It may be one of the most overlooked organizations at the Pentagon, but the Defense-State Liaison Office does a lot to support military Families across the country.
Created in 2004, the DSLO works to improve military Families’ quality of life by working with state policymakers. DSLO focuses on educating policymakers about topics that may impact military Families such as licensure and employment protection, consumer protection and Family law, making it one of the most impactful organizations within DOD.
The DSLO has eight regional liaisons across the U.S. who oversee state and territorial relations and interstate policy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. These officials assist state policymakers by providing information, identifying and sharing best practices and delivering testimony in support of sponsored initiatives.
“DSLO recognizes that our military Family is essential to our military defense strategy and that taking care of the home front is extremely important,” said Geraldine Valentino-Smith, Director of DSLO.
According to Valentino-Smith, one of the issues DSLO spends a lot of time addressing is military spouse employment, including working with state legislatures on occupational licensure interstate compacts. Compacts are state-to-state agreements that establish standards for multistate practice while preserving a state’s practice act and initial licensure process. By adopting licensure compacts, states can improve military spouse employment and military Family financial readiness.
“As states implement the provisions of the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, they can help spouses maintain professional and financial stability by ensuring that a state license can be obtained in 30 days, with minimal paperwork, and that licensing agencies make their application processes easily accessible online,” said Valentino-Smith.
“States can consider additional support by providing employment preference and ensuring that private employers can also offer preference under the law,” she said. Since 2012, DSLO has helped state policymakers enact more than 1,275 bills covering occupational licensure and employment protection, consumer protection, Family law, child care and other priorities that matter to military Families. More than 500 state hearings have been held so far in FY25 on DOD priorities.
“For example, the Northwest regional liaison recently attended a bill signing for legislation allowing military installations to provide oversight and support to child care homes that serve only military children in the local community,” said Valentino-Smith.
“This legislation highlights the partnership between the state of Washington and the military to increase child care access.” Steve Yearwood, Program Manager for the Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness’, Soldier and Family Readiness Division, said he values the Army’s partnership with DSLO.
“DSLO has been instrumental in breaking down barriers across multiple states for military spouses, facilitating better access to professional licensure and educational opportunities, thereby empowering them to thrive alongside their service member,” he said.
As initiatives gain state acceptance, Military OneSource maintains information about changes states have made and how the changes may impact military members and their Families.
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