Chapter 5
QUALITY OF LIFE
The Department of Defense continues to promote military readiness by enhancing the quality of life of its service members. To maintain an effective force, DoD must attract and retain high quality men and women. In a competitive employment market, that means providing adequate compensation, decent housing, challenging and rewarding career opportunities, and a robust and effective program of community and family support.
A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
The effectiveness of U.S. military power relies on its qualitative advantage in both hardware and personnel. Maintaining the highest caliber officer and enlisted corps in the world requires a sustained commitment to their quality of life. Recognizing this fact, President Clinton and Secretary Perry announced an ambitious Quality of Life Initiative in 1994 to improve compensation, housing, and family support for service members -- and a great deal has been accomplished in these areas in the past two years. But the Department believes that the key to maintaining U.S. forces in the future is an institutionalized focus on the actions necessary to attract and retain superior personnel. The Department's overarching goal is now to establish a regular process to address current and future quality of life issues. As with a program of technical modernization, achieving a decent quality of life for service members is an ongoing process that requires sustained, long-term diligence.
In order to ensure continued attention to these issues, Secretary Perry established a Quality of Life Executive Committee, chaired by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy, to review and act on these matters. Leadership by this Executive Committee is particularly important in an era of increasing joint operations. As soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have worked together more regularly, differences in their compensation, housing, and family support programs have become increasingly apparent. By leading from a joint perspective, Secretary Perry and the Executive Committee have been able to move these programs toward greater equality, while respecting different Service needs and philosophies. Toward this end, the Services have increased spending targets in their FY 1998-2003 programs for child care; tuition assistance; compensation; barracks improvements; and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) programs.
The most important component in the Department's quality of life program is an adequate level of compensation. By making the unprecedented pledge to support the full pay raise authorized by law for service members through the end of the decade, President Clinton brought an important measure of predictability to the lives of service members and potential recruits. For the other crucial aspects of quality of life, Secretary Perry committed an additional $2.7 billion to provide much needed improvements to housing, community and family support activities, and a list of high priority programs developed in close coordination with senior military leaders and a panel of outside experts. This funding has already led to increases in the Basic Allowance for Quarters, authorization for a Variable Housing Allowance floor, a new cost of living allowance for service members living in high cost areas of the United States, expanded child care, housing improvements, enhanced recreation opportunities, an expanded anti-family violence program, extended space-available travel opportunities for family members, increased nursing presence at DoD schools overseas, and the establishment of a special program to meet the needs of adolescents and their parents in military communities.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The Department has long recognized the importance of an appropriate level of compensation in sustaining a robust quality of life program. The military compensation package is made up of both pay and nonpay benefits -- the components of a standard of living. Operating together, these serve to stimulate retention which, in turn, contributes to the operational readiness of U.S. forces.
Pay Raises
The Administration funded a 3.0 percent pay raise for FY 1997 and has now directed the programming of the maximum pay raise for military personnel authorized by law through FY 2002. This commitment of $10.7 billion reflects the recognition that adequacy of military pay is essential to attract and retain high quality personnel. Individuals deciding whether to join the military typically compare the pay and other benefits available in the military with those of the private sector. While the military offers many benefits, like medical care, it is very important that military pay, the most visible element of military compensation, be competitive with private sector pay. This allows recruiters to focus on the benefits and rewards of military service and continue to enlist high quality and motivated young men and women.
Similarly, retaining the best members of U.S. forces depends on giving them the ability to provide their families with a decent standard of living -- and pay is the most important factor in determining living standards. DoD's commitment to the maximum pay raise sends a very positive message to uniformed personnel that their country truly values their service and recognizes the unique hardships, obligations, and dangers of military service.
