The U.S. Army is expanding benefits to both birth and non-birth parents.
The new Parenthood, Pregnancy and Postpartum Army Directive has 12 policy changes and updated regulations for parents and families.
The Army says the policies will not only help new soldier-moms transition back to duty but will help all Army parents better care for military children and expand their families while advancing their military careers.
"We recruit soldiers, but we retain families. Winning the war for talent means making sure our best and brightest people don't have to choose between service and family," Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army, said in a statement.
The directive contains 12 components. Six of them are entirely new, five of which were suggested from soldier feedback, and the other six are updates to existing policies, the Army said. Four components were required by Congress.
The changes include a new stipulation that soldiers who give birth will be deferred for one year from any duties outside of a normal workday – including deployments, operations, and training – in order to remain with their newborn. The deferment also applies to single soldiers, soldiers undergoing fertility treatment, and in cases of adoption, surrogacy, or long-term foster care.
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Another change exempts soldiers who give birth from physical fitness tests for a year after their pregnancy.
The changes also call for a new provision that provides paid medical leave for a soldier and their spouse who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth. The policy makes the Army the first U.S. branch to allow male soldiers the time to grieve after a pregnancy loss, according to ABC News.
The directive also allows for expecting soldiers to attend select professional military education courses to further their careers while pregnant – something that was previously prohibited.
Another change protects soldiers undergoing fertility treatment from a permanent change of station for a year.
"We believe all of these will have an outsized impact on our ability to recruit and retain talent as well as promoting and improving the well-being of all parents," Amy Kramer, lead action officer for the policy, said in a statement.
The changes affect over 400,000 parents, including 29,000 single father soldiers who outnumber single mother soldiers by a 3-to-1 ratio, according to the Army.
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