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Statement of
JOYCE WESSEL RAEZER
Director, Government Relations
THE NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY association

 Before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TOTAL FORCE
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

 March 3, 2004

Mr. Chairman and Distinguished Members of this Subcommittee, the National Military Family Association (NMFA) appreciates your interest in the well-being of military families and thanks you for this opportunity to provide testimony on commissaries, exchanges, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. During this period of increased operations tempo, deployments, and family and community stress, the availability of a robust package of personnel benefits and quality of life programs is crucial for our military servicemembers and their families. Programs such as resale activities and MWR programs contribute to the quality of life of the military community as a whole, including military retirees, their families, and survivors.

NMFA thanks this Subcommittee for its oversight of resale and MWR programs and for ensuring the continued viability of these benefits. We especially thank you for your leadership in extending unrestricted access to the commissary benefit for National Guard and Reserve members and their families. Lifting the restriction on the Guard and Reserve access to their commissary benefit not only recognizes their vital contributions as part of the total force to maintaining our Nation's security, but also will result in cost savings due to the elimination of the need for the Commissary Privilege Card.

This statement presents issues of concern regarding commissaries, exchanges, and MWR programs as communicated to NMFA by military families and its network of more than 130 Installation Representatives. It also highlights the value of these programs to the military community. As a founding member of The Military Coalition, an umbrella organization of 35 military-related associations, NMFA subscribes to the 2004 Coalition committee goals related to commissaries, exchanges and MWR, which include:

·    Closely monitoring commissary funding and policies to protect access to the commissary benefit, and scrutinizing store closures, privatization, staff reductions, or other initiatives that may diminish the scope and quality of the benefit for all beneficiaries

·    Supporting MWR programs to provide recreation, education and morale building facilities and programs that promote high quality of life for all active and retired servicemembers and their families

·    Monitoring Service policies associated with MWR programs and facility use fees and the effects of increased installation security measures on MWR revenues and operational/program costs

·    Monitoring the effects of privatization initiatives and that could adversely affect quality of life programs.

·    Tracking DoD's plan to consolidate military exchanges.

·    Monitoring Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities and working with DoD and Congress as necessary to protect the interests of all beneficiaries impacted by base closures

·    Monitoring any initiatives to close quality of life services, including exchanges and commissaries

·    Monitoring DoD base realignment initiatives that are outside the BRAC to ensure that quality of life services, to include exchanges, commissaries and MWR programs, are appropriately protected for eligible members

 COMMISSARIES

Commissaries are consistently valued by all members of the military community as a top benefit. In the most recent Status of Forces Survey of Active Duty Members, done in July 2002, 67 percent of servicemembers surveyed reported they were either satisfied or very satisfied with commissaries and exchanges, the highest satisfaction rate for any quality of life program. Delegates to the 2003 Army Family Action Plan Conference rated the commissary as their fourth most-valuable service, following health care, the Army Family Action Plan, and Army Community Services. Every time they go to the commissary, families note the savings. According to the most recent figures NMFA has obtained from the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), these savings are 32.1% compared to commercial super centers and grocery stores-that translates to an annual savings of almost $2,700 for a family of four. These savings are especially important to young families and to families overseas or in remote or high cost areas in the United States. An Air Force family member stationed in Hawaii told NMFA what the commissary benefit means to her family: "After a couple of walks through the local grocery store here, the commissary benefit is obvious--$2.65/gallon instead of $6.85 for milk, 12 cents instead of 30 cents a package for ramen, 50 cents instead of a dollar/pound for bananas, and the list goes on."                      

The past year has been a challenging one for many of the beneficiaries served by DeCA and, we believe for the Commissary Agency itself. A war with large-scale deployments and redeployments, a major hurricane in the East, a multi-state blackout, wild-fires in the West, and a major distributor bankruptcy, plus news coming from inside the Beltway on possible changes to the commissary system, combined to add to the stress experienced by military families and the people charged with supporting them. NMFA believes these events-and the reactions to them-served to highlight the value of the commissary benefit to the military community and the high return on investment the government receives from its $1.1 billion commissary appropriation.

Support to the Military Community

NMFA thanks DeCA's leadership and employees for their support of military servicemembers and their families this year. DeCA's efforts to serve deploying servicemembers and to ease the stress of their families include:

·   Working with vendors to obtain donated items for American Red Cross canteens at mobilization sites and for Family Readiness Programs

·   Creating special "Deployment Centers" in stores to provide easy access to needed items such as snack foods, baby wipes, batteries, and toiletries for servicemembers preparing to deploy. These sections were also used by family members as they prepared packages to send to their servicemembers. Many of the items were provided at a lower than normal cost, thanks to the support of commissary vendors.

·   Holding special events in local stores for waiting families and to recognize their efforts in supporting the mission

·   Providing meals and other support for deploying servicemembers in transit

·    Initiating an information campaign to make beneficiaries aware of the Agent Pass Authorization Program. The Agent Pass Authorization helps military families continue to enjoy the benefits of commissary savings even if the servicemember is deployed and children are left in the care of someone who is not eligible for the commissary benefit.

·   Equipping mobile units to take commissary products to servicemembers in isolated training areas

·    Publicizing its "Gift of Groceries" program, which enables anyone to purchase commissary gift certificates through the DeCA website.  The certificates, to be used only by authorized commissary patrons, can be donated to military families through charitable organizations or given directly to military friends and families.