Improved Quarters Allowance
Over two-thirds of military families reside in civilian communities. These families receive housing allowances, which were intended by Congress to cover 85 percent of their housing costs. In 1996, housing allowances covered approximately 80 percent of service members' total housing expenses. For 1997, the Department funded a 3.0 percent increase in housing allowances and Congress added an additional 1.6 percent. This will lower out-of-pocket housing costs by covering about 81 percent of a service member's total costs, the highest percentage since before 1987. The Department will consider pursuing similar raises in housing allowance through the end of the century in an effort to obtain the 85 percent coverage intended by Congress.
Continental United States Cost of Living Allowance
At present, 30,000 military families are assigned to areas in the continental United States (CONUS) in which payments for goods and services exceed 108 percent of the national average (effective January 1, 1997). These costs are in addition to housing expenses, which are partially compensated through housing allowances. Assignments to areas such as Long Island, New York, or Los Angeles, California, place an undue burden on military families. The CONUS cost of living allowance assists military families residing in these high cost areas. During 1996, the allowance increased the average monthly pay in high cost areas by $44, and in some extreme cases as much as $429.
Military Retired Pay
Military retirement pay is a critical element of the overall military compensation package. Service members want to know that the retirement benefits they were promised when they joined the military will be there for them when the time comes. The Administration believes it is imperative that the United States keeps faith with men and women in uniform. Changes to the retired pay system that affect members currently serving amount to broken promises, with potentially serious negative effects on retention of quality people and the morale of the forces. The Department strongly supports cost of living adjustments to military retired pay, thus maintaining the commitment to provide a measure of income security for those who complete military service careers.
Commissaries
Military members and their families consistently rate the commissary benefit as one of their most important nonpay compensation benefits. The commissary provides its patrons with more than a 25 percent average savings on their purchases compared to what they would pay in commercial grocery stores. This savings, which can range from a few hundred dollars to over $1,500 a year, helps offset a large portion of the economic stress military families experience. The commissary benefit and the savings it offers make a difference to military families. For those military members living outside the United States, the commissary provides the American products they are accustomed to while they are far from home. As of October 1996, there were 309 commissaries worldwide -- 209 in the United States and 100 overseas. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) operates the worldwide commissary system for DoD, utilizing commercial business practices within the framework of a government agency. In recognition of its past and ongoing initiatives to reduce costs and improve efficiency, DeCA is the first Department of Defense agency to become a Performance Based Organization under Vice President Gore's effort designed to improve government service while reducing taxpayer costs. The National Performance Review awarded DeCA the prestigious Hammer Award during 1996 for its common sense approach to reinventing government.
Off-duty, Voluntary Education
The Department's off-duty, voluntary education programs constitute one of the largest continuing education programs in the world. Each year, service members enroll in about a half million post-secondary courses leading to associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees. Colleges and universities deliver classroom instruction through an extensive network to hundreds of military installations and deployed sites around the world.
In recent years, the desire for educational improvement and opportunities has increased. Service members are more likely than ever to seek to advance their education, recognizing that higher levels of learning increase their chances for promotion and better prepare them for managing the sophisticated systems used in today's military.
To enhance voluntary education programs, the Department has included increases in both the Navy and Air Force budgets for FY 1998. This includes just over $8 million for the Navy and just over $13 million for the Air Force. The Department appreciates congressional help in increasing funds available to the Air Force and Marine Corps for voluntary education in FY 1997.
PERSONNEL TEMPO
A review of personnel tempo (PERSTEMPO) and turbulence begun by the Quality
of Life (QoL) Task Force was continued by a special working group. Two basic
characteristics of higher operating tempo (OPTEMPO) impact were noted:
Services, commanders, and leaders are sensitive to the time service members spend away from their families and are taking a number of actions to help reduce adverse impacts. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs developed a FY 1995-1997 pilot program to use Reserve component forces during peacetime to reduce the active component operating tempo. Although there remains concern over the long-term impact of high personnel tempo, only localized areas of adverse impact have been noted and these are being addressed by the Services and the Joint Staff.
