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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73not60

§1781a Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— General Military Law › Part II— PERSONNEL › Chapter 88— MILITARY FAMILY PROGRAMS AND MILITARY CHILD CARE › Subchapter I— MILITARY FAMILY PROGRAMS › § 1781a

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a Military Family Readiness Council inside the Department of Defense to advise on family support and related policies. The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness leads the Council and may name a backup to act as chair. Members include one military or civilian representative from each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force; one National Guard Bureau representative for both the Army and Air National Guard; one spouse or parent from each service (with two from active-component families, two from reserve-component families, and one from the Space Force); three people from military family organizations; the senior enlisted advisor from each service (two of those five slots may instead be filled by spouses of senior enlisted advisors); and the Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy. Appointed members serve two-year terms (some may be renewed). The Council must meet at least twice a year. Its job is to review and recommend policies and plans, watch over support needs, check how well family programs work, and suggest ways to improve communication and access to accurate, timely family readiness information and services. The Council also has a Housing Working Group led only by the Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment. It includes one service member from each of the five services (at least two must be enlisted), one active-duty spouse from each service (at least two spouses must be of enlisted members), one installation public-works or civil-engineering leader from each military department, one expert from a standards body for building maintenance or inspections, and the Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy. These members serve two-year terms that may be renewed. The chair must invite landlords to at least one meeting each year, and the group must meet at least twice a year. Its work is to review housing policies (including inspections and resident surveys) and to recommend better ways to share accurate housing and program information and to improve coordination among policymakers, service providers, and families. The law says “landlord” has the meaning given in section 2871 of this title. “Covered military housing” means housing acquired or built under subchapter IV of chapter 169 of this title that is owned by someone other than the Federal Government.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §1781a