DeCA's encouragement of store-level efforts to support deployed servicemembers and their families maintain the commissary's place in the community as a focal point of support and fellowship during this period of high stress. Stores' responsiveness to the needs of their communities can be seen even in the area of product selection. During the first Gulf War, NMFA heard from families that stores had not adjusted their product mix to take into account different buying habits in families with deployed servicemembers. Therefore, stores continued to stock lots of steaks, roasts, and more "family-size" food preparation items rather than microwaveable meals or ground beef. Other stores adjusted their product mix based on inaccurate assumptions about families' behavior-for example, some commissaries in Europe cut back too much on disposable diaper supplies because they assumed most families with young children would go back to the United States while the servicemember was gone. NMFA is pleased to report that this time stores seemed to listen to their communities and responded well to their product need.

NMFA also heard positive stories from families about the extra efforts expended by local commissaries in the wake of natural disasters that struck military communities this year. In the wake of Hurricane Isabel, commissaries in the Mid-Atlantic area rushed to secure generators and open their doors for shoppers. They secured extra ice and provided much-needed food and other supplies, especially in some areas where civilian grocery stores were slow to open. During the wildfires in California, stores reopened quickly after fires moved away and, as on the East Coast, made service to the beneficiaries a priority. Commissaries in California have faced increased patronage because of the grocery strike and have had to adjust ordering to accommodate the additional shoppers.

DeCA also supports the military community through its Scholarships for Military Children program. NMFA is grateful to DeCA and to the vendors who provide the financial support for the program. In three years, DeCA has been able to provide scholarships totaling more than $2.4 million to approximately 1,500 children of active, reserve component, and retired servicemembers. The military community values education and is grateful for this assistance in furthering the education of deserving military children. 

Outreach is Essential

Over the years, NMFA has consistently urged DeCA to expand its outreach to the segments of the beneficiary population who are not taking advantage of their benefit to the extent they could. DeCA continues to improve these outreach efforts, especially among single servicemembers and young families living off the installation with limited transportation and limited knowledge about their military benefits. While more must be done to educate these beneficiaries about the advantages of shopping in the commissary, NMFA believes that DeCA is making strides in raising awareness. DeCA partners with installation single servicemember programs and commissary vendors to sponsor single servicemember activities in the commissaries. At many installations, transportation is provided between single servicemember housing and the commissary to ease access to the benefit. The deli, in-store snack bar, and "Grab and Go" section also provide a valuable service to patrons looking for lunch or dinner and help to pull beneficiaries into the commissaries more often.

In response to suggestions made by its patrons, DeCA continues to improve its outreach to beneficiaries. There are many opportunities to sound off about the benefit, including customer comment cards for store managers and mandated focus group sessions to gauge all customer category concerns. Complementing this effort is an enhanced website, collaborative promotional campaigns with its business partners, special events, case lot sales, Commissary Fast Facts, and other initiatives. While all regions are improving their outreach, NMFA would especially like to shine a spotlight on the outstanding outreach programs provided by DeCA's European Region. The region conducts extensive nutrition education and commissary awareness programs for families and servicemembers, provides a wide range of information in commissary stores and distributes recipes and fact sheets for publication in installation newspapers and spouse club newsletters. The enthusiasm generated by the outreach done in this region reaches into the local stores, where store directors and staff reflect their pride in the benefit they provide.

NMFA especially appreciates DeCA's outreach to Guard and Reserve members and the "Welcome" signs that appeared outside each commissary after the enactment of the FY 2004 National Defense Authorization Act brought the elimination of the restrictions on use by members of the Guard and Reserve. NMFA also applauds DeCA's plans to hold case lot sales in places where large numbers of Guard and Reserve members, military retirees, and survivors do not have access to a commissary. Some commissaries extend their outreach into the Guard and Reserve community by providing email updates to Family Readiness Programs or units.

While applauding these outreach successes, NMFA strongly suggests that the agency must do more to keep beneficiaries informed of changes in commissary operations or of special programs, especially at the store level. Better communication about the benefit will further increase commissary use and increase satisfaction with the system. NMFA finds that DeCA's website, www.commissaries.com, provides a great deal of information about the commissary benefit, new initiatives, and store operations in some locations. However, we also find, much to our disappointment, that many beneficiaries are not aware of the website and the information it provides. Those who are aware of the website are often disappointed that their local commissary's information is not complete or up-to-date. Many stores are not using their websites to highlight weekly specials or special event sales, disruptions in the stocking of products, or information on temporary adjustments in store hours due to installation exercises.

Last summer's bankruptcy of a major distributor serving commissaries across a broad section of the central United States and Hawaii highlighted some of the work DeCA still must do to bring consistency into its communications message and to maintain customer satisfaction. As vendors scrambled to find new distributors in these areas, commissaries ran out of certain products (all laundry detergent, diapers, dairy products, and pet foods were some examples provided to NMFA) and did not receive replacement stock. Some stores placed no notice on the empty shelves. Others simply placed an out of stock sign on the empty shelves, with no explanation about the problem. A few stores posted large signs at the entrance explaining the distributor problem. Customers told NMFA that they had given up going to the commissary because they didn't want to make the effort to get through installation security only to find out that the shelves were still empty. NMFA searched the store websites in the affected regions and found only one mention of the distributor problem. By not making customers aware of the problem, and, more importantly, when it was resolved and thus "safe" to return to the commissary, stores may have driven customers away a lot longer than the distributor-generated shortages would have. After hearing from our volunteer Representatives about the problem, NMFA encouraged DeCA to prompt store directors to make better use of their store web pages. We continue to urge DeCA to monitor store sites to ensure that vital, timely information is provided in a consistent format to beneficiaries.

Keeping the Benefit Strong

While noting the above communications problems, NMFA must state that, overall, DeCA is responsive to the needs of the community and to beneficiary suggestions for improvements. Long-standing areas of concern for beneficiaries such as the quality of meat and produce generally show improvement in DeCA's surveys and NMFA finds DeCA staff respond quickly when a problem is directed to them. Produce quality remains an issue in some locations and NMFA will continue to monitor DeCA actions to improve the consistency of produce quality.

