SPOUSEFORCE: HOW MILITARY PARTNERS ARE QUIETLY POWERING THE DEFENSE ECONOMY
They make up a hidden workforce you didn’t know was there. When the call comes for a PCS move or a last-minute deployment, military families adapt. But beyond the household hustle is a quieter story: thousands of military spouses carrying security clearances, managing multi-million-dollar defense contracts, or shaping cyber strategies from their kitchen tables.
Recent data shows roughly one in six employed military spouses work in defense-adjacent industries—from public administration to professional consulting. When you include federal government roles, that share climbs closer to one in four. Far from a niche, it’s a workforce large enough to influence military readiness—and yet often invisible outside defense circles.
From Base Housing to the Pentagon’s Boardrooms
Take Jessica Raulerson, an Army spouse and contracting professional. She has shifted between the Missile Defense Agency, the Corps of Engineers, and now the Army’s Mission and Installation Contracting Command—all without pausing her career.
“Every move felt like starting over,” Raulerson admits, “but spouse preference programs and mission-focused teams kept me in the fight.”
Her story underscores how acquisition and contracting—the lifeblood of military procurement—remains one of the most portable career paths for spouses.
Then there’s Lacey Raymond, a Strategy & Analytics Principal at Deloitte Consulting, who has turned PCS chaos into opportunity. Deloitte’s Military Spouse Initiative gave her mentors, flexible project staffing, and a path to keep serving defense clients across moves.
“They didn’t just give me a job,” Raymond says. “They invested in a career that moves with my family.”
Or Liz Porter, Navy spouse and Leidos Health & Civil Sector President, who climbed from early defense-health assignments overseas to lead one of the largest defense health portfolios in the country.
These are not outliers—they’re proof that the defense economy depends on spouse expertise at every level.
Why Spouse Talent Is a Readiness Issue
Military families have long known that spouse careers directly impact retention.
Eric Eversole, president of Hiring Our Heroes, calls spouse employment “a readiness lever, not a perk.” Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet echoes that sentiment: “Supporting military spouse careers strengthens the force—it keeps families stable and service members focused.”
The government is starting to catch on. A 2023 State–DoD agreement expanded Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas (DETO), finally allowing federal employee spouses to keep working when stationed abroad. Former First Lady Jill Biden hailed the move as “long overdue.”
Still, challenges persist. Even in 2023, active-duty spouse unemployment hovered at 8.83%—almost four times that of civilian spouses.
Underemployment is widespread, and remote flexibility can vanish overnight when contracts or budgets shift.
What These Jobs Look Like
These defense-adjacent roles aren’t just desk jobs at the Pentagon. They include:
- Acquisition and Contracting Specialists (1102 series) managing billion-dollar procurement pipelines.
- Cybersecurity analysts and intel support staff safeguarding networks and missions.
- Project managers, training designers, and data scientists shaping operational readiness.
- Defense health professionals and consultants improving care for service members and families.
Defense contractors like Booz Allen and Leidos actively recruit military spouses, offering remote options, mentorship programs, and Hiring Our Heroes fellowships that often convert to full-time cleared positions.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) has now facilitated 360,000+ spouse hires—a testament to how widespread these opportunities have become.
The Quiet Strength Behind the Uniform
Behind every rank insignia is a family balancing school pickups, deployments, and sometimes a cyber defense operation or budget analysis meeting.
Hana Romer, a Marine combat Veteran and military spouse turned federal contractor, summed it up bluntly:
“Spouses aren’t a pity hire. We’re trained, we’re cleared, and we’re adaptable—because military life made us that way.”
Even as GAO data shows about one-third of employed spouses work part-time—often for flexibility—many are carving out long-term careers that travel across continents.
In 2023 alone, 61% of employed spouses reported doing some remote work, a shift that has blown open opportunities for cleared consulting and analytics roles.
A Future That Recognizes Their Value
Programs like the “4+1 Commitment” push employers to guarantee transferability, remote options, flexible hours, PCS leave, and active participation in spouse-hiring initiatives.
The data is clear: when these commitments are in place, spouses stay in the workforce, companies retain top talent, and the military retains service members who know their partners’ careers matter.
The defense economy may wear a uniform, but it marches on the quiet, steady work of spouses—data analysts safeguarding missions, acquisition experts keeping programs funded, and consultants shaping tomorrow’s battlefield strategy from a home office.
The Final Salute
Military spouses have long been described as the “force behind the force.” But as one in four now helps power the defense economy itself, that phrase takes on new meaning. They aren’t just supporting their service members—they’re shaping national defense in real time.
For commanders, contractors, and policymakers, the message is simple: Invest in spouse talent, and you invest in readiness.
For military families, the takeaway is even clearer: Your career isn’t a side note to the mission—you’re part of it.
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