Congress must support military spouse employment
Congress will meet soon to approve the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). There are certainly differences between the Senate and House versions. There always is, and those differences are to be expected. Differences in the procurement numbers of ships, aircraft, missile systems and myriad other platforms will have to be resolved in conference.
However, there is one area that should have both the Senate and House versions of the NDAA in total harmony—personnel and quality of life issues. These are the issues, policies and programs that will acknowledge the many sacrifices military personnel, and their families make day in and day out. Any failure by the Senate and House to be ‘on the same page’ with personnel and quality of life issues will fail to sustain the All-Volunteer Force and cause its foundations to erode.
Case in point: There is a provision in the House version of the NDAA that seeks to address the unique employment challenges military spouses face, specifically within the federal workforce. The provision is referred to as the READNESS Act. It’s unknown if language for the READINESS Act is in the final version of the FY 2025 NDAA.
As the nation’s largest employer, the federal government should be setting the gold standard for supporting military spouse employment. For many spouses stationed overseas, the federal government is often the only viable employer. Yet military spouses continue to face barriers to retaining their jobs when they are forced to relocate. The provision in the NDAA creates a path to much-needed flexibility and stability.
Key provisions are:
- Remote Work Flexibility. Federal agencies will assess positions for remote work potential, allowing military spouses to remain employed during PCS moves.
- Reassignment and Alternative Worksites. Agencies can offer military spouses reassignment to equivalent positions in new duty station locations or provide options to work from alternative worksites.
- Leave Without Pay (LWOP). For spouses unable to work remotely or be reassigned, LWOP ensures they remain federal employees and retain essential non-financial benefits such as security clearances. This would ease re-entry into the federal workforce when positions become available.
Military spouses face a staggering unemployment rate—more than three times the national average. Military spouse unemployment not only impacts the financial well-being of military families, but it is also a retention issue. Nearly one in five servicemembers cite concerns with spouse employment as part of their decision to leave service.
In many cases, a dual income is vital for military families to achieve financial stability—particularly given the rising cost of living. Yet these families are asked to sacrifice that stability with every permanent change of duty station.
Sadly, while private companies like Amazon, Starbucks and Boeing have proactively committed to supporting military spouses through initiatives modeled on the READINESS Act, the federal government has been slow to follow.
The House NDAA provision addresses these challenges head-on by providing military spouses who are federal employees with the career flexibility they need to continue working, even as their families are required to relocate.
The military services are facing some very serious recruiting challenges. Although there are several issues causing the problems, currently serving military families can play a very important role in helping the situation. Unfortunately, the likelihood of currently serving military members and their families recommending military service is declining. In its most recent survey of military families, Blue Star Families found respondents who were likely to recommend military service have dropped by nearly half from 2016 when it was 55 percent to just 32 percent in 2023.
Blue Star Families also found that spouse employment was the top issue for active duty respondents. This marked the fourth year in a row for the spouse employment issue to be the most concerning. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, Blue Star Families found employed military spouses were more likely to recommend military service than their unemployed peers.
Blue Star Families is a non-profit organization that supports our military men and women and their families.
In a recent letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) called for the senate’s support of the spouse employment provision. Writing on behalf of several other military support organizations, the MOAA letter said the provision provides for a commonsense, cost-neutral solution that benefits both military families and the Department of Defense by ensuring military spouses can continue contributing to their family’s financial security and military readiness.
If the All-Volunteer Force is to not merely survive but thrive, the Congress and the Defense Department must show leadership and commitment to the well-being of those who serve our country. Including the spouse employment provision—the READINESS Act—in the NDAA is not just a benefit for families but a strategic imperative for the nation’s defenses.
RADM Jurkowsky (U.S. Navy, ret.) served on active duty for 31, beginning his career as an enlisted sailor. He has served on the board of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), an advocacy organization that supports both officer and enlisted personnel who serve and have served, along with their families.