NMFA believes that DeCA's successes in improving customer service, the cleanliness and functionality of its stores, outreach to beneficiaries, and the quality of produce and meat, in addition to increasing customer savings, have been made possible through its ability to remain focused on gaining efficiencies and creating initiatives to enhance its service to beneficiaries. We also believe that these initiatives bring value to the government and to the American taxpayer by leveraging the appropriated funds DeCA receives into a military benefit valued at a much higher level by beneficiaries and by the actual savings delivered. Because of the value commissaries add to the quality of life of individual servicemembers, retirees, families, and survivors and to the military community, NMFA is very concerned that this benefit be preserved as part of the military compensation package.

During the past year, DoD announced plans to close a number of commissaries, replace the traditional three-star officer serving as chairman of the Commissary Operating Board (COB) with a political appointee, and require a study on instituting variable pricing for commissary products. These proposals are apparently intended to save money by reducing DeCA's annual appropriation. NMFA is concerned that the recommendation to "civilianize" the chairmanship of the COB is another indicator of DoD's ongoing interest in eventually privatizing the benefit, which NMFA opposes. NMFA believes that uniformed military leaders, who are responsible for the well-being of their Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, must continue to maintain their leadership function on the COB to provide oversight of this important benefit.

NMFA is also opposed to the concept of variable pricing. We believe it is being proposed solely as a strategy to reduce appropriated funding for the commissary benefit. With average savings currently at approximately 32 percent, we cannot understand why the administration's proposal for variable pricing sets a benchmark of 30 percent. While we agree more needs to be done to increase savings in some locations, we do not believe that a procedure that disrupts the well understood pricing formula of cost plus 5 percent provides a better benefit. Encouraging DeCA to continue implementing efficiencies and to work with its vendors to secure the lowest prices possible will provide the best benefit over the long term and increase average savings for the customer. If vendors are already selling goods to the commissaries at their best possible price, how long will they continue to do so if local commissaries can raise those prices simply to compensate for cutting prices on other products? It seems to us that implementing variable pricing on a worldwide scale would also require increased staffing to manage the process. These new positions would either have to come from existing staffing levels-which NMFA believes are already dangerously close to the minimum needed at the store level to maintain quality customer service-or would require more, not less, operating funds. NMFA fails to see the benefit to either the customer or the taxpayer in this proposal.

NMFA appreciates the strong stand taken by Members of Congress, senior military leaders, including the COB and U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) Commander General B.B. Bell, in support of retaining the commissaries recommended for closure. Senior DoD officials have in the past cited the special importance of commissaries to servicemembers and families stationed overseas and in isolated communities in the United States. NMFA, therefore, was dismayed that the list of closures released in August 2003 contained so many stores in remote locations. Families also were dismayed. NMFA heard from many families who shared driving times and distances not just to the nearest commissary, but to the nearest civilian grocery store. Quality of life issues, such as high cost of living in the surrounding civilian community, remote locations, and the need to provide an American-like grocery benefit and "touch of home" in overseas communities must always take precedence over cutting an appropriation that consistently provides the Department with a high return on its investment. NMFA also heard from Guard and Reserve servicemembers and families who noted the irony of their receipt of full commissary access just at the time when the benefit they had just won seemed to be under fire. NMFA would also hope that the impact on all categories of beneficiaries-active duty, retiree, National Guard, and Reserve-be considered in any decision to close individual commissaries.

NMFA thanks you, Mr. Chairman, and Ranking Member Snyder for your understanding of the commissary's importance to the military community and of the impact proposals to change the benefit have on a community under stress. We applaud your statements in your November 21, 2003 letter to the Secretary of Defense in which you pledged to "work assiduously to maintain and enhance the benefits provided by the Defense Commissary System." We second the concerns you raise in your letter that Department proposals to close certain commissaries, institute variable pricing, and do away with the military leadership of the COB "are sending the wrong message about the Department's commitment to the quality of life of our military families at the very moment when we can least afford to alienate the force."
 

Quality of life considerations must be given high priority in any decision to close individual commissaries. NMFA opposes all privatization and variable-pricing initiatives and strongly supports full or even enhanced funding of the commissary benefit to sustain the current level of service for all patrons: active duty and Guard and Reserve servicemembers, retirees, their families, and survivors.

MILITARY EXCHANGES

Active duty and reserve component servicemembers, retirees, their families, and survivors consistently rate the military exchanges as important quality of life components. Beneficiaries value the exchanges-to include the vendors in exchange malls and the ancillary services such as service stations, barber shops, and shoppettes-because they provide a great service to the local community where they serve and live. Beneficiaries value low everyday prices on consumer goods and the convenience of catalog and Internet mail order services. The exchanges' online store, operated by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) continues to increase in popularity, especially among Guard and Reserve members and retirees who do not live near an installation, deployed servicemembers, and families stationed overseas. The online store provides broader access to the benefit exchange customers have earned. Expanded exchange furniture and appliance lines have become especially popular with many customers. Holders of the exchanges' Military STAR card value its low interest rate, the lowest of any major credit card, and the flexibility it provides under its Deployment Program, enabling certain deployed servicemembers with accounts in good standing to request through their commanders that their interest rate on outstanding balances be lowered to 6 percent.  

The exchange services also bring a touch of home to deployed servicemembers, through ship stores in the Navy and through AAFES activities in deployed areas. Exchange employees provide retail operations, name brand fast food outlets, Internet cafes, and phone services in many remote areas. NMFA applauds the exchange employees who have deployed with the troops and who serve them in often dangerous and remote locations. AAFES "Gifts from the Homefront" program allows people to purchase AAFES gift certificates that can be sent to individual authorized patrons or donated to deployed servicemembers through the Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society, or the Fisher House.

