The military services recently have shown more interest in family issues, including those relating to father-child relationships. This interest parallels the growing recognition by military leaders of the interdependency between military effectiveness and family functioning. It has been found that the extent to which members are satisfied with their family life is reflected in their job performance and is eventually tied to their decision to stay in the military.
This recognition, coupled with the changing image of the military community and family, has helped to provide more support services for military fathers. At the present time, the military services include a number of organizations that provide an impressive range of services and programs for fathers. Among these are Family Support Centers, Chaplain Services, Parent Educating Programs, Child-Care Services, and Recreational Services for fathers and their children. In addition, each service branch has established policies and procedures for handling incidents of child abuse and neglect. A key aspect of these important moves is their focus on prevention rather than punishment and discharge.
Despite military efforts to provide services for families, military fathers have been unwilling in the past to seek services or ask for help with a personal or family problem. They often believe that if they seek help for a problem, they may risk the danger of putting themselves in very unfavorable conditions and thus ruin their careers. As a consequence, military services and programs in recent years have increasingly adopted the concept of reaching out to military fathers to prevent certain problems in their planning efforts.