Army Reaches Out to Support All Families

By Mr. Paul Boyce (FORSCOM)September 18, 2007

Secretary of the Army the Hon. Pete Geren and Army Chief of Staff George Casey announced a new program today, Sept. 17, to provide improved support to Army Soldiers and Families: The Army Integrated Family Support Network (AIFSN).

"Our Army must continue to examine the ever-changing needs of our Families

and never cease in our effort to provide our Families a quality of life

commensurate with the quality of their selfless service," Mr. Geren said.

"In this era of persistent conflict, we can expect continuing deployments,

and to sustain this effort, we have to eliminate the old way of supporting

Families, and replace it with a system to support all Army Families with

means that respond to a globally networked society communicating in mobile

ways."

Until now, Active, Guard, and Reserve organizational structures created

overlapping lines of authority with regard to programs for Army Families.

Each component functioned independently in facing some funding challenges in

the delivery of Family programs. The new Army Integrated Family Support

Network is for both the Active and Reserve components, and is specifically

designed with "geographically dispersed" Soldiers and Families in mind.

From mobilized Soldiers, to recruiters, to Families located outside

reasonable driving distances to military facilities, the Army Integrated

Family Support Network will link all Soldiers, Families and employers to the

Family services/programs that they need. Practical examples of these

services are pre-deployment support, training for Family Readiness Groups,

TRICARE information and referral, child and youth resource referral, and ID

cards. The network links military and civilian agencies and leverages those

services in nearby communities to ensure Army services are available to

Families closest to where they live. All Army Families will have

information and resources at their fingertips.

Slightly more than $7 million has been invested in the training and

technology to "jump start" the program to create uniform Family programs

across components. This funding provides cross level staffing, training, and

advanced technology to reach our geographically dispersed Families. The

AIFSN capitalizes on the use of the internet.

Services will also target our new Soldiers and Families and those pending

deployment. The AIFSN supports Family readiness in a time of persistent

conflict by providing more consistent and uniform Family services during

extended deployments of Active, Guard, and Reserve Soldiers.

Families will know that the Army cares and they will see the tangible

evidence of that support each and every day as they link with Army

assistance and support services, according to Delores Johnson, Project

Officer for the AIFSN at the Family and MWR Command.

"It is a collective effort by the Army (Active, Guard and Reserve) and a

huge culture change that will yield great dividends for the Army, Soldiers,

civilians and Families," said Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, Commanding

General, Family and MWR Command.

For more information on FMWRC, visit www.ArmyMWR.com

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For More Information Contact:

Laurie J. Pugh

Public Affairs Officer

Family and MWR Command

(703) 681-1549