Programs aim to reduce military divorce rates

  • Published
  • By Donna Miles
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Recognizing the stresses military life and multiple deployments put on families, officials are stepping up their efforts to help servicemembers strengthen their family relationships and avoid divorce courts.

A full range of outreach programs -- from support groups for spouses of deployed troops to weekend retreats for military couples -- aims to help military families endure the hardships that military life often imposes.

Specific service-by-service statistics about divorce rates within the military were not available, but Army rates give a snapshot of what are believed to be a militarywide trend.

Army officials reported 10,477 divorces among active-duty force in fiscal 2004, a number that has climbed steadily over the past five years. In fiscal 2003, the Army reported less than 7,500 divorces; in 2002, more than 7,000, and in 2001, about 5,600.

During the past two years, the divorce rate has been higher among Army officers than their enlisted counterparts, reversing the previous trend, officials said. In fiscal 2003, the Army reported almost 1,900 divorces among its 56,000 married officers. The following year, that number jumped to more than 3,300 -- an increase of almost 1,500.

These statistics reflect a general trend in American society, said Army Chaplain (Col.) Glen Bloomstrom, director of ministry initiatives for the Army's chief of chaplains. Forty-five to 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce nationwide, he said, and the failure rate is even higher for second marriages: 60 to 70 percent.

Divorce rates run even higher in specific occupations, particularly those that expose people to traumatic events and danger, as well as heavy responsibilities and public scrutiny, Army officials said. Police officers, for example, face divorce rates averaging between 66 and 75 percent, they said.

Despite the nationwide trends, Chaplain Bloomstrom said that the numbers represent far more than just statistics.

"These are people we're talking about," he said. "When a marriage ends, it's the end of a dream."

The toll goes beyond the human side and affects military operations as well, he said. Servicemembers in happy marriages tend to be more focused on their jobs and less likely to have disciplinary problems, Chaplain Bloomstrom said. They are also more likely to remain in the military.

While the Air Force does not have servicewide marital support programs, Air Force officials said individual bases offer a wide variety of programs to support military families and help them through separations, deployments and the stresses relating to them. Programs are offered through family support, chaplain and mental-health counseling networks.

Chaplain Bloomstrom said he is optimistic about the emphasis the military services are putting on programs for married servicemembers.

The goal, he said, is to help couples recognize and address danger signs before they escalate.

Another objective is to help military couples get more satisfaction out of their marriages by injecting a healthy dose of "fun and friendship" that he said builds up their "emotional bank account."

"We're talking about investing in the relationship in the good times," he said. "That way, when you have to make a withdrawal -- as you do during a deployment -- you still have enough left in the bank to cover it."