Army Divorce Rates Down

This amazing news is from Defense Link:

Divorce rates among Army officers dropped a whopping 61 percent last year following a 2004 spike that sent shudders through the service. In 2004, 3,325 Army officers divorced, but that number dropped to 1,292 in 2005, Army officials said. Divorces also were down slightly among enlisted members, from 7,152 in 2004 to 7,075 last year.
Army spokesman Martha Rudd said percentages tell the story more clearly, particularly in the officer corps. In 2004, 6 percent of married officers divorced. In 2005, the figure dropped by more than half: 2.3 percent of married officers divorced.

The Army already knew it had a problem, and began efforts to counter increasing divorce, such as:


The Deployment Cycle Support Program, which includes briefings for soldiers on how their absence and return may affect their family relationships and how they can cope with the inevitable changes;

A family support group system that provides both practical and emotional support for spouses of deployed soldiers;

The Military OneSource program, which serves as a clearinghouse to steer soldiers and families to resources to support them;

The Building Strong and Ready Families program, a two-day program that helps couples develop better communication skills, reinforced by a weekend retreat;

The Strong Bonds marriage education program, which focuses specifically on issues that affect Reserve and National Guard couples; and

The P.I.C.K. a Partner program (Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge), which helps single soldiers make wise decisions when they choose mates.


This effectivley debunks the story hyped in the Old Media as proof of a "broken" Army.