The U.S. Air Force Key Spouse Program (KSP) is an official Air Force Unit Family Readiness Program designed to enhance readiness, personal/family resiliency and establish a sense of Air Force community. Key Spouses are commander-appointed and serve as a vital resource to command teams in an effort to support Air Force families. The strategic vision is to increase resiliency and unit cohesion amongst military members and their families throughout the military life cycle.
This commander program promotes partnerships with unit leadership, Key Spouses, family members, the Airman & Family Readiness Center (A&FRC) and other community and helping agencies. In March 2009, the KSP was standardized across the Air Force to address the needs of all Air Force families. The KSP provides service-minded volunteers an opportunity to contribute to their communities, with a special emphasis on support to families throughout all phases of the deployment cycle.
WHY IS THE KEY SPOUSE PROGRAM IMPORTANT?
- Promotes individual, family, and unit readiness and resiliency
- Establishes and maintains continuous contact with spouses and families
- Encourages peer-to-peer Wingman support amongst spouses and families
- Builds family links to leadership
- Provides an informal sounding board to leadership
- Strengthens leadership’s support team
WHAT ARE THE KEY SPOUSE PROGRAM OUTCOMES?
- Increased awareness of installation and community resources
- Identified/resolved issues at lowest levels
- Enhanced up and down information flow
- Prepared and supported families during separations/deployments
- Increased sense of unit support
- Improved quality of life amongst unit families
- Increased readiness and retention
- Enhanced individual and family resilience
The goal is to have a cadre of trained volunteers who can support your unit’s military families in an official capacity.
The Commander’s Guide provides commanders with information and resources to help units manage their official KSP. The guide is designed to provide a practical approach to develop an effective unit KSP, with tips and tools to assist commanders in recruiting, interviewing and selecting unit Key Spouse(s) and Key Spouse Mentor(s).
The KS and KSM Guides provide volunteers with guidance, information and resources on how to meet the expectations of their role and vision set forth by their unit commander.