Press Kit Archives

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Announces
Stronger  Support  for Soldiers and Families

U.S. Army commits $1.4 billion to enhance Soldier and family readiness programs

- Secretary of the Army Mr. Peter Geren and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey put Army families center stage in remarks at the Association of the United States Army convention on Oct. 8, 2007 in Washington, D.C.
 
- The  Army has allocated $1.4 billion for Fiscal Year 2008 to strengthen Army family programs.  This investment is an addition to the $100 million approved by Sec. Geren and Gen. Casey in Fiscal Year 2007 that enhanced funding to Army family programs.
 
- Called the "Army Soldier-Family Action Plan," (ASFAP) this effort improve access to health care, Soldier and family housing, educational and employment opportunities for Soldiers and the 500,000 spouses and 700,000 children who make up the Army Family.
 
- Acknowledging the demands of extended deployments on Army families, Gen. Casey has launched 21 support initiatives that provide direct assistance to Soldiers and their families. 
 
- The Army is working to recruit 74,000 Soldiers by 2010.  Army Senior Leadership recognizes that support and care of families is key to strengthening the all-volunteer force.
 
- Programs that will strengthen the Army's support of families include:

• The Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), dedicated to building quality residential communities for Soldiers and their families. 
• The Army Integrated Family Support Network (AIFSN), providing a new support network for Soldiers and families regardless of their proximity to a military installation.  These services include pre-deployment support, Tri-Care information, and child and youth resource referrals.  Full implementation is expected in 2008.
• Virtual Family Readiness Groups (vFRG),  providing a resource for communicating safely and quickly with families, no matter where they reside.
• Soldiers’ Benefit Services (SBS) offering a central online portal (available at http://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil) for Soldier and family benefits information.
• Extended childcare and family services, including extended child care operating hours and reduced service fees to its families.  In addition, the Army has grown its respite care and Army community service support capacity.  Youth services and educational opportunities have been enhanced on and off post.

- The strategic focus on strengthening support for Army families, was developed after listening to feedback from hundreds of Soldiers and families across commands and around the world.  The Plan focuses on reinforcing current programs, increasing access to support and providing practical resources that improve the day-to-day lives of Army families.