No relationship is immune from disputes or problems. Military marriages can be especially difficult due to the stress of the spouses’ occupations, relocation and deployment. When a military divorce occurs in New Mexico and in other states across the nation, the common issues regarding dissolution are present, but additional issues and factors could complicate and lengthen the process.

A recent study indicates that those employed in positions of deployment are tied to higher divorce rates. A direct correlation was established between failed marriages and time spent on deployment. Although the divorce rate for officers in the armed forces is declining, specifically for the Air Force, there are still concerns for maintaining marriages for those in the military.

A pilot program is being tested with the Air Force. The Marriage Checkup program seeks to understand the goals of the spouses and any of their concerns that need to be addressed. This would require three 30-minute sessions with a psychologist or a social worker each year. The goal is to keep the marriage on track so that the spouses can strengthen their marriage.

Although this program seeks to reduce the divorce rate of those in the armed forces, it is clear that not all marriages are meant to remain intact. Marriages filled with disputes are often unhappy ones. Military divorces are often complex ones because it not only means dealing with military benefits on top of common issues such as financial support, property division and child custody, but it could also mean facing the obstacle of having to deal with the separation or divorce when a spouse is in deployment.

Those dealing with a military divorce do not need to do it on their own. Each spouse should seek independent guidance to assist them with the process. This would also ensure that their interests are protected and their rights preserved.

Source: Navy Times, “Divorce and the Air Force: Who stays married and who doesn’t,” Oriana Pawlyk, April 28, 2014