HOUSING
Secretary of Defense Perry recognized the importance of housing as a key element in the quality of life of service members and their families. Dr. Perry said that there is an iron logic linking quality of life; recruiting and retention; and high mission readiness. While the United States military has reduced in size, the hazards U.S. service personnel face remain daunting. Retaining motivated, educated, and trained forces is critical to meeting future U.S. national security missions. For these reasons, improving the quality of housing for uniformed personnel is linked to combat effectiveness.
Legislative Authorities Update
The recent enactment of legislative authorities proposed by the Administration will allow the Department to attract private capital to help solve DoD housing problems much more quickly. The new authorities can be used individually or in combination, and will allow the Department to attract private capital and leverage appropriated dollars by at least three to one. These housing improvement authorities tools will permit loan and rental guarantees, leasing, conveyance or lease of land and facilities, direct investments, differential lease payments, and direct loans. As military construction projects are converted to privatization projects financed using the new authorities, the Department expects to use the savings to fund additional projects. These legislative authorities and projects are further described in the Business Affairs, International Programs, and Installations chapter.
Family Housing
Currently, one-third of military families live in military housing. About 200,000 of these government quarters require major renovation or replacement, at a cost of $20 billion. With the current level of military construction funding, it will take the Department 30 years to address the $20 billion problem. Neither the cost nor the time line of current housing construction and modernization meet the challenge DoD faces. To combat this problem, the Department will couple the recently enacted legislative authorities with current family housing funds. The FY 1997 Defense budget included $3.1 billion for operating and maintaining 359,000 family housing units, and $1 billion for construction and improving family housing. For FY 1998, the Department has requested $3 billion to operate and maintain family housing units and $700 million for constructing and improving family housing. These funds are used for renovation or replacement of housing, depending on which is more economical. Revitalizing family housing often involves actually reducing a base's total housing inventory while improving its quality. While the Department has a robust program to improve on-base housing for service families, it continues to rely first on the local housing market, where about two-thirds of military families live. Families pay on average about 19 percent out-of-pocket to obtain adequate housing. As part of DoD's quality of life initiative, $20 million was added to the Department's FY 1997 budget request to continue funding joint public/private ventures in FY 1997; Congress appropriated $25 million for this purpose.
Bachelor Housing
Presently, approximately 400,000 bachelor members live in on-base barracks. About 62 percent of these barracks require improvement or replacement at the military construction cost of $9 billion. At the current military construction funding level, this $9 billion problem will be solved in about 16 years. As with family housing, the Department could not afford a business as usual approach to modernize bachelor housing. Replacement or renovation of barracks is the largest single functional category within the military construction budget request and the repair and maintenance portion of the operation and maintenance request. This reflects Secretary Perry's five-year commitment which started in FY 1996 to improving the quality of life of single military members. Additional barracks funding by Congress for FY 1996 increased both military construction (by $251 million) and repair and maintenance (by $322 million). The FY 1997 Quality of Life initiative added $201 million for barracks revitalization. Even after this Barracks Improvement Program is completed -- in 2013 -- the Navy will still have more than 30,000 enlisted personnel living in shipboard conditions while in homeport.
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT
Institutionalization of the quality of life improvements is a major goal for the Department of Defense. To that end, the Department is placing emphasis on ensuring that it is providing the right services, in the most effective manner, and at the right time. DoD fielded goals and measures for 24 community and family support programs in 1996. These objectives and measures establish targets for which the individual Services strive to achieve comparability and institutional improvement. As the result of the evolving emphasis on the joint task force, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are working and living side by side in contingency operations. This places a new perspective on providing an equitable quality of life for all service members and for their families.
To promote comparability issues, the Department has included necessary increases in Service budgets in the areas of Child Development Services, Military Education, and Category A Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. Increases are detailed under program descriptions below.
