underemployed because they're constantly starting fresh and starting new, or they're having constant breaks, so they never really break out of like that entry-level job.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: So we're doing a lot of work right now to tackle the spouse employment issue as well as uh expand our access to childcare.
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: And we're very excited about the work that's being done there.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: It's transformational, uh, what's happening, but it starts with identifying that root cause and PCS is one of those, that that permit change of station.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: And I'm very excited.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: The secretary early on came out with a memo directing the services to reduce PCS tempo.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: And so as that continues to evolve, we're gonna see PCS tempo reduce, and we're we're excited to support uh each of the services as how as they implement that.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: You know, we believe that's gonna have a lasting effect, but we're gonna reduce the the impact of PCS, and really we want to PCS proof the military family.
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: And by doing this, uh, what we can do is allow for a seamless transition of childcare, seamless transition of spouse employment.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: So we're we're excited to continue to work in this area.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: The other area is there there is a lot of hurdles, uh, you know, and I think I don't think this is unique to the military, but we we see it a lot is uh nutrition readiness continues to be something that we're very, very focused on.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: And and you know, this is uh, you know, a a younger population, you know, I'd say, you know, under 25, which is the bulk of the military.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I d I doubt you or I probably ate as healthy as we should have back, you know, uh, you know, when we were that age.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: But we're really working with our warfighters and their families to, you know, adopt healthier eating standards and make it easy for them to access nutritional meals, prepare nutritional meals.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: We want to give them access to you know, have a fresh meal that they can prepare quickly, you know, cheaper and better eating to ultimately lead to a healthier lifestyle.
• 12:39
  Speaker 5: From nutrition to child care and career navigation, Steve's office is holistically focused on the variety of needs and challenges military families face.
• 12:48
  Speaker 5: His office tracks families across every major transition point, before and after a move, through the full arc of deployment, and into reintegration when the warfighter comes home.
• 12:59
  Speaker 5: And increasingly, they're using real-time data to get ahead of those moments rather than responding to them after the fact.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: We've been on a transformational journey since I got here on adopting a lot more of a data-centric approach to everything we do.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: And uh, you know, we're we're we're actively hiring a lot of uh data scientists right now on my team.
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: We're building up how we approach data and use data to actually not just see how we did last year or how we're doing right now, but how we're gonna be in the future.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: And yeah, I'll give like a small example, but what we want to do is when a military family is ordered to move, we want to be proactive and actually start to outreach them 60, 90, day, 120 days out and actually talk to them early on and reach that spouse and say, we see you're gonna move.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: Can we help you find a new job?
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: Here are resources available, here's here's coaching, here is uh a job board, here are five companies that are hiring in your area that are committed to hiring military spouses.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: So we see all of these as a fantastic opportunity to be proactive outreach, which we believe as we engage via that data, that's only going to enhance the military readiness and and smooth over that transition.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: Uh so it's probably a good opportunity, you know, talking about how we generate this data.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: We've got a a series of leadership tenants within my organization.
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: We stood these up, but one of our favorites is we are the feedback mechanism.
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: And we approach this, you know, we engage with military spouses constantly, we engage with uh war fighters, we engage with kids.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: I was actually at a Purple Star uh school event yesterday uh talking to military kids.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: And it's important to get that feedback, but we also get that feedback in number of surveys that we offer, everything else uh that we do day-to-day, you know, just uh usage rates and things like that.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: And that really helps us formulate a very good picture on what the needs of our force currently are, so then we can be more proactive and I'd say more agile in how we deliver uh support and services to our families.
• 15:04
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I I love the fact that you brought up that uh you're data-driven, that you have different feedback mechanisms, because we know that policies tend to be the most effective when they reflect the real experiences of the people they serve.
• 15:17
  Speaker 5: How do you then take that data, especially since you mentioned earlier that no one military family's challenge looks like the other families?
• 15:26
  Speaker 5: Everyone are at different points in their lives with children, with um, you know, their careers.
• 15:31
  Speaker 5: How do you then take those feedback mechanisms to iterate and improve on the programs that you deliver to these families?
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: And Melissa, it's such a good question because like how we do it, but I'd also come back with how fast we do it.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: So one thing we've been focused on is really taking current use trends and turning that to a point of like having a persistent like data reporting where it's real time, we see results.
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: And you know, I think you know, this is probably a good chance to highlight a few of our flagship programs that we offer already.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: So Military OneSource, uh, any listeners in the audience who are in the military, uh, you know, I hope they are aware of and use Military OneSource.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: If they're not, this is my shameless plug for that.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: But uh Military OneSource is a website as well as a call center that we we offer.
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: And this is you know the 24-7 helpline, uh crisis line, you know, call it what you will.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: But if you are in the military and you need help, pick up the phone, call, get on the website, and there are resources available there.
