The Department of Defense announces an agreement to expand military spouses’ access to remote jobs

The Departments of Defense and State signed a long-awaited deal last week that would allow spouses of military service members to telework abroad, a milestone for the Biden administration’s initiative to boost employment for military spouses.

Last summer, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at increasing the federal government’s recruitment and employment of military spouses, given the demographic group’s high unemployment and economic security. The unemployment rate among military spouses is over 20%, well above the national rate, which was 3.8% last month.

Among the provisions of the order was a requirement that federal agencies relax rules governing when employees of domestic federal agencies can telework from outside the United States, an arrangement called Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas. Last week, the Pentagon and State Department held a signing ceremony for a new memorandum of understanding to do just that.

“So last June, Joe signed a historic executive order to address the barriers military spouses face in finding work – by making it easier for the federal government to hire them, and encouraging federal employers to release spouses if they have to move and reducing the cost of childcare for military families,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “A critical part of the executive order is that military spouses who work for the federal government can take these jobs with them if they need to (permanently change stations) abroad. With today’s agreement we are making that a reality.”

“To retain top talent, we must put people first, and this Memorandum of Understanding does just that,” said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma. “DETO arrangements, including those facilitated by this new agreement, allow us to retain critical expertise within the department and protect key members of our team from career disruption.”

The new agreement streamlines the State Department’s approval process for DETO arrangements by making the Department of Defense responsible for determining whether the safety and security of a foreign home is suitable for remote work. And it no longer requires the State Department to conduct its own, separate inspection of a home for suitability for remote work.

In addition, it clarifies that spouses of U.S. Coast Guard members deployed abroad are also covered by the new procedures. Officials said the changes should speed up the process so military spouses can maintain their positions in the federal government, rather than resign because moving day arrived before the approval took place.

“Ensuring that our military spouses can maintain meaningful careers is not only the right thing to do, it is a national security imperative,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. “Allowing more spouses to maintain their federal jobs and telework will strengthen the economic security and quality of life for our servicemembers and their families and increase the readiness and retention of our all-volunteer force.”