The exchanges not only provide essential goods and services, but also generate vital funding for a variety of important Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs that are essential to maintaining a high quality of life for members of the military community. Funds generated for MWR by the exchanges are funds that do not have to be provided by the servicemembers and their families to support these programs.

NMFA applauds outreach efforts by the military exchanges to support military families and to recognize the contributions of retirees to the military community. Special "Still Serving" events and Retiree Appreciation Days draw retirees to the installations and renew their identification with today's force. Many exchanges also sponsor special events for children and young families, featuring read aloud times, offering coupons or other incentives for good report cards, or special family night sales and events. We do note that, while improving, exchanges in many locations still need to work on their product lines to ensure that brand name goods in a variety of price points are available to meet the needs of the very diverse beneficiary population. Exchanges must also more aggressively ensure that exchange prices in the products they carry are comparable, not just to identical brands, but to other brands of similar quality in civilian stores. Military beneficiaries want to make their exchange their store of choice. An exchange that does not carry the goods they need, in the price range they can afford, or with the quality they expect will not be their first choice.  

What is the Future for the Exchanges?

Tighter security requirements, reduced ease of access in some cases, increased deployments, changing buying habits of beneficiaries, and the upcoming round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) pose challenges for the military exchange systems. NMFA sees even greater challenges ahead in preserving adequate funding levels for MWR programs. NMFA has in the past supported the decision to keep the exchange systems separate while encouraging the adoption of common behind-the-store systems where efficiencies are viable. These areas include purchasing, distribution and logistics, finance, information systems, and other administrative functions. The exchanges are partnering successfully on certain private label brands and NMFA encourages more of these partnerships in the future to ensure that funds generated by exchange sales are available to be used for MWR programs and not needed to fund the administration of the exchange systems.

 NMFA has been following the work of DoD's Unified Exchange Task Force (UETF) closely to determine whether the DoD proposal to combine the exchange systems will have the potential to increase funding available for MWR while ensuring responsiveness to the needs of the beneficiaries and their communities. We thank the leadership of the UETF for its efforts to keep NMFA and other associations informed about its vision, goals, and research into how to design a uniform exchange system. Associations have met quarterly with the UETF leadership since its inception and appreciate the dialogue. We responded to the request of the UETF to publicize its website and to invite comments from beneficiaries about the value of the exchange benefit and their concerns about consolidation. Our members appreciated the thoughtful responses they received to their comments.

While we appreciate the responsiveness of the UETF, NMFA must note that the Task Force cannot yet answer what is to us the critical question: How will this affect the beneficiaries? We believe the issue at stake in this discussion is bigger than a question of whether or not to combine the exchanges. MWR revenues support a variety of the most basic support programs available for families, single servicemembers, and other members of the military community. NMFA most wants to know whether consolidation will provide enough savings to support MWR programs at the level needed to support the community. If not, what else do we need to ensure the viability of these programs? NMFA also wonders how the costs of transitioning to a consolidated system will be covered. We believe the MWR funding stream must be protected and would not want to see funds diverted, even with the promise of savings and recovered revenue in future years. Families tell us that MWR programs are stretched too thin now to be asked to forego revenues in order to pay for a transition to a consolidated exchange system. We also wonder how funds generated by a consolidated system will be reapportioned back to the Services and installations in a way that takes into account Service size, sales generated, community needs, and the multi-Service and combined active and reserve component missions of some installations.

In its briefings, the UETF has informed beneficiary associations that the consolidation will mostly affect behind-the-scenes support operations and that it should be seamless to the beneficiary.  Task Force leaders state that the Service or installation identity will be maintained in the individual stores. NMFA is less concerned with maintaining a strong Service identity at the store level than with ensuring that the local store manager has the flexibility to respond to the distinctive needs of the local community. We believe that in the increasingly "joint" environment of today's military, the exchanges will have to move beyond their Service identities regardless of whether they are consolidated or remain as stand alone entities. We see it already in the multi-Service selections of Physical Training clothing and uniforms in many exchanges.

Consolidation issues that most concern NMFA are those that may require the maintenance of a Service-specific program, such as the Navy's Ship Stores. We are also concerned about a local exchange manager's ability, under a consolidated system, to provide certain Service-specific programs or incentives. For example, at some Marine Corps installations, exchange shoppers can receive "child care bucks" when spending certain amounts at the exchange. These coupons can be used to pay for child care at the installation Child Development Center. NMFA thinks this is a wonderful initiative at installations serving many young families; it helps them pay for child care and it makes the exchange their store of choice. We believe this program is made possible because of the integration of child care programs and the exchange as part of Marine Corps Community Services. We wonder whether this program could continue under a consolidated exchange system. NMFA appreciates the willingness of the Unified Exchange Task Force to engage in dialogue with beneficiary associations and to seek beneficiary input on issues related to a potential consolidation of the exchange systems. NMFA cannot take a position on exchange consolidation, however, until it is presented with more information on the costs involved in moving to a consolidated system and the effects on the flexibility of a local exchange to respond to the needs of the community and to offer products and services tailored to that community. NMFA asks this Subcommittee to provide the oversight necessary to ensure that the exchanges, whether or not they consolidate, continue to provide appropriate product choices, competitive prices, and increased funding for MWR programs.