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: You know, and it can be everything from needing to connect to a you know a counselor to, you know, I need a new dog sitter.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: And you know, there's resources for every step of the way.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: So we use all that military one source usage data, and we're actively monitoring that now, which is fantastic.
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: So we see, you know, when when people are calling in, why they're calling in, where they're calling in from.
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: So you know, you know, everything could be working great, but there may be one base or installation where it's not, and that that really helps us dial in.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: The other resources we have out there, we do have military family life counselors, which uh, you know, they they work hand in hand with our units, yeah, and really have expanded our reach, but they're non-medical counselors.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: So, you know, important to that is that they're not taking notes.
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: They're you know free, anonymous.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: Go see them, go talk to them.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: They're there to help.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: And you know, I I would I would say they're they're there to help with the little things so they don't become big things.
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: And you know, I'd much rather go get counseling.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: Everybody needs it, I support it, but use the the M Flex in your area.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: And and these are fantastic resources.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: They're they're spread across our bases.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: We have them embedded in schools now, they're placed throughout, and we we're constantly kind of moving them around because obviously, you know, we'll we'll see where capacity and demand um need to align.
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: But we see their usage rates as well.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: So that that's a really big piece.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: And then you know the last one, you know, financial counseling and EFMP support.
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: So uh we have financial counselors on every installation, but we also have a support for our exceptional family member program, which are our military families who have children dependents with special needs.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: And, you know, phenomenal program.
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: We're doing a lot to make that more robust right now.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: But we're very in tune with how those programs are being utilized and we see where where there's gaps and then we can address.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: And you know, so I'm you know, I think very excited about this because what we've adopted is instead of a backwards-looking view, we're actually taking a forward-looking view with our data and allowing us to move resources and support where where they're needed.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: But throughout all that, what's what's been amazing is it's actually made us far, far more agile.
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: And I, you know, I've gotten feedback recently um from the White House, one of the projects we're working on.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: We're outpacing for the private sector for the first time ever.
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: Uh, which uh, you know, when they told us that when they told us the company we outpaced and uh you you all use it every day, I was like, hey, that that's that's phenomenal.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: But it we did it because you know we're we're using data and we're we're being more agile and you know, we're pulling that real-time usage data.
• 18:59
  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's really fabulous that you're able to see where the many programs that you're implementing are reaching people, not reaching people, evaluating how they're doing, and then, you know, as you said, being more proactive about you know, better meeting their needs.
• 19:14
  Speaker 5: Are there any other programs or services that people may not realize exist at your office provides, but make a really big difference in the day-to-day lives of military families that you haven't mentioned yet?
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: Well, Melissa, you you're giving me a toss-up, and I probably could keep you here all day because uh we offer so many programs.
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: Uh, you know, and I'm I'm I'm excited to talk about our programs that we offer anytime.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: There's a couple.
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: Um, let me talk real quick about our spouse career programs, especially, because I think this is one we're we're really trying to work on.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: And we talked a little bit about the financial readiness piece earlier, but you know, when we talk about spouse employment, it's so critical.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: You know, it's 2026.
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: Uh you know, the the economic reality is both spouses work, uh, you know, whether you're government sector, private sector.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: So our military families should not be any different.
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: And you know, what we see is spouse employment persistently is at about 20% across the board.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: Unemployment's much, much higher.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: So we've we recently stood up the Office of Spouse Employment.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: It's a director-level office that reports directly to me, and they're focused on improving the spouse employment, but they offer several amazing programs that really, really support the military spouse.
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: So, you know, we've got one, it's called the Career Advancement Account, and this is really a scholarship opportunity for spouses to use.
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: You know, we we are under-executing, we've got lots of money in it, so everybody should apply.
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: But it it's really for them to go get licensure, get you know, any kind of uh training or anything, so you know, technical training so they can do a job, and which is amazing.
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: Uh it's called my CAA, uh, but it's it's really good.
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: Uh the other piece we have is called Military Spouse Employment Partnership or MSEP.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: And we're we're gonna we're fixing to rebrand all this, it'll be much easier to understand than the acronyms.
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: But this is actually a partnership that we're working with private sector companies and and some governments actually have uh jumped in at local, state, and federal level.
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: But as an MSEP partner, they're actually listing their jobs uniquely for military spouses on our own uh job website and job board.
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: And we're working to strengthen that right now to where those companies are actually committing as well to work together to not just hire talent but retain talent.
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: So when that military spouse moves, you know, maybe they can't keep a job with company A, but because company B is in that area and also an MSAP partner, they're gonna snatch them up immediately and you know keep them employed throughout that that PCS transition.
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: So we're really excited about that.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: The last piece uh I'll highlight is we we recently went from a pilot to a program, but it's the uh military spouse career accelerator program, so MSCAP.
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: And really what this is for those of you in the audience who are familiar with Skillbridge for active duty uh warfighters, this is a fellowship program.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: Program, we pay for you to go work at a company for three months.
