News Search

Key spouse program connects families, squadrons

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lisa Meiman
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
A new key spouse program at Warren enhances mission readiness and retention by sharing information between leadership, base support agencies and military spouses. 

"The goal is to provide another avenue of support to spouses and military families and let them know they have open communication ... to their squadron leadership," said Donna Lorentz, Warren Airman and family readiness flight and creator of Warren's key spouse program. 

The key spouse program is volunteer based and creates a peer-to-peer network that may be less intimidating for spouses than approaching a first sergeant or someone else in the military chain of command. 

Bridging the gap between families and the official chain of command increases the sense of caring and connectivity within each squadron, Ms. Lorentz said. 

Each squadron will have an appointed key spouse for a one year term. The key spouse will have an official appointment letter from the squadron commander, attend key spouse training held by the Airman and family readiness flight and serve as an official liaison for leadership and families. 

To be chosen as a key spouse, the candidate should be approachable and non-judgmental, and the most effective skill they can have is listening, Ms. Lorentz said. Key spouses should also have good relations with the other spouses in the squadron. 

The basis for Warren's program comes from other Air Force bases in Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Mobility Command. However, Warren's program confronts specific challenges to a missile base including both traditional as well as in-place deployments. 

This program is intended to make a difference for Warren's deployed families by providing open communication between commanders and military families, Ms. Lorentz said. 

Airmen and their families identified a need that triggered the program's creation. Warren and other missile bases are unique in that many Airmen are deployed in-place. Airmen, particularly missile security forces, missileers, missile chefs and facility managers, can be deployed to the field for three or more days at a time. 

This continuous separation can place strain on military families and hurt the Airmen's personal and professional lives. More traditionally, other squadrons, especially those in the 90th Mission Support Group, also deploy to support the Global War on Terror around the world to include Afghanistan and Iraq. 

The key spouse program was first tested in the Air Force in 1997 at five high-deployment bases, providing insight on assisting family members while the service member was deployed or otherwise separated from their family. 

While the base has one large key spouse program, each key spouse's duties are tailored to each squadron's specific needs and mission. 

There are four key players in the program: key spouse, squadron commander, first sergeant and the Airman and family readiness flight. 

The squadron commander provides administrative support to the program and appoints a key spouse after an interview. 

The first sergeant is the main point of contact for the key spouse and is the communication link between the key spouse and the squadron commander. The first sergeant also recruits key spouses and coordinates their training. 

The key spouse's basic duties include informing and referring family members to appropriate support agencies, welcoming new families, supporting families in times of separation and bringing squadron attention to family issues. 

The Airman and family readiness flight provides oversight and coordination on family readiness issues and conducts key spouse training. The flight also provides information and referral support for the key spouse. 

"As community readiness consultants here at the Airman and family readiness flight, we will be able to assist commanders and first sergeants during implementation and on a continuous basis," Ms. Lorentz said. 

Key spouse training is one day for six to eight hours. Topics include key spouse roles and responsibilities, personality and communication, deployment and family separation, leadership skills and the chain of command, information and referral sources and suicide awareness, stress management and family violence among other family matters. 

"We are developing our key spouse training based on Warren's demographics and mission," Ms. Lorentz said. 

In addition, Air Force Space Command has a working group at the Air Force Academy April 24 through 26 to create a key spouse training template for the entire command. Warren was chosen to attend the working group along with representatives from Schreiver Air Force Base, Colo., Patrick AFB, Fla., Peterson AFB, Colo., and Malmstrom AFB, Mont. 

With Malmstrom and Warren in attendance, the special needs of missile bases will be considered in the working group, Ms. Lorentz said. 

Spouses who want to volunteer to be a key spouse should contact their squadron first sergeant, Donna Lorentz at 773-5941 or Jody Clark, Airman and family readiness flight, at 773-5942.