MORALE, WELFARE, AND RECREATION PROGRAMS

True communities are not just made up of houses and places of work; they also include the support facilities to provide community interaction and wholesome, safe activities. Like commissaries and exchanges, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs enhance quality of life for service members, military retirees, their families, and survivors. MWR activities draw beneficiaries to that community, promote esprit de corps, enhance educational opportunities, and provide support in times of high optempo. Servicemembers stationed far from home on lengthy deployments depend on MWR activities as a lifeline to home and a respite from arduous duty. Their family members depend on MWR programs for wholesome, affordable activities that demonstrate to them the community's concern for their wellbeing while the servicemember is away. Retirees view the availability of MWR programs as part of the benefit package promised them, their families, and their survivors when they first entered active duty. Participation in MWR programs also facilitates retirees' continued connection to the military community. In the current security environment, MWR facilities are viewed as a safe haven in military communities both overseas and in the United States.

Since September 11, 2001, active duty members and their National Guard and Reserve peers have engaged in numerous duty assignments from homeland security to armed conflict. At the same time, members have continued to perform ongoing missions in various far-flung areas of the globe. Deployments produce economic and psychological strain and raise stress levels in the family. The lifeline to the military family, the military community, also feels the strain. Family services are important to an installation not pressured by high optempo or conflict-related deployments. They are essential when families are left behind. Family center personnel, military chaplains, installation mental health professionals, and MWR programs all provide needed assistance to families. Because of these programs' value to the readiness of servicemembers, the costs of providing additional services to meet the needs of the mission must be included in the funding received to conduct that mission.

It is important to remember that MWR programs are part of an interconnected network of family and community support activities. Many family support programs, as well as MWR activities, receive both appropriated and non-appropriated funds and, NMFA has found, are increasingly staffed by personnel paid out of non-appropriated fund accounts. Because these programs are so intertwined, NMFA, in the following sections, will highlight issues involving the full range of servicemember, family, and community support programs. 

Families and Deployment

When spouses find themselves as the sole head of the family, the services available to assist them and their children are truly lifelines. E-mail, video teleconferencing centers, and special family activities ease the strains and pains of separation. But none of these services are without cost. Just as the deployed servicemember's readiness is dependent on proper training, food, shelter, clothing and weapons systems, the readiness of the family is dependent on accessing needed services. Both must have adequate funding and staff to ensure a force ready to successfully carry out its assigned mission. Although recreation programs are valued, the morale and welfare services are the most important parts of MWR for many deployed service members and their families. 

Lessons learned during the first Gulf War and subsequent operations on how to support families have resulted in a wider range of options to assist families, units, and installations in communication and family support during the most recent deployments. Recent initiatives to support families include:

• Toll-free information lines
• Partnerships with organizations such as the Armed Forces YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, and 4-H Clubs to provide additional youth activities and after-school care
• Increased after-hours child care available at some installations
• Family readiness materials posted on various Department and Service web sites
• Additional Family Assistance Centers set up in communities dealing with high levels of deployment
• Improved information and assistance for reserve component families transitioning to TRICARE
• Family support personnel tasked to obtain family contact information from servicemembers at mobilization sites
• Increased training and guidance for rear detachment personnel
• Increased interaction with nearby civilian community organizations, including schools
• Improved return and reunion programs to support servicemembers and families in the post-deployment period

Chaplains' programs have also provided important support for families and servicemembers, especially in the critical "Return and Reunion" period. While technically not part of MWR, chaplains work closely with the family centers and family support programs operated under MWR. NMFA thanks this Subcommittee for including language in the FY 2004 National Defense Authorization Act to clarify that appropriated funds may pay the expenses of active and reserve component servicemembers and their families to participate in command-sponsored, chaplain-lead training opportunities.

Based on what NMFA hears from families, initiatives put in place since the first Gulf War have enabled them to better cope with deployment-related demands this time around. There are gaps, however. Problem areas include the need for more child care, better communication with the servicemember, timely information from the command, specialized support for geographically-separated Guard and Reserve families, training and back-up for family readiness volunteers, and enhanced support mechanisms to deal with crisis situations arising from long or frequent deployments. NMFA is concerned that installations have had to divert resources from the basic level of family programs to address the surges of mobilization and return. Resources must be available for commanders and others charged with ensuring family readiness to help alleviate the strains on families facing more frequent and longer deployments.

Family readiness volunteers and installation family support personnel have been stretched thin over the past two years as they have had to juggle pre-deployment, ongoing deployment, and return and reunion support, often simultaneously. Unfortunately, this juggling act will likely continue for some time. Volunteers, whose fatigue is evident, are frustrated with being called on too often during longer than anticipated and repeated deployments. We now hear from volunteers and family members whose servicemember is serving in their second long deployment to a combat zone since the war on terrorism began. Family member volunteers support the servicemembers' choice to serve; however, they are worn out and concerned they do not have the training or the backup from the family support professionals to handle the problems facing some families in their units. Military community volunteers are the front line troops in the mission to ensure family readiness. They deserve training, information, and assistance from their commands, supportive unit rear detachment personnel, professional backup to deal with family issues beyond their expertise and comfort level, and opportunities for respite before becoming overwhelmed. NMFA is pleased that the Army is establishing paid Family Readiness Group positions at many installations dealing with deployments to provide additional support to families and volunteers.

NMFA knows that the length of a deployment in times of war is subject to change, but also understands the frustrations of family members who eagerly anticipated the return of their servicemembers on a certain date only to be informed at the last minute that the deployment will be extended. The unpredictability of the length and frequency of deployments is perhaps the single most important factor, other than the danger inherent in combat situations, frustrating families today. Families who can count on a set return date cope better than those dealing with an unknown return. Families and servicemembers who can count on a period at home between deployments will be more likely to choose to stay with the military. Because of the unpredictable nature of the military mission today, family members need more help in acquiring the tools to cope with the unpredictability.

