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Military Families

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Extended and repeated deployments can cause significant stress to military families and may result in lower levels of reenlistment. RAND research has explored the need for military-sponsored child care and the role of military spouses, and continues to provide guidance to policymakers on how to attract and retain personnel with essential skills while also supporting military families.

Report
Preventing Domestic Abuse in the U.S. Armed Forces
Domestic abuse has severe consequences for service members, their families and, potentially, unit readiness. What strategies could help prevent domestic abuse before it occurs and help the military with communication to reach individuals who might have risk factors for domestic abuse?
May 16, 2023
Essay
Why Are U.S. Military Families Experiencing Food Insecurity?
Around a quarter of active-duty service members qualify as “food insecure.” But what's causing that, how to fix it—even what it means—is not clear. Food insecurity is a multifaceted problem that needs multifaceted solutions.
Nov 6, 2023

Explore Military Families

Report
Today's Army Spouse Panel Methodology: 2018 and 2022 Cohorts
The Today’s Army Spouse Panel offers the opportunity for spouses of U.S. Army soldiers to provide valuable feedback for the Army to use in data-driven decisionmaking. This report details the methodology used to establish this panel.
Oct 24, 2023
Research Brief
Military Academy Students Can Now Retain Parental Rights: Department of Defense Options for Managing the Change
As of 2023, DoD allows enrolled cadets and midshipmen to retain parental rights. This brief explores potential DoD policy changes that could help cadet and midshipman parents care for their children, succeed in school, and become exemplary officers.
Aug 22, 2023
Report
Ensuring Parental Rights of Military Service Academy Cadets and Midshipmen: Policy and Cost Implications
This report characterizes legal, policy, practice, and cost implications of U.S. Department of Defense options to comply with a new congressional requirement allowing service academy cadets and midshipmen who become parents to retain parental rights.
Aug 22, 2023
Report
Russian Military Personnel Policies and Reforms 1991–2021
In the initial post-Soviet years, the personnel system of the Russian Armed Forces experienced pervasive challenges because of budget limitations and collapse of prestige. Reforms in recruitment, retention, and proficiency made some progress but multiple problems remain.
Aug 15, 2023
Commentary
Service Members and Their Families Are Paying for the Air Force's Fiscal Shortfalls
The United States faces the critical task of rebalancing long-term military personnel funding for sustainable workforce development and utilization. Otherwise, it could fail to keep the faith with the U.S. military's most precious asset: people and families.
Jul 31, 2023
Report
Soldier and Family Readiness Groups: Considerations for Implementation
The authors found that awareness of new U.S. Army Soldier and Family Readiness Group (SFRG) policy is not widespread among Army spouses, and aspects of the program could be improved. However, findings also suggest that SFRGs can be effective.
Jul 10, 2023
Research Brief
Understanding and supporting the financial stability of UK military families: Summary of findings and recommendations for policy and practice
This research brief summarises the findings and recommendations for policy and practice from a study looking at the prevalence and drivers of financial (in)stability among military families in the United Kingdom.
Jun 28, 2023
Report
Examining the financial stability of UK military families: An exploratory analysis
This study explores the prevalence and drivers of financial (in)stability among military families in the United Kingdom. It provides recommendations for improving policy and finance-related support based on a critical review of the support landscape.
Jun 28, 2023
Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
"Conditions for Postservice Success Are Set Well Before the Uniform Comes Off": Proceedings from a Roundtable on How Military Service Affects Veterans' Posttransition Outcomes
The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute hosted subject-matter experts for a roundtable discussion focusing on how military experience shapes veterans' transitions to civilian life.
May 30, 2023
Research Brief
Domestic Abuse Prevention and Outreach Approaches for the Military Community
This study focused on identifying strategies to help prevent domestic abuse among service members and their spouses or partners before it occurs and strategies for outreach to high-risk groups that could be effective in the military environment.
May 16, 2023
Report
Interventions for People Who Have Attempted Suicide and Their Family Members: A Systematic Review
A history of having attempted suicide is an important risk factor for suicide. In this report, the authors review the uptake, retention, and effectiveness of suicide aftercare interventions after an attempt.
Mar 8, 2023
Report
The Today's Army Spouse Panel Proof-of-Concept Study: Methodological Report
Researchers evaluate the effectiveness of the Today's Army Spouse Panel, an operational proof of concept survey panel of U.S. Army spouses, in recruiting participants and providing timely information representative of Army spouses.
Jan 17, 2023
Report
Today's Army Spouse Panel Survey: Impact of COVID-19
COVID-19 has had a broad and continuing impact across society. How did the pandemic affect Army spouses with respect to employment, child care, financial, and other concerns in 2020 and 2021?
Jan 17, 2023
Blog
A Potential Russian Attack on NATO, China in the Arctic, Inflation: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how the West might respond in the case of a limited Russian attack on NATO, what China's Arctic ambitions mean to the United States, how inflation affects middle-class households, and more.
Jan 6, 2023
News Release
Food Insecurity Affects Many Active-Duty U.S. Military Families, but Root Causes Remain Unclear
More than a quarter of active-duty military personnel have faced some level of food insecurity, but the underlying causes are not well understood.
Jan 4, 2023
Report
Food Insecurity Among U.S. Service Members and Their Families
Over a quarter of active duty personnel were food insecure in 2018, but only 14 percent of them used food assistance programs. Some said that the military culture of self-sufficiency and pride kept them from seeking help. Other barriers were a lack of knowledge about available resources and eligibility.
Jan 3, 2023
Research Brief
Food Insecurity in the U.S. Military: Responses to Eight Topics Raised by Congress
In response to a congressional query, RAND researchers examined the extent of food insecurity among military service members, their participation in food assistance programs, and the advisability of a basic needs allowance.
Jan 3, 2023

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RAND Topic:
Military Families

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Thomas E. Trail

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Thomas E. Trail is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Trail's research focuses on how stress affects relationship processes and health outcomes among military and civilian couples and the effectiveness of programs in…
Anita Chandra

Vice President and Director, RAND Social and Economic Well-Being

Anita Chandra (she/her) is vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. The division that she leads covers a range of topics at the intersection of social and economic policy and the organization of the economy, the…

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