Atkinson & Kelsey Law Firm Blog

Confronting the challenges of a military divorce

New Mexico military spouses encounter challenges that New Mexico civilian married couples do not face. One of those challenges is deployment.

When a military spouse is on deployment, this can be a difficult time — one that tests the strength and longevity of a marriage. In some cases, the life of a military spouse could generate an immense amount of stress on a relationship or even a family. Such a situation could cause reason for a military divorce.

According to recent statistics from the defense department, the rate of military divorce is 3.1 per 1,000, while the rate of civilian divorces is 3.6 per 1,000. A military marriage is different from a civilian marriage because a military marriage often involves long involuntary times of separation.

Few jobs require the spouse’s career to play second fiddle to the other or cause forced last minute separations. Such situations can really test the bounds of a marriage. For some, the stress that this can put on a spouse or the relationship in general is enough to call quits.

When a spouse in a military marriage files for divorce, this could put a strain on each spouse. This could even be just the beginning of a lengthy and complex process. Because a service member might be deployed overseas when his or her spouse files for dissolution, this could complicate the process. Moreover, if children are involved, it could be difficult.

A military divorce, in some aspects, is controlled by military laws. Therefore, it is important that service members are fully aware of the best way to navigate the process and how to divide their military benefits appropriately. This does not only protect military spouses, but also everyone involved.

Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Overcoming challenges that military service has on vets and their marriage,” Norris Burkes, Nov. 6, 2016