Research

• The numbers are difficult to calculate.north america statistics image by michele goglio from Fotolia.com
  
  A yearlong study conducted in 2007 by Rand's National Defense Research Institute showed that 2.5 percent of military marriages ended in divorce in 2001 with the rate increasing to 3 percent in 2005. "Defense Department officials in 2005 had announced a huge jump in the divorce rate, saying cases doubled from 5,658 to 10,477 between 2001 and 2004 among active-duty Army officers and enlisted personnel," according to the Associated Press. The Pentagon theory that the strain of numerous deployments was the cause for the increase is not supported by the Rand study.
  
  

Comparing Military vs. Civilian Marriage and Divorce Rates

• Comparing data between military and civilian populations is not easy to do. "The military is a highly select population -- there are constantly changing eligibility requirements, as well as known self-selection effects. A more trustworthy comparison would be between service members and comparable civilians," reported Pollard, Karney and Loughran in a 2007 analysis. They found that military members were less likely to get divorced while serving in the military. The same service members were more likely to get divorced after they completed their service because the incentives provided by the military are no longer available to them. "This suggests that the military may encourage unions that would not normally be formalized into marriage in a civilian context, and are consequently more fragile upon exit from the military."
  
  

Solutions

• All marriages need upkeep to remain healthy over time.Family image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  All marriages require work, and a military marriage is no different. One program that supports the military family is Strong Bonds, which is unit based, and chaplain led. This program provides free weekend retreats for couples to complete relationship education and skills training in a safe, fun environment. This program is available for single soldiers as well and is provided to the Active Duty and Reserve components. Each duty station is provided with Military Family Life Consultants, who are community-based, licensed clinical therapists. These consultants provide confidential therapy to soldiers and their families. Army Community Services provides numerous classes and support programs for family members. Similar programs are found throughout all branches of the Armed Forces.