Department Launches Online Sponsor Program

The Defense Department has launched an online sponsor training and resource tool intended to boost the quality of the decades-old sponsor program and better assist relocating Servicemembers and their families. The sponsor program connects incoming service members with a trained sponsor, typically a service member of similar rank and job position, at the gaining installation. Sponsors operate as the unit’s “welcome wagon,” assisting families with everything from lodging and schools to spouse employment opportunities and housing. Officials “soft launched” the program in March, and since then more than 10,600 sponsors have taken the online training. Families who haven’t been assigned a sponsor can request one online by visiting Military Installations at http://www.militaryinstallations.dod.mil, or Plan My Move athttp://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/moving.