Perspective: child abuse in the military

Child maltreatment is an unfortunate aspect of our society, afflicting civilian and military families alike. However, unlike their civilian counterparts, military families bear additional burdens inherent to military service that can exacerbate some of the root causes of child abuse. For this reason, the U.S. Department of Defense is committed to ensuring not only a highly disciplined and ready force, but also a healthy force — the foundation of which is healthy families. Therefore, understanding the military health care system, how it functions and how it collects data is a necessary first step in evaluating the efficacy of current programs and identifying opportunities for improvement. Moving beyond treatment and prevention, the military also boasts an independent judicial system designed to promote the dual interests of justice and good order as well as discipline in the armed forces, and this also contributes to a distinct culture. These two independent systems, often viewed as having diametrically opposed interests, can work together synergistically to promote the ultimate goal of fewer instances of child maltreatment in the military.