Assessing Partnerships Between the Military and Civilian Agencies to Meet Transitioning Service Members’ Needs

• Author: Sara Resnick,John C. Morris,Wendi M. Wilson-John,Tancy Vandecar-Burdin,Katharine A. Neill-Harris,Katrina Miller-Stevens
• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X15606765
• Published date: 01 July 2016
• Date: 01 July 2016
• Subject Matter: A Continuum of Employment Related Issues: Active Duty, Family, and Veterans

A Continuum of Employment Related Issues: Active Duty, Family, and Veterans

Assessing Partnerships

Between the Military

and Civilian Agencies

to Meet Transitioning

Service Members’ Needs

Katharine A. Neill-Harris

1

, Sara Resnick

2

,

Wendi M. Wilson-John

3

, Katrina Miller-Stevens

3

,

Tancy Vandecar-Burdin

3

, and John C. Morris

3

Abstract

This study examines partnerships between the military and local communities by

exploring communication channels of the U.S. military and civilian agencies that provide

services to transitioning military members. This article reports on a study conducted in

2013 in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, designed to determine the degree to which

the military enters into partnerships with civilian service providers. We find that navy

agencies in Hampton Roads do work with community partners, but the military is more

directive than one might imagine in a true partnership, leading to ‘‘uneasy’’ partnerships.

Additionally, there are important structural and organizational barriers that prevent true

partnerships from developing between navy agencies and the community providers.

Keywords

veterans, military and society, military–civilian partnership, civil military relations,

civil wars

1

Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

2

Patient Advocate Foundation, Newport News, VA, USA

3

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA

Corresponding Author:

John C. Morris, School of Public Service, Old Dominion University, 2084 Constant Hall, Norfolk, VA

23529, USA.

Email: jcmorris@odu.edu

Armed Forces & Society

2016, Vol. 42(3) 585-604

ªThe Author(s) 2015

Reprints and permission:

sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

DOI: 10.1177/0095327X15606765

afs.sagepub.com

Introduction

The issue of how best to prepare service members to transition from active duty to

civilian life is one that impacts communities across the United States and abroad.

As tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen leave the military and join the

civilian workforce, civilian agencies are engaged in helping these individuals rein-

tegrate into their communities. This responsibility places significant pressure on

local communities to meet the ongoing needs of service men and women and their

families.

Local government agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations play

an integral role in the support system of men and women transitioning into civilian

life (Higate, 2001), yet little is known of the partnerships between the military and

civilian agencies. Research on transitioning military members typically addresses

the psychological, substance abuse, employment, and family issues these individuals

encounter after leaving service (see Clemens & Milsom, 2008; Danish & Antonides,

2013; Tanielian & Jaycox, 2008; Stretch & Figley, 1984). Few studies research the

capacity of local communities to meet transitioning service members’ needs, and

even fewer studies examine the nature of partnerships between the military and local

service providers. With the significant number of individuals transitioning out of the

military on an annual basis, there is an imperative need to understand the partner-

ships between the military and civilian agencies and the existing gaps in the commu-

nity to meet service members’ needs.

This study examines partnerships between the U.S. navy and civilian agencies in

the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, who are designed to serve transitioning military

members, and the capacity of local communities to meet transitioning military mem-

bers’ needs. Specifically, we seek to answer the following questions: What is the

nature and extent of the partnership between the navy and civilian agencies in the

Hampton Roads area to provide services to transitioning military members? More

broadly, why do these partnerships exist and what are the challenges to military and

civilian agency partnerships? Why do these partnerships seem to be ‘‘uneasy?’’ This

research draws from a study

1

conducted in 2013 in the Hampton Roads, Virginia

area, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the

nation. While the study focuses on a specific region of the United States, we believe

the findings will be useful to help identify partnerships in other civil–military

contexts.

The article is organized as follows: We begin by offering a brief review of the

limited number of studies addressing the issue of partnerships between military

organizations and local community organizations. We then develop a working def-

inition of the term ‘‘partnership’’ based on a broader literature drawn from studies of

public–private partnerships. Second, the context of the study and research methodol-

ogy is explained, followed by a discussion of the survey and interview results. Next,

we present an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and barriers of the navy and

civilian agency partnerships providing services to transitioning military members

586 Armed Forces & Society 42(3)