Army directive aims to make largest service branch more family-friendly

RallyPoint Shared Content — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:20:21 -0400

Attention all 180,000 female soldiers in uniform, the Army wants you (to advance in your career, even if you have or want to start a family)!

Making the largest and oldest branch of the military more family-friendly — in part by accommodating the needs of Army women before, during and after they give birth — is a main aim of the new Army Directive 2022-06 (Parenthood, Pregnancy and Postpartum), issued April 19, in time for Sunday’s Mother’s Day celebrations.

“We recruit soldiers, but we retain families,” said Gen. James McConville, Army chief of staff, in an April 21 news release. “Winning the war for talent means making sure our best and brightest people don’t have to choose between service and family.”

A related goal of the 12-componet directive, signed by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, is to make Army life easier for the over 400,000 parents within the total force, including 29,000 single fathers and 9,800 single mothers. In the past 10 years, about 4,500 active duty soldiers separated from the military because of parenthood, the Army said.

Overall, the directive creates new or updated policies in areas such as convalescent leave after the loss of a pregnancy, deployment deferment if undergoing fertility treatments, and post-birth leave accommodations and body composition program exemptions. The Army said of the six new components in the directive, five were suggested by soldiers. Another six components update existing policies.

Female soldiers drove change

The Army credits many of the postpartum policy changes to the advocacy efforts of The Army Mom Life Facebook group, created by Staff Sgt. Nicole Edge, an instructor at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, according to an April 29, 2022, Army article.

The article noted that Edge turned to social media following negative experiences with Army leave policies after a miscarriage in 2016 and promotional delays during later pregnancies. The private Facebook group, which launched on Feb. 21, 2020, is now frequented 8,600 Army mothers sharing similar experiences and challenges.

On Jan. 23, 2021, Michael A. Grinston, sergeant major of the Army, publicly invited soldiers to submit ideas for policy changes, the Army article said. That’s when a group of Army mothers launched a more official process to influence many of the policy changes that made it into the Army directive.

Highlights of the directive

Here are highlights of some of what’s in the 23-page directive, which applies to members of the active duty Army, Army National Guard, Army National Guard of the United States and the U.S. Army Reserve:

New policies:

If you experience a birth event or pregnancy loss such as miscarriage or stillbirth, you or your spouse must be granted convalescent leave for emotional and physical recovery.

“The Army will be the only service so far to apply this convalescent leave to male soldiers, acknowledging emotional loss after this very significant life event,” said Amy Kramer, special assistant to the Army undersecretary, in an April 25 article published by the Association of the United States Army.

If you’re pregnant, you’re eligible for and can apply to compete for active duty operational support tours.

If you have a temporary profile for fertility/pregnancy/postpartum, you are not restricted as an officer or warrant officer from attending and/or graduating from professional military education or as a noncommissioned officer from attending the sergeants major or equivalent course.

If you’ve received a memo for treatment or a referral to a fertility specialist by a gynecologic surgeon/obstetrician, you can defer permanent change of station or deployments for up to 365 days from the date of your first appointment.

If you’re a new birthparent in the reserves, you are eligible for 12 paid unit training assemblies (UTAs) within the 12 months following a birth and four unpaid UTA absences that can be rescheduled as appropriate under Army regulations.

Precommand courses must incorporate training on pregnancy, postpartum and parenting issues and on issues related to menstrual suppression and contraception. Such training is encouraged to be incorporated within other leadership courses.

Updated policies:

If you’re a soldier who’s given birth, you are deferred or excused for 365 days after the birth from continuous-duty events that are in excess of one normal duty day or shift. This same deferment applies to single soldiers; to one Army members of dual-military couples adopting or becoming foster parents of a minor child; and to some nonbirthparents, as necessary. This is to “ensure that at least one parent is home with their child,” the directive says.

If you’re lactating, your commander must provide you with lactation breaks in a designated lactation area for soldiers.

Following childbirth or pregnancy loss, you’re exemption from the body composition program is increased from 180 to 365 days.

If you’re pregnant and for 365 days after a pregnancy or loss of pregnancy, you’re exempt from taking a record physical fitness test for 365 days after the end of the pregnancy.

Learn more

Read the full Army Directive 2022-06 (Parenthood, Pregnancy, and Postpartum), April 19, 2022: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN35255-ARMY_DIR_2022-06-000-WEB-1.pdf

Read “Social media group leads charge on policy change,” Army article, April 29, 2022: https://www.army.mil/article/256257/social_media_group_leads_charge_on_policy_change

Read “New directive supports army parents, families,” Association of the United States Army article, April 25, 2022, https://www.ausa.org/news/new-directive-supports-army-parents-families

Read “Soldiers inspire new Army directive on parenthood, pregnancy and postpartum policies,” Army news release, April 21, 2022: https://www.army.mil/article/255884/soldiers_inspire_new_army_directive_on_parenthood_pregnancy_and_postpartum_policies

ARN35255-ARMY_DIR_2022-06-000-WEB-1.pdf

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2022 11:32 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:32:23 -0400

It's important to make serving easier for families... thanks for the update.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made May 6 at 2022 11:32 AM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:32:23 -0400

Thanks for sharing. Important info.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2022 11:50 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:50:05 -0400

How about an Army directive that aims to make the largest service branch more lethal in combat, instead?

Response by MAJ Bob Miyagishima made May 6 at 2022 12:29 PM

MAJ Bob Miyagishima — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:29:51 -0400

Yes exactly what we need a gentler, kinder Army not trained in basic combat skills which in my opinion is the Art of War and killing. Don't forget that we need to have safe spaces in combat zones as well

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made May 6 at 2022 3:58 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Fri, 06 May 2022 15:58:18 -0400

These all seem like sound, reasonable changes to policy to retain good soldiers. I'm not sure why anyone would be against these.

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Response by SrA Ronald Moore made May 16 at 2022 3:59 AM

SrA Ronald Moore — Mon, 16 May 2022 03:59:15 -0400

Awesome Share

Response by SGT Wayne Dunn made May 20 at 2022 11:03 AM

SGT Wayne Dunn — Fri, 20 May 2022 11:03:38 -0400

The Family is important

Response by SFC Tyrone Brown made Jun 9 at 2022 3:24 PM

SFC Tyrone Brown — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 15:24:00 -0400

I'm happy that they are moving towards a more family friendly Army, but that's going to be hard if the primary mission is to serve your country and be at " home" at the same time. Like I was told when I enlisted as a young married man, " If the Army wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one!" My wife could not understand why I was constantly deployed and never made time for family events. My only response to her was that I'm following my orders to provide for my family. 30 years later. We are still together but the sacrifice was traumatizing.