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Military Family Caucus has Mullen’s OK

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said both he and his wife fully support the new Congressional Military Family Caucus, a group formed to work on child care, education, health and deployment issues.

Adm. Mike Mullen was the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s inaugural meeting of the caucus — which has 70 members and growing — formed by members of the House of Representatives to identify and try to resolve issues affecting military families.

Mullen said he and his wife, Deborah, will do everything they can for the cause.

“We are extremely grateful for your starting the caucus,” he said. “This is a big deal.”

Mullen endorsed the list of issues gaining attention from the caucus, saying it matches the feedback he has received from his wife and from meeting with military family members around the world. He urged the caucus to also listen to families.

“I don’t know much about families issues because I am not the one staying home,” he said. “Military members think they know, but they don’t know, by and large.”

One thing he has learned, he said, is that family needs are great, and stretch far beyond domestic military bases where most family support programs exist. He spoke of the problems facing the widows of U.S. service members based in Italy who have died in Afghanistan, and of employment problems for spouses in Japan and Korea.

“For us, the reach of [family issues] has become so much more expansive,” he said.

The Military Family Caucus is one of many member associations in the House of Representatives in which lawmakers combine efforts on shared issues.

Other such military-related congressional groups include the Air Force Caucus, Army Caucus, Naval Mine Warfare Caucus, Missile Defense Caucus, Military Veterans Caucus, National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, Shipbuilding Caucus, Unexploded Ordnance Caucus and Victory in Iraq Caucus.

Another military caucus on the way: the Long Range Strike Caucus, which is being formed to support strategic bombers, cruise missile, ballistic missile and nuclear weapons issues.

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Wash., one of the founders and co-chairs of the Military Family Caucus, said she expects this one to be a bit different because the issues are personal for many lawmakers, especially those who either have firsthand experience with the difficulties of being in a military family, or have many military constituents who need help.

McMorris-Rodgers is the wife of a retired naval aviator. The wife of the other caucus co-chair, Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Ga., grew up in a military family.

The caucus plans to hold a series of briefings for its members through the rest of the year that could lead to a formal legislative agenda that will be pushed as part of the 2011 defense budget that Congress will take up next year.