TRENDS IN DUAL MILITARY COUPLES IN THE US ARMY

Dramatic percentage increases in female soldiers, married enlisted sol diers, spouses in the labor force, female single-parent soldiers, and dual military couples have changed the demography of che Army substant ially since the end of the Vietnam War and the institution of the All Volunteer Army. The presence of dual-career military families is one c hange that has shifted the traditional pattern of the unmarried male s oldier led by a married male officer. This report documents the change s in dual military families since the early 1970s in the U.S. Army and discusses what effects, if any, there may be on family adaptation, re tention, readiness, and use of services and what effects current downs izing initiatives might have on the prevalence of dual military couple s in the Army.