Quality of Life

It’s been said that the toughest job in the military is the one of military spouse. In fact, the U.S. Department of Defense recognized the crucial role families play in supporting service members and consequently prioritized its support for the service member and his or her family beyond the work environment through Quality of Life programming (QoL). Quality of Life programs are critical to readiness and retention and to ensure service members stay focused on the mission. No assets are more important than our people and their families.

In an overseas assignment such as at EUCOM, ensuring a good quality of life is even more important where families are immersed in foreign culture, foreign language and fewer resources that they are accustomed to accessing easily and familiarly. EUCOM is responsible for maintaining the quality of life, including health care and schools, for almost 130,000 military family members living in Europe. Consequently, through committees and an annual conference, the command reaches out, listens and works to enhance quality of life as it relates to subjects like: relocation and housing, family deployment support, military deployment, wounded warrior support, single—service member issues, youth and teen concerns, health care access, and adult education opportunities.

The EUCOM Readiness division has planned and sponsored the annual joint conference on behalf of the EUCOM Commander since 2004. The conference is a culmination of a year-long process to identify and resolve the quality of life concerns that are most important to the EUCOM family. The EUCOM Quality of Life Executive Steering Committee reviews and prioritizes issues identified by delegates for possible inclusion into the EUCOM Quality of Life Action Plan. The committee is comprised of component personnel leaders and senior enlisted leaders and is co-chaired by the Director of EUCOM Personnel and the EUCOM Senior Enlisted Leader.