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S u m m a ry ■ The United States has been at war longer than any time in its history. While thousands have been wounded in this long-running conflict, advances in battlefield medicine mean many of our troops survive catastrophic wounds. The nature of many of their wounds, however, means some require long-term caregiving support. Those caregivers often toil in relative obscurity, and they are challenging to count or describe. They are spouses, parents, children, and relatives of the wounded veteran, but many coworkers, neighbors, and friends also take on responsibilities. They provide care and assistance, promoting faster recovery for their loved ones and thus saving our nation millions of dollars in health care costs. However, the personal impact of providing this care is enormous. The time required can result in lost jobs, lost wages, and a possible loss of health insurance; in addition, the physical and emotional toll can be substantial. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation commissioned the RAND Corporation to assess the needs of military caregivers, scan the services available to them, and identify how their needs are-and are not-being met. This report reviews existing research on the needs of caregivers in general, and assesses how lessons learned can be applied to military caregivers. This knowledge will inform policy and program development in the short term. We also present information gleaned from military caregivers themselves and from policymakers and program officials who either directly support, or advocate on behalf of, military

This article is an in-depth ethnographic assessment of the role expectations for military spouses. In the late 1980s, the Department of Defense acknowledged the rights of military spouses to pursue their own careers and ruled that the attitudes and behaviors of officers' spouses would not be considered a factor in officer promotions or assignments. Given this policy and the increasing societal acceptance of female participation in the paid labor force, as well as increased diversity among military families, the present study hypothesized a decrease in formal expectations for officers' wives. The article discusses evidence that formal expectations for some officers' wives have actually increased, and that wives' performance and adherence to expected military role behavior is once again a feature of the officer evaluation process. The conclusions and policy implications indicate that the pressures placed upon officer spouses negatively impact readiness and retention.

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