Child Development Program
Today, over 65 percent of military spouses are in the labor force, an increase of 11 percent over the last seven years. DoD standard child care programs and common dependent education curriculum in the Department of Defense Education Activity schools provide unique stability and continuity for military family members. Military families need 299,000 spaces for children from birth through age 12. The Department is meeting about 54 percent of the need for care in military child development programs with 162,500 spaces at 300 locations. These include spaces in 9,810 family child care homes and 831 child development centers and school-age care located in youth facilities, schools, and other community support facilities. DoD's short-term goal is to meet 65 percent of the need -- a goal the Department is projected to reach in FY 1997. Much of the growth has been in school-age spaces. The Department's ultimate goal is to meet 80 percent of the need. To support movement toward the 80 percent goal, the Department has increased the Navy budget for FY 1998 for direct support by almost $17 million and the Air Force budget by about $10 million.
To examine the potential for most cost-effective child care, the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency are serving as the DoD executive agents for outsourcing tests for child care. They are conducting two evaluation tests. The Navy is to contract with civilian accredited centers in five locations (San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Jacksonville, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Honolulu, Hawaii) to buy down the cost of spaces for military families in these locations. The Defense Logistics Agency will test the outsourcing of the management of a defense-owned child care facility in Columbus, Ohio. The Navy is also testing the feasibility of a contract for the management of the child care program, child development centers, and family child care in the San Diego area.
Model Communities (Youth Initiative)
The Department's model community projects are paying great dividends in innovation for youth programs that address youth gangs, idleness, and productivity. Each participating installation submitted proposals which defined local needs, described a plan to meet those needs, and indicated how they will manage their solutions. The 20 winning installations selected from 134 submissions will serve as test projects for new ideas and as models for military bases around the world. Proposals were submitted from all four Services and represented installations around the world. The winners received up to $200,000 per year for a three-year period. The Model Community projects are fully implemented. A technical assistance seminar was held in September 1996 to train Model Community Coordinators in the techniques of outcome and performance results measurements. These measurements will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Model Community projects. After-school study programs and youth operated businesses are examples of programs working well. The Department has distributed a book containing information on these programs to help installations with youth problems.
Family Centers
Department of Defense family centers are the hub for a wide range of educational and preventive human services. Family centers provide core services geared to developing skills to help service members and their families be more self-reliant and adjust to the challenges of military life, while at the same time providing a safety net of programs and services to assist them when they need help. There are currently 291 family centers DoD-wide.
Since the Gulf War, the Services have substantially strengthened their family support infrastructures. As a result, the families of deployed service members coped extremely well during deployment to Bosnia.
The Department recently initiated a Family Center Intranet Web site. The site provides the capability for instant communication among centers. This will be particularly helpful during contingency operations, but it also will improve support of members and their families in daily military life. Centers will share resources, have conferencing capability, and provide immediate reports and assessments to the chain of command. A second Web site, due to be operational this year, will open a new era in service delivery to members and families. Under the umbrella of the Military Assistance Program (MAP), this site will provide a panorama of information in areas such as relocation, financial management, transition, parenting, employment assistance, child and youth services, and many other areas of concern. This interactive site will be used as a tool to augment the reach of MAP services to military members, DoD civilians, and families.
Family support staffs are leading the way in total force collaboration. The recently initiated Joint Service Family Support Training promotes active and Reserve component family support regional cooperation. Recent deployments and man-made and natural disasters pointed to the need for a joint Service family support infrastructure. Directors now have the information and tools to provide assistance to all service members and their families and are prepared to respond jointly in the event of a mobilization or crisis.
Since the military mission often requires service members to be separated from their families, the family support staff has stepped up efforts to keep separated service members connected with their spouses and children. The Department's efforts led to the National Performance Review identifying DoD as one of the top five executive agencies in promoting the role of fathers in families.
