Family Readiness a Combat Multiplier

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Family Readiness a Combat Multiplier
December 22, 2008
Marine Corps News|by 2Lt. Michele Perez

MCB CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — In October of 2006 commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway called for an improvement of the Marine Corps’ Family Readiness program by expanding the budget of the program from $5 million to $60 million. Today, units throughout the Corps have made vast improvements to their program as it continues to evolve into a resource that spouses, children and even parents of Marines and sailors can come to rely on.

The 2nd Marine Logistics Group has not only embraced these developments, but currently leads the way within the II Marine Expeditionary Force in making all of the family readiness officer appointments full-time positions.

Before the program’s facelift, the family readiness program lacked the resources to help families cope with the strains and hardships that came with increased deployment cycles. Plainly said, the program was designed before 9/11 and was not ready to accommodate the needs of families during a time of war. In his planning guidance, Conway wanted to “ensure our family and single Marine programs have fully transitioned to a wartime footing in order to fulfill the promises made to our families.”

In May 2007, 9,000 surveys were sent to service members and their families throughout the Corps to identify flaws in the current family readiness program. The survey found that insufficient funding and personnel, outdated processes, and lack of standardization were amongst several of the concerns that surfaced.

In response to the feedback, improvements were made. One of the most prominent innovations was transitioning the position of each unit’s family readiness officer into a full-time position.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/marine-corps-news/family-readiness-a-combat-multiplier.html?col=1186032366495