This unique reference integrates knowledge culled from fifteen years of US deployments to create an action plan for supporting military and veteran families during future conflicts. Its innovative ideas stretch beyond designated governmental agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, VA) to include participation from, and possible collaborations with, the business/corporate, academic, advocacy, and philanthropic sectors. Contributors identify ongoing and emerging issues affecting military and veteran families and recommend specific strategies toward expanding and enhancing current programs and policy. This proactive agenda also outlines new directions for mobilizing the research community, featuring strategies for addressing institutional challenges and improving access to critical data.

Introduction to A Battle Plan for Supporting Military and Veteran Families.- Joining Forces: Lessons Learned.- Lessons Learned Inside the Pentagon.- National Guard Service Member and Family Readiness After Action Review: Lessons Learned and a Way Forward.- Confluence: Merging Reintegration Streams for Veterans and Military Families.- Ready or Not, Here It Comes: Navigating Congress and Caring for the Wounded and Their Family Members During War Time.- An Advocate's Lament: Creating a Strong Voice to Support Military Families at War.- Supporting Military Families: Learning from our Past to Create a New Future in Business.- The Higher Education Community: Educating America's Next Great Generation.- The Mental Health Response to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom: History and Recommendations for Change.- The Unique Role of Professional Associations in Assisting Military Families: A Case Study.- Nonprofit Contributions: Reflections and Looking Forward.- Community Mobilization.- Philanthropy for Military and Veteran Families: Challenges Past, Recommendations for Tomorrow.- The White Oak Retreat: Iterative Retreats as a Uniquely Effective Mechanism for Building Consensus and Coordinating Support in the Military Community, 2010-2016.- Lessons Learned and Future Recommendations for Conducting Research with Military Children and Families.- Serving Military Families Through Research: The View from the Ivory Tower.- Designing and Implementing Strategic Research Studies to Support Military Families.- Military Families Research: Department of Defense Funding and the Elements of a Fundable Proposal.