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: You get your foot in the door, and we're seeing a tremendous success with that.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: Uh spouses who complete the fellowship, they're getting about a 80 to 90% job placement rate with jobs starting between 70 and 80,000 a year.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: Uh so these are you know very uh strong jobs.
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: You know, I you know I'd say target audience is probably mid-career level, but uh, you know, it's it you it's open to anybody who wants to apply and is qualified.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we know we've got spouses that range the gamut from you know fresh out of high school all the way to postgraduate, but you know, I it it definitely bears the repeating.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: Our spouses are tremendously well qualified.
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: And uh, you know, so we're we're making a lot of gains on that area right now.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: So there's a there's some programs we offer on the spouse employment realm.
• 22:46
  Speaker 5: And spouse employment is just one piece of the puzzle.
• 22:49
  Speaker 5: Steve's office also runs Plan My Move, a suite of tools on military one source that walks families through every step of a relocation and connects them to resources at their next destination.
• 23:02
  Speaker 5: And on base, commissaries and exchanges are undergoing a major transformation too, expanding fresh food options, adding online ordering and delivery, and reinvigorating the on-base shopping experience so that more families feel connected to their military community.
• 23:19
  Speaker 5: And all of these collective programs and initiatives connect back to that bigger purpose.
• 23:24
  Speaker 5: Supporting military families isn't just the right thing to do, it's what keeps our forces ready.
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: Families, they they they are the backbone of our military, and that that readiness it starts at home.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: But I would start with the principle of when we deploy a war fighter forward, when we take them forward and say you're going to go deploy here, you know, wherever here is, and that could be uh the Middle East, it could be the Pacific, it could be you name the geographic zip code because it it changes overnight.
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: We need them to go forward without looking over their shoulder, being concerned if their family's taken care of.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: And you know, I I think uh you know, I talk about this a lot, but you know, there's there's a social contract that you know the military member makes with us, you know, they they will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: But in inherent to that is we're also making that commitment with them that we're going to take care of their family no matter what, and we'll be there for them even if that warfighter passes.
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: And you know, I I've got you know, we've even had casualty in World Trade Affairs, which darker side of things, but you know, if the unfortunate happens, we're there to support the surviving family and and take care of them.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: And and so, you know, I I bring that up only to say like that warfighter needs to go forward knowing that their family will be taken care of.
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: And yeah, you know, we can't have them distracted, we can't have them looking over their shoulder, thinking about what's happening behind them when you know they're facing a a very uh dedicated enemy in front of them.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: And and so you know, when we talk about that a lot, it's um you know, there there's there's a lot that goes into to family readiness.
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: And you know, I think uh you know, I think one of the first ones though is it's it's having a culture readiness.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: Like, you know, those families have to know that we'd be able to support that operational tempo.
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: And when the you know that warfighter gets asked to leave, it may not be predictable.
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: And we're really seeing a transition right now of you know, back in you know, the last 20, 25 years of GWAT, we saw very predictable deployments.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: Uh, you know, usually our warfighters knew uh they were gonna deploy you know six months to at least a year out.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: And as a consequence, those families were usually able to prepare for it.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: Where now we see you know very unpredictable, very different security environment.
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: And because of that, we need our families to actually embrace almost a higher state of persistent readiness, you know, that you know, you know, they're ready to go, they they have a plan, they've you know, they've got a list of where all the what all the logins, uh, you know, what where to pay the bills, everything else.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: Like there's there's some very basics, but there's also some importance on you know, just you know, simple things again, child care, for example.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: You know, we have to make sure there's a a plan for child care.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: Uh what happens if we have a two service members that are a family, you know, husband and wife, and what's the family care plan then?
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: Are you know are grandparents able to take care of the children while they're both deployed?
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: You know, is it uh cousin, and uncle?
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: And so these are these are all things, and obviously there's you know, wills, powers of attorney, things like that that have to go into this as well.
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: So these are all very intricate details that we we have to think about.
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: But I think at the end of the day, it really it comes back to that family uh really embracing that warrior ethos, that warrior culture of being a part of this and understanding that okay, this is this is happening.
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: And it may not be a uh it may not be a deployment, it may just be you know, it may just be an unscheduled uh training mission of hey, uh surprise, you have to leave you know tomorrow and fly here for two weeks.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: And those unplanned disruptions can be sometimes more disruptive than the the very planned year-long deployment because wow, well, I thought you were gonna take you know our son to soccer practice.
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: And so, you know, have having that that culture there, but you know, it's readiness starts at home, you know, it always does, you know, and and oftentimes you know, you'll see that in you know the the successful warfighters, they've got their home front ready and are able to support them to go go do that pop-up mission or go do uh whatever it is we ask of them.
