FCC hosts Spouses Forum

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — The Futures and Concepts Center held its first spouses forum on Aug. 18, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

Due to the uniqueness of FCC, the organization operates between 18 different locations in the United States and overseas. FCC develops concepts, determines requirements, conducts experimentation, and begins integration of the future force to ensure the Army wins in 2035 and beyond.

While FCC is working to meet future Army goals this event was focused on the present.

The forum brought spouses together from Austin, Texas, and Fort Eustis, Va., where a large portion of FCC staff and families are stationed. The event allowed spouses who never met in person to form the personal connection that is important to developing relationships.

Lt. Gen. Scott McKean, Deputy Commanding General, Army Futures Command and Director, Futures and Concepts Center, provided opening remarks.

“I have three expectations for this group: Take care of yourself, take care of your family, and support your spouse,” said McKean.

The forum laid the groundwork for FCC’s Soldiers Family Readiness Group. SFRG’s act as an extension of unit command. It provides official, accurate command information; connects Soldiers and Families to the chain of command, provides a support network, and connects SFRG members to on/off post community resources.

Maj. Zak Novitske, Secretary of the General Staff, was the lead planner for the event and was vital to developing an itinerary that met the needs of the attendees.

Novitske stated, "The first FCC spouses forum was successful in bringing spouses together to start building relationships and learning more about local area services.

According to a Rand Corp. study, spouses most frequently chose work-life balance, military practices and culture, and own well-being as their top problem domains.

The group received briefings from the Army Community Service staff showcasing programs and resources, learned about the Family Advocacy Program, and toured the Army Wellness Center. Staff highlighted the AWC mission of providing integrated and standardized programs and services that promote enhanced and sustained healthy lifestyles to improve the overall readiness of the Army through various programs.

“I think this is a very good start to the program, said Bernadette Larimer, spouse of Larry Larimer, Director, Future Integration Directorate. “It is good to bring people together in this type of forum because these events are good for sharing knowledge and considering ideas that may have never been brought up in a more formal event”.

In 2019, the U.S. Army published The Army People Strategy. According to The Army People Strategy, “Effective, efficient, and well-executed quality of life programs increase health and wellbeing. They reduce stress, absenteeism, disengagement, rework, and retraining expenses, driving down overall labor costs and increasing Total Army readiness.

The U.S. Army’s number one priority is people. Caring for Soldiers and families is deliberate and constant.