The United States military has a set of standards for potential new recruits, with each service branch setting specific requirements. There are standards for education, physical fitness, and personal conduct, to name a few. Most recruits have few issues when answering a recruiter’s questions, but some feel the need to conceal certain aspects of their… Read more »
In May 2025, the Pentagon announced a plan to take $1 billion away from Army barracks improvement programs and shift those funds to the southern U.S. border mission. This controversial move has long-term implications for recruiting and retention. Why is this news so polarizing? The official site for the United States Army acknowledges the importance… Read more »
NFCU was created in 1933 when seven Navy Department employees came together with a shared goal—to make it easier for themselves and their colleagues to borrow and save money. They wanted an alternative to high-interest lenders and a place where they believed they could get fair loan terms and safely grow their savings. What began… Read more »
A PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move is a big event for military families in the best of times, and the 2025 PCS season is definitely not that, due to the Defense Department’s seeming inability to work out their problems with HomeSafe Alliance, the DoD’s single contractor for global household goods shipments and deliveries. Many… Read more »
UPDATE July 1, 2025: The Department of Defense announced it has cancelled its global PCS contract with HomeSafe Alliance. DoD officials have promised that a PCS move hotline associated with the DoD PCS Move Task Force will be operational sometime in July 2025. More than a quarter million permanent station moves occur every year, with… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs issues warnings and guidance about protecting private data online for military members, veterans, and families. Sometimes, these warnings coincide with a rise in hacker activity targeting military communities, so when they surface on the VA official site, it pays to take stock of your current passwords, how old they are,… Read more »
If you’re an active-duty servicemember with a family member who has special medical or educational needs, you’ve probably heard about the Exceptional Family Member Program, or EFMP. Maybe you’ve been told to enroll, or someone brought it up in passing. Like many families, you might be wondering: What exactly is this program? Will it affect… Read more »
The Army and the Department of Defense are considering a move to expand the number of privatized single-soldier housing units, informally known as barracks. Army officials have toyed with this idea since the 1990s and the most current version of the concept is being developed as a pilot program to see whether single soldiers should… Read more »
How much do you know about National Guard and Reserve pay? If you are considering a move from active duty to the National Guard or the Reserve, you’ll want to see how that pay differs from current active duty military pay, and you may even need to know how it stacks up to a civilian… Read more »
Transitioning from active duty to the Guard or Reserve allows veterans to continue military service while pursuing a civilian career or higher education. Have you ever thought about taking a break in full-time service to attend school? Or to stay in uniform but at a less intensive commitment? Transitioning from active duty to a reserve… Read more »