• 27:13
  Speaker 5: What has working with military families taught you about resilient sacrifice or community that you think the rest of the country could learn from?
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm constantly humbled.
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: Every time I go out, I see military families, and no matter what the challenges, they rise to it, no matter what the challenges, they lean on each other.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: And you know, I think what's really cool, if if you ever get the chance, you know, and any of your listeners get the chance, uh, go out to a remote military installation.
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: And that could be overseas or even here in the US, there's you know, there's a few of them that are you know on an island and there's not not much else around them.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: You know, I think those of you who've done some of those uh been stationed some of those places, you're probably nodding it right now.
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: You know what I'm talking about.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: But uh the coolest thing you go and see is you'll go to these installations that and you'll see that there's a family that is living in this neighborhood with all these other military families, and they are they're a tight, tight-knit community.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: Just like any community, just like any family, there's drama, but they all lean on each other, they all rely on each other, and every one of them will fiercely defend each other against anything that that comes their way and any challenge.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: And uh, you know, so I think I think what's amazing is you see, you know, when one military family is in distress, the entire community will rise up around them.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: And I, you know, I think uh, you know, unfortunately that you know the the digital landscape that we find ourselves in in 2026, as connected as we are as a society, we're also very disconnected from each other, and you may not even know your your next door neighbor, but you won't see that on a military installation.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: Of course, that's a challenge for us right now.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: You know, a lot of uh areas, stateside especially, uh, you know, we've got military families living further and further away from base.
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: So we want to build that connectivity framework so they can still connect.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: But you know, I'm constantly floored at the generosity, the empathy, the just the the sheer loyalty that military families have with each other.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: And you know, and I see it every day.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: You know, even my wife, uh, you know, she'll uh be out, and you know, as soon as she sees another military spouse, they just start talking and they go and like here's what's going on.
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: And you know, that that is that's a there's a camaraderie that's shared, and you know, it's and and it's cool because yeah, at the end of the day, we're all we're all on the same team and we're all you know, there's there's that shared sacrifice that the bonds are formed in, uh, which is really cool.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: Doesn't mean we can't make it easier for them.
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: You know, we we need to work on you know supporting military families every day, but yeah, we recognize that sacrifice.
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: And I think what's amazing to see is just how that sacrifice through service uh really strengthens that bond the bonds of community there.
• 29:53
  Speaker 5: Yeah, absolutely.
• 29:54
  Speaker 5: Um can't go without highlighting the fact that it's military community and family.
• 29:58
  Speaker 5: You know, the community is such a big part of it and everyone's in it together.
• 30:02
  Speaker 5: So, Steve, this has been genuinely a very important conversation.
• 30:07
  Speaker 5: I'm so grateful for your time and candor and um the work that your office does and the families it serves deserve far more visibility.
• 30:17
  Speaker 5: And I hope this conversation changes that in some small way.
• 30:21
  Speaker 5: So thank you so, so much.
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: Well, Melissa, thank you.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: Thank you for uh letting me uh share the airwaves with you uh here today.
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: And yeah, again, super important.
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we could talk about this all day.
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: So uh really appreciate you telling our story.
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: And uh if you know you or anybody in the audience hasn't done so, you know, find find a military family member and thank them.
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: Uh, you know, they're they're they're incredible.
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: Get to know them.
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: And uh, you know, it's it's those little things that uh make all the difference.
• 30:47
  Speaker 5: Steve reminded us today that inside the U.S.
• 30:49
  Speaker 5: military, there's an office that is listening, gathering real-time data, reaching out to families before they hit a breaking point, and building programs that meet military families where they are.
• 31:00
  Speaker 5: Spouse employment programs, child care access, counseling on every installation, a real and evolving commitment, making every transition smoother than the last.
• 31:11
  Speaker 5: The warrior ethos doesn't start at the base, it starts at home.
• 31:16
  Speaker 5: And the Office of Military Community and Family Policy is making sure that home is ready.
• 31:21
  Speaker 5: If you're a part of a military family, Military OneSource is available to you around the clock.
• 31:27
  Speaker 5: Counseling, financial support, childcare resources, and so much more.
• 31:31
  Speaker 5: We'll have a link in the show notes along with resources from today's conversation.
• 31:36
  Speaker 5: Thank you for joining me on Empathy Affect.
• 31:38
  Speaker 5: And thank you to our service members and their families this Military Appreciation Month.
• 31:43
  Speaker 5: If you enjoyed today's episode, please review, follow us, and share the show with someone you appreciate serving our country.
• 31:49
  Speaker 5: Thanks, y'all.
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: Empathy Effect is a product of Forrest Marsh.
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: You can reach us at Forest Marsh Media at Forzmarsh.com with any feedback, questions, or inquiries.
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: If you want to know more about today's guests, are interested in participating with Forrest Marsh, or becoming part of our community, check out our show notes for more information.