The Defense Department will celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Month in May with a monthlong series of virtual events designed to help spouses meet career and personal goals.
While each service branch will honor military spouses throughout May with installation-level events, the DOD's Military Community and Family Policy and Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program will offer "MilSpouse Month 2023." This initiative encompasses Military Spouse Appreciation Month and a series of events that focus on career preparation, self-care, family well-being and networking.
The nation's nearly 1 million military spouses face unique challenges associated with military life, from frequent moves to long separations while their spouse is on deployment. The 2021 Active Duty Spouse Survey found that PCS moves have financial implications for military families and significantly increased the odds of unemployment among spouses.
"Military spouses are the heart and backbone of our military community and their well-being is tied to the readiness of our armed forces," said Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy. "During mission, deployment, reintegration and reset, spouses are partners in military life. MilSpouse Month is the DOD's dedicated effort to honor their commitment and sacrifices while giving them tools to set and achieve their goals."
DOD's Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program will host MilSpouse Month 2023 via the Zoom platform with two time slots for each session, making it accessible to more military spouses around the globe. Registration is open to all military spouses.
About Military Community and Family Policy
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality of life policies and programs that help our guardians of country, their families and survivors be well and mission ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These DOD services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.
About Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
The DOD established the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide, offering free, comprehensive resources and tools to assist military spouses in meeting their career and education goals. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week to eligible spouses.