Relocation Assistance Programs
Relocation is a major life event, whether embarked upon by military members or civilians. Of 813,000 military moves in FY 1996, over 30 percent were in the very young first-term category. Over 121,000 of first-term members have families, many of whom make uninformed relocation decisions that cost them financially and emotionally. In addition, moves to foreign countries increase stress. The effects of relocating have strong mission implications; research shows that family adaptation or fit with military life can positively or negatively affect job performance, morale, and desire to stay in the military. Program services focus on preventing and assisting with relocation problems by providing information, education, planning assistance, crisis intervention and settling-in assistance. As an example, in FY 1997 the Department will relocate Headquarters, United States Southern Command, one of the five regional combatant commands, from the Republic of Panama to Miami, Florida. A comprehensive set of informational and assistance programs promulgated both by DoD and the Miami community are planned to help member families successfully make the transition.
The Department recently concluded a reengineering study of the Relocation Assistance Program that suggests several improvement opportunities. Models include a substantial increase in the use of technology, population targeting for direct service, and the testing of a one-stop move management model. The Department will be initiating tests of these models during this fiscal year. DoD developed the Standard Installation Topic Exchange Service (SITES) containing information on military installations worldwide. The new SITES Version 2.0 includes pictures, maps, and housing floor plans and is now available to families in family centers and on the Internet.
Transition Support and Services
Transition assistance is one of the Department's valued tools for the career force. How service members fare in the civilian job market after their time in military service can place a strong positive backdrop to military service. That word spreads to new potential recruits. Over 300,000 service members and their families return to civilian life each year. Operation Transition's goal is to prepare service members and their families to make a successful transition. Transition Assistance Programs save the Department as much as $150 million per year in unemployment insurance costs.
The facts and figures for Transition Assistance speak for themselves. Each Service, in conjunction with DoD, the Departments of Labor (DoL) and Veterans Affairs (VA), and state employment service agencies, has initiated innovative transition programs with good results. During FY 1996, service members made 841,369 visits to transition offices for preseparation counseling and employment assistance. In FY 1995, DoL and VA provided 3,200 employment assistance workshops at 204 military installations.
Automated systems are a vital part of DoD transition programs and are being used more and more by civilian employers. The Defense Outplacement Referral System (DORS) is a resume data base and referral system linking private sector employers to departing service members and spouses. The number of employers in DORS went from 13,431 in FY 1995 to 16,358 in FY 1996, an increase of 22 percent. Employer requests for resumes went from 26,578 in FY 1995 to 34,798 in FY 1996, a 31 percent increase. There were 1,197,426 resumes forwarded to employers in FY 1996, while 881,448 were sent during FY 1995, a 36 percent increase. The Transition Bulletin Board (TBB) allows employers to list job openings that are electronically transmitted to military installations. In FY 1996, 35,720 job opportunities were listed. The public and community service registry, established in June 1994 to encourage departing service members to enter public or community service, had 125 organizations registered at the end of FY 1994. By the end of FY 1996, 1,948 organizations had registered, an increase of 39 percent over FY 1995. Both DORS and TBB are now on the Internet. DoD has also offered the use of DORS and TBB to other civilian federal agencies.
Spouse Employment
The Quality of Life Task Force emphasized the need to focus on employment opportunities for military spouses, particularly since federal employment opportunities for spouses have diminished with downsizing. This is particularly true for military families stationed overseas.
In January 1996, DoD conducted a review of military spouse preference policies.
Resulting recommendations to improve military spouse preference include:
To stimulate development and implementation of innovative, collaborative spouse employment initiatives, DoD has committed $180,000 for three years to military communities whose proposals can serve as exportable projects to assist DoD spouses in obtaining non-federal employment. The Department will also conduct a survey of spouses of members in pay grade E-5 and below to develop effective strategies to assist junior spouses with employment. Finally, the Department is exploring a pilot project with the Small Business Administration and local community organizations that would establish a resource on the installation for spouses and other DoD personnel seeking information on how to establish portable entrepreneurial careers.
