Although DOD has responded positively to increases in servicemembers with family obligations by incorporating a number of family friendly benefits, opportunities exist to improve some current benefits in this area. In addition, DOD faces challenges in reaching out to servicemembers to increase their awareness and use of benefits. Following the passage of the Military Child Care Act of 1989, DOD worked to improve the quality, availability, and affordability of military child care. DOD Offers Wide Array of Benefits for Active Duty Servicemembers

When we compared the types of benefits offered as part of the military’s overall benefit package with private-sector benefits, we did not identify significant gaps in the benefit package offered to active duty servicemembers. These benefits are retirement, health care, life insurance, and paid time off. Like the military, the private sector also has reacted to demographic changes in the workforce.
What GAO Found

Since the advent of the all-volunteer Army in 1973, the number of servicemembers with spouses and children has grown significantly. Although the Department of Defense (DOD) has responded positively to this change, GAO believes that some current family benefits could be strengthened. For example, despite improvements to the quality of military child care centers, DOD needs to further expand child care capacity. Moreover, DOD faces challenges in increasing awareness and use of these benefits. GAO compared the military's benefits with those of the private sector, including retirement pay, health care, life insurance, and paid time-off, and found no significant gaps in the benefits offered to active duty servicemen and women. In fact, some military benefits exceed those offered by the private sector.