NMFA applauds the various initiatives designed to meet the needs of servicemembers and families wherever they live and whenever they need them and requests adequate funding to ensure continuation both of the "bedrock" support programs and implementation of new initiatives. Higher stress levels caused by open-ended deployments require a higher level of community support. Family readiness responsibilities must be clearly delineated so that the burden does not fall disproportionately on volunteers.

National Guard and Reserve Families

As of February 25, 2004, 182,664 National Guard and Reserve members were on active duty. When the current rotation into Iraq is complete, it is estimated that approximately 40 percent of the troops in Iraq will be Guard and Reserve members. While many of the challenges faced by their families are similar to those of active component families, they must face them with a less-concentrated and less-mature support network and, in many cases, without prior experience with military life. Unlike active duty units located on one installation with families in close proximity, reserve component families are frequently hundreds of miles from the servicemember's unit. Therefore, unless they pay for their own travel expenses, families are often unable to attend unit pre-deployment briefings. NMFA constantly hears the frustrations family members experience when trying to access information and understand their benefits. The lack of accurate benefit information and unrelenting communication difficulties are common themes among Guard and Reserve families. Guard and Reserve members wonder how more of the revenue they provide to MWR programs through their exchange purchases can be targeted to programs for themselves and their families both on and off military installations.

DoD has developed several key initiatives that address the needs of Guard and Reserve families. NMFA applauds these efforts, but there is still much to be done. The Guard and Reserve have increased the number of paid family readiness coordinators and established more Family Assistance Centers to help volunteers and provide basic information. Guard and Reserve unit volunteers, even more than many of their active duty counterparts, are still stressed, however, because of the numbers of families they must assist and the demands placed upon them. At a minimum, NMFA asks this Subcommittee to encourage DoD to be more aggressive in securing additional child care slots and to authorize increased funding for child care programs located off military installations to enable these dedicated volunteers to perform their expected tasks more efficiently. Funding to enable families to attend pre-deployment briefings would help strengthen the ties between the units and the families, as well as the families with each other, and help ensure that accurate information is provided directly to the family members. Guard and Reserve families ask for standardized materials that are appropriate to all services, so that if an Army Reserve family happens to live close to a Navy installation they would understand how to access services there. The establishment of a joint Family Readiness program could facilitate the understanding and sharing of information between all military family members. 

The cost of meeting unique family readiness needs for National Guard and Reserve families must be calculated in Guard and Reserve operational budgets and additional resources provided. DoD should partner with other organizations and explore new means of providing communication and support to geographically dispersed families.

Opportunities Exist for Joint-Service Collaboration

 NMFA applauds the Office of Military Community and Family Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) for its creation of a Joint Family Support Contingency Working Group to promote better information-sharing and planning among OSD and the military Service headquarters family support staff, including the reserve components. NMFA appreciates the invitation to participate in this working group, an innovative concept that grew out of the successful collaboration in the operation of the Pentagon family assistance center after the attack on the Pentagon. The working group understands that most military families live off-base and is encouraging new ways of helping families that are not all centered on the installation. NMFA has long promoted additional outreach into the civilian community by installation personnel so that family members unable to get to an installation can still receive needed assistance. The possibility of further incidents that might prompt restricted access to installations makes this outreach even more imperative.

Working group discussions have also highlighted just how "joint" our military has become and how joint coordination to improve family readiness makes sense in providing consistent information and in using scarce personnel and other resources to the best advantage. Because servicemembers increasingly serve on joint missions or are assigned to installations not belonging to their parent Service, they need easily accessible information and support not necessarily tied to one particular Service. A start in improved joint family readiness support has been the establishment a common web portal with links to military Service, private organization, and other useful government sites (www.deploymentconnections.org).

With the January implementation of Navy One Source and February implementation of its Air Force counterpart, all active and reserve component personnel and their families can now access the "One Source" 24-hour information and referral service previously available only for Marine Corps and Army personnel. One Source provides information and assistance in such areas as parenting and child care, educational services, financial information and counseling, civilian legal advice, elder care, crisis support, and relocation information. The service is available via telephone, e-mail, or the web and is designed to augment existing Service support activities and to link customers to key resources, web pages and call centers. It will also be available to family center staff, many of whom tell NMFA that they regard it as a useful tool to expand the assistance they can provide families. One Source is operated for the military Services by a civilian company that provides similar Employee Assistance Programs for private industry. Early statistics on use indicate that servicemembers and families are accessing One Source primarily for everyday issues and basic information about military life. Military families who use One Source are pleased with the support and information provided. One Source also received high marks from a panel of military spouses at a Quality of Life hearing before the Military Construction Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on February 25.

While NMFA believes One Source is an important tool for family support, it is not a substitute for the installation-based family support professionals or the Family Assistance Centers serving Guard and Reserve families. NMFA is concerned that in a tight budget situation, family support staffing might be cut under the assumption that the support could be provided remotely through One Source. The One Source information and referral service must be properly coordinated with other support services, to enable family support professionals to manage the many tasks that come from high optempo.  The responsibility for training rear detachment personnel and volunteers and in providing the backup for complicated cases beyond the knowledge or comfort level of the volunteers should flow to the installation family center or Guard and Reserve family readiness staff. Family program staff must also facilitate communication and collaboration between the rear detachment, volunteers, and agencies such as chaplains, schools, and medical personnel.

Child Care

Military child care is another important element in family readiness. Deployments increase the need for child care. Families in which the parents were previously able to manage their work schedules to cover the care of their children must now seek outside child care as one parent deploys. Guard and Reserve families do not usually live close enough to a military installation to take advantage of the subsidized, high-quality care available at the Child Development Center or Family Child Care homes. Since 2000, DoD has had the authority to increase the availability of child care and youth programs through partnerships with civilian agencies and other organizations. The Services set up pilot programs to take advantage of this authority and obtain more care for children off the installations and funding obtained through recent Supplemental funding bills was used to provide more care for families who could not access installation child care; however, only a small percentage of DoD-subsidized child care is provided off-base.