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is in the Department of Defense the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council (in this section referred to as the “Council”).
(b)(1)The Council shall consist of the following members:
(A)The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, who shall serve as chair of the Council and who may designate a representative to chair the council in the Under Secretary’s absence.
(B)The following persons, who shall be appointed or designated by the Secretary of Defense:
(i)One representative of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, each of whom shall be a member or civilian employee of the armed force to be represented.
(ii)One representative, who shall be a member or civilian employee of the National Guard Bureau, to represent both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.
(iii)One spouse or parent of a member of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of an active component member, two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of a reserve component member, and one of whom shall be the spouse or parent of a member of the Space Force.
(C)Three individuals appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among representatives of military family organizations, including military family organizations of families of members of the regular components and of families of members of the reserve components.
(D)The senior enlisted advisor from each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, except that two of these members may instead be selected from among the spouses of the senior enlisted advisors.
(E)The Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy.
(2)(A)The term on the Council of the members appointed or designated under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall be two years and may be renewed by the Secretary of Defense.
(B)The term on the Council of the members appointed under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) shall be two years.
(c)The Council shall meet not less often than twice each year.
(d)The duties of the Council shall include the following:
(1)To review and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding the policy and plans required under section 1781b of this title.
(2)To monitor requirements for the support of military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
(3)To evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
(4)To make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense to improve collaboration, awareness, and promotion of accurate and timely military family readiness information and support services by policy makers, service providers, and targeted beneficiaries.
(e)(1)There is in the Council the Military Family Readiness Working Group for Military Housing (in this section referred to as the “Housing Working Group”).
(2)(A)The Housing Working Group shall be composed of the following members:
(i)The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, who shall serve as chair of the Housing Working Group on a nondelegable basis.
(ii)One representative of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force—
(I)each of whom shall be a member of the armed force to be represented; and
(II)not fewer than two of whom shall be enlisted members.
(iii)One spouse of a member of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force on active duty, not fewer than two of which shall be the spouse of an enlisted member.
(iv)One commander or senior official of a military installation from each military department with responsibility for the public works or civil engineering systems of such installation.
(v)One individual appointed by the Secretary of Defense among representatives of a voluntary consensus standards body that develops personnel certification standards for building maintenance, inspections, or restoration.
(vi)The Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy.
(B)The term of Housing Working Group members specified under clauses (ii) through (v) of subparagraph (A) shall be two years and may be renewed by the Secretary of Defense.
(C)The chair of the Housing Working Group shall extend an invitation to all landlords for one representative of each landlord to attend such meetings of the Housing Working Group as the chair considers appropriate but at a minimum of once per year.
(3)The Housing Working Group shall meet at least two times each year.
(4)The duties of the Housing Working Group shall include the following:
(A)To review and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on policies for covered military housing, including inspections practices and resident surveys.
(B)To make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense to improve—
(i)awareness and promotion of accurate and timely information about covered military housing, accommodations available through the Exceptional Family Member Program of the Department, and other support services; and
(ii)collaboration among policymakers, providers of such accommodations and other support services, and targeted beneficiaries of such accommodations and other support services.
(5)In this subsection:
(A)The term “landlord” has the meaning given that term in section 2871 of this title.
(B)The term “covered military housing” means housing acquired or constructed pursuant to subchapter IV of chapter 169 of this title that is owned by an entity other than the Federal Government.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (b)(1)(B)(iii). Pub. L. 118–31, § 1722(k)(1), substituted “active component member,” for “active component member and” and inserted “, and one of whom shall be the spouse or parent of a member of the Space Force” after “parent of a reserve component member”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–31, § 2821(a), amended subsec. (e) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (e) related to annual reports on military family readiness. 2021—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force” for “Marine Corps, and Air Force” wherever appearing. 2018—Subsec. (b)(1)(B)(i). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(a)(1)(A), substituted “a member or civilian employee of the armed force to be represented” for “a member of the armed force to be represented”. Subsec. (b)(1)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(a)(1)(B), added cl. (ii) and struck out former cl. (ii) which read as follows: “One representative of the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, who may be a member of the National Guard.” Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(a)(2)(A), struck out “clauses (i) and (iii) of” before “subparagraph (B)” and “Representation on the Council under clause (ii) of that subparagraph shall rotate between the Army National Guard and Air National Guard every two years on a calendar year basis.” after “Secretary of Defense.” Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(a)(2)(B), substituted “two years” for “three years”. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(b)(1), substituted “military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense” for “military family readiness by the Department of Defense”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(b)(2), added par. (4). Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 115–232, § 571(c), substituted “July 1” for “February 1”. 2016—Subsec. (b)(1)(E). Pub. L. 114–328 substituted “Office of Military Family Readiness Policy” for “Office of Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs”. 2011—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–81 amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) related to members. Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(d)(1)(A), struck out “, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense” after “Air Force”. Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(d)(1)(B), struck out “, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense” after “Air National Guard” in cl. (i) and after “Air Force Reserve” in cl. (ii). Subsec. (b)(1)(D). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(d)(1)(C), struck out “by the Secretary of Defense” after “appointed”. Subsec. (b)(1)(E). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(a)(1)(B), added subpar. (E). Former subpar. (E) redesignated (F). Subsec. (b)(1)(F). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(c), amended subpar. (F) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (F) read as follows: “In addition to the representatives appointed under subparagraphs (B) and (C), the senior enlisted advisors of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, or the spouse of a senior enlisted member from each of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.” Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(a)(1)(A), redesignated subpar. (E) as (F). Subsec. (b)(1)(G). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(b), added subpar. (G). Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(a)(2), substituted “subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E)” for “subparagraphs (C) and (D)”. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 111–383, § 581(d)(2), added par. (3). 2009—Subsec. (b)(1)(C) to (E). Pub. L. 111–84, § 562(a), added subpar. (C), redesignated former subpars. (C) and (D) as (D) and (E), respectively, and substituted “subparagraphs (B) and (C)” for “subparagraph (B)” in subpar. (E). Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 111–84, § 562(b), substituted “subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (1)” for “paragraph (1)(C)” and inserted at end “Representation on the Council required by clause (i) of paragraph (1)(C) shall rotate between the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Representation required by clause (ii) of such paragraph shall rotate among the reserve components specified in such clause.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 Amendment Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title V, § 571(d), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1778, provided that: “(1) In general.—The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018]. “(2) Applicability of membership and term

Amendments

.—The

Amendments

made by subsection (a) shall apply to members of the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council appointed after the date of the enactment of this Act.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 1781a

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60