Military-connected fathers

Military-connected fathers are diverse; while they share many common experiences, their experiences and backgrounds vary widely. Employing family systems, ecological systems, and strengths-based approaches to understanding military-connected fathers has many benefits. Military-connected fathers are not only Service members but also military spouses and veterans, and they parent both within and outside of the cycle of deployment. Military service provides many structural and cultural benefits that are not guaranteed to civilian families. Similarly, military service may expose fathers and their families to challenges that are largely unique to military families. Although most military-connected fathers thrive, there is a subset of fathers who face challenges that may require support to overcome. Military- and community-based supports are available to military-connected fathers. Similarly, supports are available to practitioners who want to learn more about military culture and evidence-based practices with military families. Although research on military-connected fathers has grown over the last 20 years, it has been relatively narrow in scope, and there are many avenues for future research.