Military spouses of deployed servicemembers emphatically tell NMFA they need more child care slots. While there may be some increased need for full-time slots, the greatest need seems to be for part-time or hourly care to support spouses in their roles of family readiness volunteers; to enable a spouse to keep a doctor's appointment or attend a parent-teacher conference; to support a spouse who has cut back work hours from full to part time because of a deployment; or just to provide a well-deserved respite for both parent and children. Hourly care has almost always been in short supply at most installations and NMFA is concerned that current funding levels for the Military Child Development system may not be adequate to meet both the routine demands for child care and the increased need due to deployments. We ask this Subcommittee to authorize additional funding to ensure the provision of the high quality child care servicemembers and their families need.

To meet the needs of far-flung families, some with limited funds to pay for child care, DoD must look for innovative ways to provide access to child care services, tied not to specific locations selected by DoD, but to what best serves parents and children. Employee Assistance Programs such as One Source can help families locate the child care, but a DoD subsidy, possibly based on the income categories used to determine rates at DoD centers, is needed to help create a more equitable benefit. Another option to help military families pay for child care would be to make them eligible to contribute pre-tax dollars to a Flexible Spending Account. These accounts are popular in many civilian work places and are authorized for Federal civilians.

NMFA also encourages the Services to work more aggressively to retain the military spouses they have trained as Family Child Care Providers. These highly-trained spouses generally provide care on military installations, supervised by the installation Child and Youth Services. If they move to another installation, but are forced to live off-base, it is difficult, if not impossible, to retain status as military Family Child Care Providers. Many military families living off the installation need child care and the military has a well-trained pool of spouses who could support the installation's need, especially for after-hours care, yet the two find it difficult to meet. NMFA suggests the military develop reciprocity agreements with states so that training and certification provided by a military Service could help a military spouse meet state child care licensing requirements more quickly. Enabling military spouses providing child care off the installation to remain a part of the military's network of Family Child Care providers would accomplish two goals: enhancing military spouse career portability and increasing the pool of child care providers for military families.

Innovative ways of meeting the child care needs of geographically-dispersed families and the deployment-related surge demand for child care may need to include a combination of subsidies, the use of information and referral services, and the option of Flexible Spending Accounts, in addition to increased slots available in the DoD child development system.

Return and Reunion

The Services recognize the importance of educating servicemembers and family members about how to effect a successful homecoming and reunion and have taken steps to do so. The Navy pioneered this process and has been holding reunion briefings on ships prior to homecoming for several years. The Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, learning lessons from recent deployments and the tragedy at Fort Bragg in the summer of 2002, have developed online programs and brochures for the servicemembers and their families. They have also stepped up briefings for returning servicemembers and, when possible, their families to assist in the return and reunion process. Information gathered in the now-mandatory post-deployment health assessments may also help identify servicemembers who may need more specialized assistance in making the transition home. Successful return and reunion plans depend on the interaction between all helping agencies, support from the command, and multiple methods of getting information and assistance to servicemembers and families.

Return and reunion programs are aimed at both traditional and non-traditional family units, including single and married servicemembers, spouses, parents, children, and significant others. The information spans subjects from finances and division of chores to recultivating family intimacy and practicing safe driving procedures. The Services have gone from the old policy of "if we wanted you to have a family we would have issued you one" to sharing guidance on how to reestablish intimacy with your spouse or significant other after separation. The one underlying theme with almost all the literature available is to "go slow" and develop realistic homecoming expectations. Other organizations outside the Services, such as the American Red Cross, offer reunion resources as well.

The question remains, however: how can one access the information? The plan for many returning military units is to brief them as units before they are returned home, but what about the servicemembers deployed and returning individually? Information for families is readily available on a variety of "unofficial", family-friendly web sites. However, there are times one needs to know the special code word or the secret hand shake to navigate or even find the official Service web sites-to know that Lifelines is the family friendly program for the Navy, Crossroads is the source for Air Force family information, the Well-Being tab on the official Army site contains information on family programs, that Marine Corps Community Services handles both family support and the exchange, or that One Source is available for both active and reserve servicemembers. Web information is an easy fix, however. The biggest challenge is reaching the geographically isolated families, the families of servicemembers who deployed individually or not as a part of a unit, or the families with no access to the web. News about briefings for families should be disseminated as widely as possible. As NMFA has emphasized before, family briefings would be better attended if child care and travel expenses were provided.

NMFA applauds the quality of much of the new reunion information. It is a great example of "purple" information-much of the new material is not Service specific. In addition, the special attention paid to the Guard and Reserve returnees and their reacclimation into the work place enhances the scope of the entire reunion process. The inclusive way all the Services, active and reserve components, are addressed in this literature serves as a model for how information should be presented in a joint family readiness plan in the future.

Successful return and reunion programs will require attention over the long term. Many mental health experts state that some post-deployment problems may not surface for several months after the servicemembers' return. NMFA is especially concerned about the services that will be available to the families of returning Guard and Reserve members and servicemembers who leave the military following the end of their enlistment. Although they may be eligible for transitional health care benefits and the servicemember may seek care through the Veterans' Administration, what happens when the military health benefits run out and deployment-related stresses still affect the family? As part of its return and reunion plan, the Army's One Source contract will help returning servicemembers and families access local community resources and to receive up to six free face-to-face mental health visits with a professional outside the chain of command.