Financial Management
The Quality of Life Committee recommended that DoD review financial management training offered to service and family members, focus on the needs of young service members, and initiate improvements where needed. The need for a strong, preventive financial management policy for DoD service members is evident. Financial management is a learned skill. Many young adults graduate from high school and even college without having learned basic financial management skills. At the same time, credit is much easier to obtain now than 20 years ago and is being marketed to a much younger audience. DoD has formed a task force of Service program managers, Joint Staff personnel, senior enlisted advisers from each Service, the Service Aid Societies, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, and Navy Exchange Command to develop a strong financial and educational tool for younger members. The Department has committed funds to develop interactive video training on personal financial management.
Family Advocacy Program
The Department appreciates congressional support for spouse and child abuse programs. The Department's Family Advocacy Program is strengthening its efforts to prevent child and spouse abuse. Approximately 40 percent of family advocacy funds are now used for prevention programs. In 1996, each of the Services intensified efforts to prevent spouse abuse by focusing attention on stressors of the military life style (separation due to deployment, financial management, and so on) and implementing innovative programs such as peer mentoring for young enlisted service members. Child abuse prevention programs include public awareness campaigns and New Parent Support. New Parent Support Programs are designed to prevent child abuse by providing parents with education and support around the time their first baby is born and includes prenatal and postnatal home visiting services. New Parent Support Programs also have the potential to reduce spouse abuse, since such abuse frequently occurs during pregnancy and immediately after the birth of a child. Funds from Congress in FY 1996 maintained 114 New Parent Support teams worldwide.
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
The Department of Defense provides Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs to support the readiness of the force and the retention of valued service members. The Department's vision is to provide MWR programs, services, and activities that are comparable across Services and installations, and that contribute to readiness and the development of strong, self-reliant, and resilient service members, civilians, and families.
In the last year, MWR equipment and personnel have deployed on contingency missions, providing physical fitness, unit and individual recreation, and stress relief during these operations. The Defense Logistics Agency has worked hand in hand with MWR on a bulk donations program for the service members deployed to Bosnia and Hungary. This program, which enables private citizens to ship donated bulk comfort items through the Defense Logistics Agency supply channels, has provided donations of personal care items, food, and entertainment valued at $1.9 million to the troops since February 1996. The Exchanges also provide important support for deployed troops and work alongside the MWR team for total quality of life combat support. In addition, MWR provides quality, wholesome services for military members and their families in military communities. Programs such as fitness centers, libraries, sports and athletic programs, youth centers, clubs, bowling facilities, and a wide variety of other recreational and social activities comprise an essential military community infrastructure. Programs are designed to give service members and families opportunities for physical and mental development and recreation similar to those available in comparable civilian communities.
The Department published new MWR policy in 1996 which, for the first time, included funding goals for critical mission sustaining and basic community MWR programs. These programs, known as Category A and B MWR programs, are authorized substantial appropriated fund support. Beginning in FY 1996, the Department of Defense provided funds through the Quality of Life initiative designed to achieve a certain baseline of appropriated fund support per service member. To continue to promote equity among Services and improve MWR, the Department has included the following increases for direct support in 1998 MWR Category A budgets: Army -- just over $10 million; Navy -- about $30.5 million; and Air Force -- about $5.3 million. These are targeted at key, high usage programs such as physical fitness centers and libraries. The Department is continuing to improve the funding for high usage programs and has developed the first Department of Defense Strategic Plan for MWR. This plan charts a common direction for management of MWR programs across the Services.
The Quality of Life Task Force identified fitness as a priority program. The task force cited the need to upgrade physical plant and improve the management of fitness centers. Surveys of service members continue to indicate a strong desire for quality fitness facilities, equipment, and programs. The Department is conducting a thorough review of physical fitness facilities, including equipment, hours of operation, and location to ensure they are of high quality and readily available to junior enlisted personnel. Progress has already been made in this area; funding has been provided to improve fitness facilities on ships, to renovate facilities, and to purchase updated equipment.
