Spouse Employment & Child Care:

Child care continues to be a top barrier to employment for active-duty spouse respondents; spouses take two or more months to find care following a relocation. Many are not aware of fee assistance programs or face barriers to using them.

Child care remains a significant barrier to employment for active-duty spouses, with many taking over two months to secure care after relocating and facing high costs, limited availability, or a lack of awareness about fee assistance programs.

Financial Situation:

Active-duty family respondents’ financial situations are challenged by military pay concerns, relocation, and spouse unemployment. For most active-duty family respondents, relocation expenses take 12 or more months to bounce back from financially.

Military families face mounting financial challenges driven by military pay concerns, high relocation costs, and spouse unemployment, with many taking over a year to recover financially after a move.

Health Care Access:

Health care access remains a key issue for military families; the proportion of active-duty families who report “health care access” as a top concern has more than doubled from 2020 to 2024.

Health care benefits play a key role in retention. Among active-duty service members who have stayed in military service longer than they originally planned, 49% reported it was because of health care benefits. However, access to care is a growing concern for military families, rising from 11% in 2020 to 22% today.

Female Service Members:

Female service members are significantly more likely to recommend military service than their male peers; 1 in 2 agree that being part of the military community is an important part of their self-image, notably higher than their male counterparts.

Female service members are proud of their service and are significantly more likely to recommend service. Four in 5 female service members (79%) express pride in their accomplishments during their military service, compared to 69% of males. However, women face unique challenges, including greater concerns about child care, housing, and family building.

Suicide Prevention and Postvention:

One in 4 active-duty service member respondents report exposure to a suicide within their unit/command within the 12 months preceding survey fielding. While adequate support resources are often offered after a death by suicide, there is opportunity to improve dissemination of postvention resources.

Suicidal thoughts and mental health challenges are significant concerns for military families, with 7% of service members reporting suicidal thoughts in the past year. One in 4 active-duty service members and spouses report their unit or command experienced a suicide within the past year, particularly in the Army and Navy and among Navy families on sea duty.

Veteran Transition:

Post-service relocation choices and perceptions of transition preparedness are linked to Veteran respondent satisfaction with and belonging to the communities where they reside, as well as overall well-being. Veteran respondents who are satisfied with their current communities and those who have a greater sense of belonging report higher thriving mean scores than those who are unsatisfied or do not feel a sense of belonging.

Post-service relocation choices and perceptions of transition preparedness significantly influence Veterans' satisfaction with and sense of belonging to their communities, as well as their well-being.