Army extends deadline for spouse survey until March 31

By Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation ManagementMarch 23, 2018

Learning the needs of Army spouses
Army spouses take part in a six-mile ruck march during the G.I. Spouse Avalanche at Fort Drum, New York. The Army is requesting feedback from spouses of Soldiers about needs and about the strengths and gaps in the services available through Today's A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON -- A needs assessment survey of spouses of Regular Army Soldiers has been extended until March 31. The online survey, which began in January, was scheduled to end Feb. 28.

An additional 25,000 spouses were invited to complete Today's Army Spouse Survey, which is administered by RAND Corporation. Randomly selected spouses of Regular Army Soldiers were sent postcards inviting them to participate. RAND already had invited 50,000 spouses in January to take the survey.

Extending the survey period and increasing the sampling audience provides a comparative analysis of spouse usage of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs, said Joseph Trebing, chief of the Soldier and Family Readiness Division for the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

The Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management provides policies, programs, resources and expertise for services and installation infrastructure to enable Total Army readiness. The Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management is the sponsor of the spouse survey.

"We know that the challenges that face Soldiers and Families are complex and diverse. We want Army spouses' help in telling us what services are important to Army Families," Trebing said.

Analysis of the survey will help senior leaders understand the needs of Army Families. Results will help the Army best address the unmet needs of spouses and focus on Army provided services.

"This survey is unparalleled," said Dorie Hickson, program analyst with the Soldier and Family Readiness Division. "Unresolved problems among Soldiers and their Families can quickly become problems for units and commanders, and negatively affect Army readiness. Spouses who share their experiences and insights will help make a stronger Army."

Traditional Department of Defense and Department of the Army evaluations ask Soldiers and Family members about their use of existing on-post programs. The Today's Army Spouse Survey places the experiences of Army spouses first, asking what types of problems they recently experienced, how they prioritized problems, if they sought help from Army or non-Army resources, and if they ultimately received the support they needed.

More information and the online survey are available at https://www.rand.org/surveys/todays-army-spouse.html.

Related Links:

Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management

Today's Army Spouse Survey