The MWR program is changing. DoD is engaged in a congressionally directed demonstration project to test the feasibility and benefits of establishing a unified budget for MWR, which will allow appropriated funds to be expended using the procedures which pertain to nonappropriated funds. To improve business operations and maximize the use of available resources, the Department is developing an initiative to systematically use private sector expertise and capital to construct facilities and provide services traditionally offered by the MWR activities. Through goals and measures which chart a common programmatic and financial course and through initiatives designed to meet the needs of today's force, the Department is continuing to advance quality MWR programs.
Military Exchanges
The military exchange system is an important element of the military nonpay compensation package and a critical aspect of quality of life. The Army and Air Force operate a combined exchange system, while the Navy and Marine Corps each operate their own exchanges. Today's exchanges, modern, state-of-the art retailers, are an integral part of the military community at U.S. installations all over the world. Exchanges not only benefit military patrons by providing the goods and services they need and want, they have also contributed to quality of life by distributing over $2 billion to MWR programs over the past 10 years.
The Department of Defense is continually looking for ways to sustain and enhance the exchange benefit by making operations more efficient and effective. Consistent with this and guidance from Congress, a task force was established to examine how to achieve an integrated exchange system. The task force is looking at streamlining the operation and management of the exchange systems. This initiative seeks opportunities to standardize systems and programs and reduces costs and overhead. The Department of Defense has received input from industry experts and exchange commanders in this effort. The consulting firm, SRA, has analyzed the exchange systems and has recommended that DoD move forward with an integrated system.
Chaplain Services
Chaplain services exist first and foremost to provide religious ministry and ensure the constitutionally mandated free exercise of religion within the military. They are a mission essential key to readiness, linking service members, their families, and support services throughout the Department. Military chaplains provide for the religious and spiritual needs of deployed service members worldwide; they extend pastoral care to family members who remain at home; and they offer professional assistance, including confidentiality, to all. Chaplains serve as liaisons with family centers, family advocacy, and other military relief programs. They also work with outside organizations such as the American Red Cross and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. The specialized ministries of military chaplains are integral to the readiness, health, and well-being of U.S. military personnel and their families. Another critical duty of the chaplain is advising the commander on unit morale; with their access to units and confidentiality, chaplains became an important conduit of data on morale. Chaplains also advise on ethics and religion.
Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Office
This small but robust program provided quality, live U.S. entertainment to over 278,000 members of the armed forces overseas during FY 1996. Priority for entertainment goes to remote and isolated locations, including deployed ships. This entertainment proved critical to service members deployed to Bosnia and to their families remaining on installations outside CONUS. Service members deployed in contingency operations often live in harsh environments. Entertainment programs provide a little taste of America and a needed respite. During FY 1996, Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Office (AFPEO) fielded 90 noncelebrity groups and 34 DoD/USO celebrity tours. These 124 groups provided 2,258 performances to a total audience of 278,400. Support from the entertainment community has been tremendous, with some of the biggest names volunteering to entertain service members. Additional money was provided and shows reprogrammed to ensure support was provided for those deployed in Operation Joint Endeavor. Commanders, service members, and military families give these efforts high marks. This small, low budget item pays tremendous dividends in morale.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) supports the educational needs of children of American military personnel throughout the world. The Department's goal is to provide an educational program that exceeds the best U.S. public school system, and one that will prepare students to compete in a global economy. The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) provide schooling for students in foreign countries. The Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) provide schooling for students on military installations in selected areas in CONUS and in Puerto Rico. For school year 1996-1997, DoDDS will operate 167 schools in 14 foreign countries and serve more than 82,000 students. DDESS will serve about 33,000 students on 16 military installations in CONUS and in Puerto Rico.
