NELSON SEEKS ANSWERS ON ARMY MATERNITY LEAVE POLICY

Nebraska's Senator: Military Must Meet Needs of Families

February 27, 2008 - Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson joined a bipartisan coalition of senators in questioning the army maternity leave policy for active-duty mothers on Monday. Recent news reports indicate that the existing policy makes it difficult for new mothers to spend time with their newborn children.

"While the majority of our military enlistees are single, the reality remains that we do retain families as well," said Senator Nelson. "With the looming retention issues in all branches of the military, we need to make all deployment policies as family-friendly as possible."

The Army remains the only branch of the Armed Services to provide only the Defense Department minimum of a 4 month deferment for new military mothers. The Navy has extended its deferment window available to new mothers to twelve months, the Marine Corps to six months. A story last week by the Washington Post detailed how with 15 month deployments and only 12 months leave between deployments, it can be difficult for women to start families or have sufficient time to bond with newborns after childbirth and remain active duty soldiers.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Nelson joined Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Jon Tester of Montana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Olympia Snowe of Maine in questioning why the Army is only providing the bare minimum of leave to new mothers.

"Not only does the Army have the shortest deferment window for new mothers, but it also retains some of the longest deployment periods in the Armed Services," said Senator Nelson. "Many mothers-to-be have to face the difficult decision of leaving their career in the military or leaving their newborn infant."

The letter points out that the health of the child is also to be considered. Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding is the best method of feeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. Babies who are not breastfed have a higher risk of developing infectious diseases and may require more hospitalizations.

"We must balance our need for troops with our support for military families. Without the necessary support in place, we may lose many women who are vital to our Nation’s defense," said Nelson.

In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Nelson asked Secretary of the Army Pete Geren about extending the maternity deferment policy for the Army. Secretary Geren acknowledged the need for a review of this policy and said that he would soon notify Nelson of any possible changes.

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	Press Release	February 27, 2008
NELSON SEEKS ANSWERS ON ARMY MATERNITY LEAVE POLICY Nebraska's Senator: Military Must Meet Needs of Families February 27, 2008 - Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson joined a bipartisan coalition of senators in questioning the army maternity leave policy for active-duty mothers on Monday. Recent news reports indicate that the existing policy makes it difficult for new mothers to spend time with their newborn children. "While the majority of our military enlistees are single, the reality remains that we do retain families as well," said Senator Nelson. "With the looming retention issues in all branches of the military, we need to make all deployment policies as family-friendly as possible." The Army remains the only branch of the Armed Services to provide only the Defense Department minimum of a 4 month deferment for new military mothers. The Navy has extended its deferment window available to new mothers to twelve months, the Marine Corps to six months. A story last week by the Washington Post detailed how with 15 month deployments and only 12 months leave between deployments, it can be difficult for women to start families or have sufficient time to bond with newborns after childbirth and remain active duty soldiers. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Nelson joined Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Jon Tester of Montana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Olympia Snowe of Maine in questioning why the Army is only providing the bare minimum of leave to new mothers. "Not only does the Army have the shortest deferment window for new mothers, but it also retains some of the longest deployment periods in the Armed Services," said Senator Nelson. "Many mothers-to-be have to face the difficult decision of leaving their career in the military or leaving their newborn infant." The letter points out that the health of the child is also to be considered. Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding is the best method of feeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. Babies who are not breastfed have a higher risk of developing infectious diseases and may require more hospitalizations. "We must balance our need for troops with our support for military families. Without the necessary support in place, we may lose many women who are vital to our Nation’s defense," said Nelson. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Nelson asked Secretary of the Army Pete Geren about extending the maternity deferment policy for the Army. Secretary Geren acknowledged the need for a review of this policy and said that he would soon notify Nelson of any possible changes. ###