An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 14, 2016

National Guard part of pilot program aimed to link Service members with local resources

By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Guard is taking part in a three-year pilot program designed to increase access to financial advisors, mental health providers, education and other opportunities for Service members assigned to locations away from large military installations.

Called Building Healthy Military Communities, the pilot is part of the Department of Defense's Total Force Fitness Program and builds upon family support elements already in place throughout the Guard, said Guard officials.

"The pilot aims to increase awareness of and access to military and community financial, health and wellness resources for Service members and their families in order to improve readiness and resiliency," said Army Brig. Gen. Ivan Denton, the director of manpower and personnel at the National Guard Bureau, in a memo to Guard elements taking part in the pilot.

Access to those resources may be difficult to come by for many Service members who aren't near large military bases, said Anthony Wickham, the programs chief at the NGB, adding that's where the Guard comes in.

"If a Service member is, say, a recruiter in Iowa — there are no active component bases there — the nearest asset closest to him is probably a National Guard armory with a Family Assistance Center in it," said Wickham.

Staff members at Family Assistance Centers and Air National Guard Airman and Family Readiness Program Managers are well versed in resources available nearby, said Wickham.

"We're already in the local communities and we know what the local resources are," said Wickham. "Since 9/11, we've referred families [of deployed Guard members] to these local resources."

The BHMC program streamlines efforts by providing a coordinator who can identify gaps and coordinates with local governmental and non-governmental resources to fill those gaps.

"We have multiple silos of excellence out there and [the program] brings these silos of excellence together so they talk with each other," said Wickham. "We're not replacing anything, it's trying to bring things together to coordinate the various assets that are out there."

Wickham stressed that while the coordinators and assistance personnel may be located in Guard facilities, it's not just for Guard members.

"We turn no one away," he said. "Our FACs and AFRPMs do information or referral and it's for any Service member or military family who walks in the door."

The important part is making sure Service members and their families have access to needed resources when they need them, said Wickham, adding those include resources for family readiness, education and employment, physical, spiritual and behavioral health.

For those serving in areas away from large military bases, traveling to use on-base resources may prove difficult.

"Anything beyond about a 30 minute driving time, they're probably not going to use that service," said Wickham, adding the program fills in those gaps.

"The program is designed to tailor service to the unique needs of the military community and try and be more efficient in providing these services," said Wickham. The end result is to the ability to build greater resiliency and readiness.

The program means the family "isn't flailing out there trying to find an asset or resource," said Wickham.

"It's an approach that provides resources and programs that support the well-being and readiness of families and Service members," he said. "That's what we're trying to do. Ultimately, it revolves around readiness and retention of our families and Service members."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chadley Simms, infantryman, 1st Battalion-157th Infantry (Mountain), Colorado Army National Guard uses handheld counter-unmanned aerial system equipment to neutralize a simulated drone threat during a drone warfare familiarization course at a Fort Carson, Colorado, training range, April 15, 2025. The course, led by the Drone Warfare Cell, part of the Multi-Domain Special Operations Cell at 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), COARNG, paired traditional guard members with special forces to build interoperability and strengthen joint UAS threat response capabilities. (U.S Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira)
Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting
By Melissa Escobar-Pereira, | June 17, 2025
WATKINS, Colo. - As the battlespace continues to evolve, so too must the tools and training of those who fight within it. Among the quiet forces reshaping U.S. warfighting readiness is a specialized group called the Drone...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Garret Carstensen, 716th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, helps Sgt. Luis Romero don protective equipment before carrying out an EOD clearance of a simulated weapons of mass destruction chemical lab June 9, 2025, at AJ Dock, Juneau, Alaska, as part of Exercise ORCA 25. The exercise is a full-scale all-hazards chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives joint and interagency training exercise testing and evaluating the operational capability of the whole-of-government emergency management system. (Alaska National Guard photo by Maj. David Bedard)
Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025
By Maj. David Bedard, | June 17, 2025
JUNEAU, Alaksa - Dressed in hazardous material protective suits, two Airmen from the Virginia National Guard slowly crept into a quiet building June 9 at AJ Dock on Juneau’s shore.Virginia National Guard’s 34th Civil Support...

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, maneuver through the trenches during Exercise Baltic Viking near Alūksne, Latvia, June 8, 2025. Large-scale Combat Operations involve extensive military engagements, coordinated strategies, and significant resource deployment across vast areas.  The U.S. military participates in multinational training and exercises across Europe to increase lethality and strengthen partnerships with NATO allies and regional security partners.
Baltic Viking Enhances Michigan Guard Support for NATO, Latvia
By Staff Sgt. Joseph Novak, | June 17, 2025
CAMP ADAZI, Latvia — U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Michigan Army National Guard recently conducted training with soldiers from NATO Multinational...