DoDEA supports the National Education Goals and is transforming DoDEA schools into a model of the 21st century school. DoDEA is in an excellent position to create a model 21st century school and to do so as a cost-effective way to meet the Defense Department's quality of life commitments to the men and women in uniform and their families. This transformation requires investing in modern computers, connecting schools to the information superhighway, providing teachers with technology skills, and developing effective educational software in all subject areas. DoDEA is launching the development of a comprehensive set of educational software for kindergarten through grade 12. DoDEA will integrate use of this software into its classrooms and demonstrate the impact on student achievement. Additionally, civilian and military leaders have become actively involved in programs that support partnering initiatives with local schools, both on the installation and in the local community. Examples of programs and ideas implemented that support a family friendly work environment are adopt-a-school; Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.); mentoring; tutoring in math, science, and reading; judging science and essay contests; assisting in field day activities; and coaching various sports.
DoD Dependents Schools Overseas
The DoD schools were established in October 1946 to serve the children of U.S. military personnel serving in occupied Germany and Japan. In 1996, as part of the year-long celebration of DoDDS 50th anniversary, DoDEA held an essay contest open to all children enrolled in DoDEA schools. Students wrote on the theme, Living in a Global Village. Winners were chosen at each of four instructional levels. The four winners and their parents traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and take a VIP tour of the White House. Winning essays were published in an anthology in October 1996. A second commemorative activity was a program at Fort McNair attended by numerous dignitaries and dozens of DoDDS alumni.
DoDDS movement into its second half-century is supported by DoDEA's Strategic Plan. The DoDEA Community Strategic Plan details long-range educational and organizational goals. Through the Strategic Plan, DoDEA is committed to changes in the teaching and learning process; raising the standard of learning to ensure excellence; creating greater autonomy at the local level to devise methods and strategies to meet educational standards; greater accountability in reaching the goals established for the year 2000; and an organizational structure to cope with a more challenging educational environment and provide greater community input in the organization's decisions.
Enhancements to DoDDS core educational program include: distance education; elementary level foreign language immersion; Reading Recovery, a program to help at-risk first grade students learn to read; and Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college preparatory program for students who came from backgrounds most underrepresented in four-year colleges and universities. DoDDS also serves all preschool children with disabilities (between the ages of three and five) in accordance with the provision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
DoDEA has one of the highest participation rates in the Scholastic Assessment Test in the United States. DoDEA students continued to perform well on the test, with a combined verbal and mathematics score well above the national average.
The drawdown in Europe produced a number of small schools with enrollments of fewer than 100 students. DoDDS reviewed operations to identify inefficiencies and potential cost savings. In October 1994, DoDDS studied the costs associated with schools with enrollments of 100 or fewer students. As a result, 10 of the schools have been closed; their students were consolidated into other nearby DoDDS schools or International Schools.
Finally, in support of the children and youth of service members in Bosnia, the overseas schools serving communities in which many members were deployed established assistance groups of certified counselors, school psychologists, and social workers to counsel children and help them cope with being far away from home and having one or more family members deployed.
DoD Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools
The DDESS schools provide education to approximately 33,000 eligible dependents residing on 16 military installations in CONUS and in Puerto Rico. The schools have locally elected school boards that participate in the development and oversight of policies, procedures, and programs. Priority has been placed on the goals of the DoDEA Strategic Plan, with special emphasis given to the full implementation of preschool and early childhood development programs, computer technology, and parental participation. Other resources range from advanced placement courses to special instructional models and strategies designed to help students learn. DDESS has oversight responsibility and fiscal support of eight special contractual arrangements with local educational agencies in five states and Guam, serving an additional 6,000 students.
CONCLUSION
The Department is working to institutionalize quality of life improvements. One of the greatest testimonies in the commitment of the Services to quality of life can be found in the continued funding of these important programs. Each Service has programmed increases in funding for quality of life and is working hard to shorten the time it takes to bring family housing and barracks inventory up to standard. A long-term commitment is required to institutionalize the momentum achieved. Compensation and quality of life of service members and families must remain a top priority for a nation grateful for their commitment and sacrifices.