As with other family readiness information and support, return and reunion programs should be both unit and community-based and should be facilitated by a collaborative effort of all helping agencies across the active and reserve components of all Services. Return and reunion support must be considered a commitment to servicemembers and families over a period of several months. Special attention must be provided to ensure that geographically separated families have access to needed services, especially following a servicemember's deactivation.

Single Servicemember Programs

Even as DoD has improved the support offered to the families of the slightly more than 58 percent of the force that is married or has children, NMFA is pleased to note that special programs for single servicemembers also flourish as an integrated part of the MWR program. Although it started primarily as a recreation program, the Army's Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program has expanded into a well-rounded program of recreation, education, and activities for single soldiers. The BOSS program helps to bring single soldiers into community decision-making through participation in the Army Family Action Plan process and also helps to educate single soldiers about their benefits through cooperation with commissary and exchange officials. The Single Marine Program (SMP) also emphasizes Marines' responsibilities to the community by encouraging them to identify solutions to their quality of life concerns and to resolve them by working through their chain of command. Many participants in the SMP support their communities through Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, food banks, and other volunteer organizations.

NMFA applauds Service outreach to single servicemembers and, in some cases, their parents and significant others. NMFA believes more can be done, however, to include single servicemembers in the life of the military community and to acquaint them with their benefits. A soon-to-be launched Air Force Program, UBU, allows airmen basic through senior airmen the opportunity to select discounts in most Air Force Services business activities and receive special membership opportunities once their training is complete. Two videos showing airmen participating in sports and leisure activities have been produced to showcase the value and benefits of services activities as well as Air Force club membership. Services representatives will show the videos during briefings to basic military trainees and students in technical schools. Also provided at the briefings are details about various MWR activities and operations, including information about bowling, golf, outdoor recreation, student and community centers, and Information, Ticket and Travel offices. NMFA especially commends outreach efforts such as those of the Pope Air Force Base Family Service Center staff as a best practice that should be replicated. They recently began an educational campaign to visit the single member dorms and acquaint residents with the financial literacy, deployment support, and other programs available through the family center. Their message to the singles: you are part of the Air Force family and, therefore, are welcome to take advantage of the programs provided by the family center.

Accessing the Benefit:  Funding Support for MWR

Heightened installation security, increased deployments and optempo, and the need for members of the military community to provide greater support both for the mission and each other have highlighted the importance of MWR programs for the community during the past year. They have also created continuing challenges for DoD and the military Services in ensuring that the resources are available to provide the range of morale and welfare programs and family support needed by deployed servicemembers, their families and other community members at home. NMFA is concerned that disruptions in patron use caused by high security situations or deployments could impede the generation of MWR funds used to support other installation activities. Installations experiencing high levels of deployment report a surge of sales at exchanges immediately prior to deployments followed by a lull. NMFA is concerned that lower revenue from exchanges and other MWR enterprises may force cut-backs in other key recreational and support programs. While families have told NMFA that many installations have added to their list of free or low-cost programs and activities available to families of deployed servicemembers, we also note inconsistencies regarding the level of programs available. At some installations, hours of operation for facilities such as bowling alleys, fitness centers and other activities remained unchanged as servicemembers deployed. Some installation MWR staff cited deployments as the reason for cutting hours, while others cited deployments as the reason for lengthening hours.

Support services for families of deployed service members-the e-mail services, dedicated support personnel, unit support centers-are necessary, but expensive. Too often, the funding provided for contingency operations and other deployment situations does not include enough for the support services required at home. Installations must find the money from their operations and maintenance accounts to set up the family programs needed when units deploy. Since quality family support contributes to the readiness of the mission, the cost of family support must be factored into the cost of the contingency and adequate funding budgeted and provided upfront. This family support includes the proper staffing and funding for MWR programs at the home installation. Commanders should not have to choose between funding recreation programs for deployed service members or for the servicemembers' children.

NMFA has noted the Services' responsiveness to local needs and the willingness to put additional resources in isolated communities or in installations facing high optempo. NMFA encourages Congress to provide the Services with the funding for MWR programs needed by deployed servicemembers, as well as their families and other community members at home.

BRAC

The publication in the Federal Register of the criteria DoD will use in developing recommendations for closure and realignment under the next BRAC round prompted a heightened concern in the military community about the future status of military installations and the continued availability of vital quality of life programs. Members of the military community, especially retirees, are concerned about the impact base closures will have on their access to their commissary, exchange and MWR benefits. They are concerned that the size of the retiree, Guard, and Reserve populations remaining in a location will not be considered in decisions about whether or not to keep commissaries and exchanges open.

NMFA is also concerned about the availability of commissaries, exchanges, and MWR programs during shifts in troop populations during a CONUS BRAC or realignment of troops overseas. We look to Congress to ensure DoD's plans for these troop shifts will maintain access to quality of life programs and support facilities until the last family leaves the installation. In the same manner, we ask you to ensure that houses, schools, child development and youth programs, and community services are in place to accommodate the surge of families a community can expect to receive as a result of the movement of troops to a new location. 

STRONG FAMILIES ENSURE A STRONG FORCE

Mr. Chairman, NMFA is grateful to this Subcommittee for its oversight, its emphasis on quality standards and value to the customer, and its realization that commissaries, exchanges, and MWR activities are vital quality of life components for today's force. NMFA thanks you for your advocacy for a better quality of life for servicemembers and their families. Just as the family worries about the deployed servicemember, the servicemember's constant concern is about the well-being of his or her family. In the dangerous environment in which they must frequently operate, servicemembers cannot afford to be distracted by concerns at home. Assuring the servicemember that the decision to serve will not penalize the family is critical to the servicemember's readiness and thus to mission readiness. The stability of the military family and community and their support for the forces rests on the Nation's continued focus on the entire package of quality of life components. Military members and their families look to you for continued support for that quality of life. Please don't let them down.