Military spouses will soon see the expansion of a paid fellowship pilot program, with higher compensation and the extension to those living overseas, as the Defense Department program becomes permanent on Jan. 1, 2026.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 1, Defense Department officials are temporarily closing applications for the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot, as they start to shift to the permanent program, as authorized by law in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill. That permanent program, dubbed the Career Accelerator, will reopen for applications Jan. 1.
The pilot program has offered 12-week fellowships to military spouses with participating employers, with DOD paying a stipend to spouses during that time.
The DOD stipend during those 12 weeks is generally less than what employers pay, according to sources, but information was not available from DOD about the amount. However, officials have stated on their website that as of Jan. 1, spouses will receive 50% more in their stipend, compared to the pilot program.
The hope is that the organizations will offer the spouse long-term employment as a result of the fellowship. This is one of a number of initiatives aimed at reducing military spouse unemployment, which has remained stubbornly over 20% for more than a decade.
Since the pilot began in 2023, 86% of spouses in fellowships have been offered employment, according to DOD officials. More than 4,600 military spouses have completed the application process, and more than 1,200 have been placed into fellowships. The average salary for the spouses offered jobs by companies and organizations in the career-ready program is $68,000; while the average salary in the skills-based track is $48,000.
“The results speak volumes. Military spouses bring resilience, adaptability and high-impact skills to their fellowship placements, and employers are noticing,” DOD officials said, in a response to Military Times.
More than 500 employers are currently participating in the fellowship program. Career-ready spouses of active duty, reserve and National Guard service members are eligible.
Booz Allen Hamilton, a technology firm with 33,400 employees, applauds DOD for expanding the program and other efforts to increase spouse employment opportunities.
“They are indeed advocating for the military spouse community in a very forward-thinking and boisterous way,” said Tom Downs, an Army retiree and director of talent programs and operations at Booz Allen.
”It’s just a great way for us as corporate America, and Booz Allen, to enhance and increase our talent pipelines,” Downs said. “We’ve got to engage to increase our pipeline of great talent and the military spouse community is one of the dynamic ways that we’re doing so,” Downs said.
The company has been participating in the fellowship program since January, 2024, with 27 spouses coming through the program in a variety of positions. Of those 27 spouses, 22 received job offers, and 20 accepted positions. At least two more are set to start with the company on Sept. 2.
But the company was also actively recruiting military spouses previously, through other programs with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes, and as part of DOD’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership. Hiring Our Heroes has also administered the MSCAP fellowship pilot program.
Spouses hired by Booz Allen since 2019 have been working in a wide range of technical and non-technical roles, from entry level to executive level, Downs said. About one-third of Booz Allen’s 33,400 employees are military-affiliated, including military spouses, veterans, reservists, Guard members and military caretakers.
And whether it’s through the MSCAP program or other programs, Booz Allen boasts a retention rate of 80% for spouses, he said. The company works to make their employees feel connected to their fellow workers and to the company, with initiatives such as military spouse employee community groups, veteran employee groups and a host of others.
They also make an effort for spouses to continue their employment after a move to a new duty station with their service member, through various programs.
The idea of companies being reluctant to hire military spouses because they’re going to PCS in 24 months “is off the table, and especially post COVID, being able to work hybrid, and being able to work remote,” Downs said. The military population isn’t the only mobile one.
How the program works
Congress appropriated $10 million for the pilot program in the first two years of the program. “MSCAP employment opportunities are on pace to provide $26 million in annual compensation for military spouses and families,” according to DOD officials in a response to Military Times.
The funding goes primarily toward compensating the military spouses in the fellowship program, officials said.
Spouses living overseas will be eligible to apply for the program starting Jan. 1. As with the stateside program, opportunities will vary depending on the location and employer participation. Opportunities may be more limited in overseas locations. Downs said Booz Allen “is basically co-located with most of the major military installations overseas. …. We would definitely embrace that opportunity.”
Officials are beefing up the program by adding more hands-on experience for spouses with host employers. Each fellow also will be matched with a career coach in the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program, for an individualized development and a tailored career plan.
For spouses who have already applied for a fellowship, their application will automatically be transferred to the new Career Accelerator program. They should schedule and complete a coaching session with a SECO career coach, according to DOD.
Active candidates will automatically be placed into the new program. Their resume will also be included in the September pilot program resume release, so they could be matched with a host employer for a fellowship. Fellowship offers from this resume release must be accepted by Sept. 26, and will follow the current pilot program parameters. Officials will pause placements of fellows between October and December. Those who aren’t matched will still be eligible for the program in January, with no need to reapply.
Those who want to apply for the Career Accelerator program should connect with a SECO career coach to start preparing. Spouses with questions can contact the SECO Career Center at 800-342-9647 or use the live chat feature at myseco.militaryonesource.mil.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
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