Air Force expands pilot program to support more military spouses

The Air Force is broadening a pilot initiative designed to ease the career disruptions military spouses face during frequent relocations, adding more bases to its Global Military Spouse Connection program effective Sept. 22, 2026.

Kayla Amie, who holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and a Bachelor of Science in education, said recurring permanent change of station moves upended a steady career path after she married an Air Force Airman. “Every four years you are starting from scratch. I am ok with pivoting but it’s going from the fact that you worked so hard—being a professional—and having it taken away with each move and it not being your choice,” said Amie.

The program connects Department of the Air Force military spouses with civilian hiring managers at gaining installations through career field administrators who vet qualifications and make targeted referrals. It aims to reduce the financial and emotional strain that accompanies moves.

“PCSing and moving are stressful and take a financial toll on our military families,” said Air Force Personnel Center GMSC Program Manager Enrique Jones. “It is our hope that this program will help military spouses move more confidently knowing someone is working on barriers to their employment.”

Still in its pilot phase, the Global Military Spouse Connection has been active at select locations, including Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where Amie now lives. After arriving overseas, she credited the program with opening a door to employment. “I was losing hope. I thought unemployment was going to be forever, that this was my new reality,” said Amie. “GMSC got my resume in front of a hiring manager who could critically see my skills versus something like an algorithm on USAJOBS. So now I had a chance to prove I can do this,” she added.

Career field administrators screen applicants and match them to vacancies based on skills and experience, program officials said. “It’s not just, ‘Here’s a person, here’s a position’—it’s, ‘Do they qualify for it? Do they have the skills, experience, and knowledge for this position?’” said Wyteeshia McRoberts, Career Field Administrator. “We are assisting hiring managers in finding the best-qualified individual; we’re not contacting them to do favors. We are looking at resumes, seeing what they qualify for and making recommendations for the right jobs,” she added.

The initiative is a collaboration among the Air Force Personnel Center, Air Force Civilian Service, career field teams, and local hiring managers. Amie said the approach meets a need she hears widely across spouse networks. “I am just so grateful and think this program is just so needed based on my own experience and from what I hear in spouse networks,” said Amie. “Many of us spouses have a breadth of experience and strong work ethic, we just need to be connected to the right job,” Amie added.

According to the Air Force, active-duty spouses PCSing to the following locations are now eligible to apply:

– United States: Luke AFB (Arizona); Goodfellow AFB (Texas); Laughlin AFB (Texas); Mountain Home AFB (Idaho); Travis AFB (California); Patrick SFB (Florida)
– Germany: Ramstein AB (Ramstein-Miesenbach)
– United Kingdom: RAF Croughton (Northamptonshire); RAF Mildenhall (Suffolk); RAF Lakenheath (Suffolk); RAF Feltwell (Norfolk)
– Japan: Kadena AB (Okinawa)

Eligibility is currently limited to active-duty military spouses relocating to the listed installations as part of a PCS. Qualified spouses can enroll at any time through the Air Force Civilian Service website.