Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico -- The Air Force Key Spouse program is an important quality of life initiative developed to train a spouse to be a liaison between the unit and family members keeping families informed, especially those of deployed members.

The program is a leadership tool to help commanders ensure members and their families are prepared for separations and other hardships that are a part of the military life. The Key Spouses are volunteers that provide a non-threatening support network for families in need. This also provides reassurance to deployed Airmen that their family's needs and concerns have the attention of trained volunteers.

"The program has improved communication and involvement of families in unit and base activities," said Tom Bonnel, program manager for the Key Spouse program at Kirtland Air Force Base. "To be a Key Spouse, you should have an interest in improving military life and a commitment to carry through. The biggest challenge is communication due to the diversity of the military units here at Kirtland."

There are several good reasons why the Key Spouse program is important to unit readiness. The program establishes continuous contact with members spouse and family while deployed. It also provides a support team for the family. This program also helps increase family awareness of various installation and community resources they can take advantage of. This also increases the family's sense of unit support and increases readiness.

"The program is important to help a new spouse acclimate to being an Air Force spouse," said Farrah Barclay-Brown, Key Spouse for the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "It is important for a spouse to have a face and a name to go to for help. It's important that someone is there for the spouse in case of need."

Units can have more than one Key Spouse. The unit commander recruits and selects their Key Spouses. Once the Key Spouse has been selected, they will receive training from the Airman & Family Readiness Center. The training takes about 12 hours. Once the training is completed, the unit commander is notified and the Key Spouse is appointed by letter for one year.

"One of the successes here is the increased training Key Spouses receive, including suicide prevention training," said Mrs. Barclay-Brown. "Every family should know their squadron's Key Spouse. It's important to know them in case there is a problem. Key Spouses are here to be utilized."

Once the Key Spouse has been appointed, they regularly communicate with the unit's family members, especially those whose spouse is deployed. They ensure the family is updated on the unit's mission. They make sure any problems are taken care of quickly by connecting them with base and community resources.

For more information on the program, contact Mr. Tom Bonnel at 853-1706.