As a Company Commander, one of your mandatory requirements is to establish a unit Family Readiness Group, also known as a FRG. The purpose of the Family Readiness Group is to provide a support channel for spouses and family members; especially during a deployment.

The Family Readiness Group normally has monthly or quarterly meetings. At the meetings, the spouses get together to share information, answer questions and conduct fundraisers.

Whether your unit is scheduled for deployment or not, it's important to have a unit FRG.  Even if your Soldiers show very little interest in the idea, that's irrelevant.  You can bet that most spouses, friends and family members would be interested in participating in a Family Readiness Group.

Typically the Company Commander's or First Sergeant's spouse serves as the FRG Leader. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. The true secret to success is to find a spouse or family member who expresses interest in accepting the position.  After all, you don't want to force someone to lead the FRG.

Once you find someone interested in becoming the FRG Leader, you must place them on orders and get them trained. To do this, coordinate with your Battalion or Brigade S1 (or FRG rep).  Now that your unit has an FRG leader, you must support them.

As a Company Commander, you must disseminate information to your Soldiers and family members about the FRG. In our unit, we had a bulletin board and monthly newsletter.

Personally, I found that many spouses were not interested in a FRG during the typical training year. However, things quickly changed when a unit receives deployment orders.

That's why it's important to have a Family Readiness Group before the unit gets deployment orders. That way, the FRG is already working and functional and spouses have clear forms of communication. And, the unit can focus on the training it needs to accomplish, without being distracted with family issues.  

In conclusion, all Company Commanders must support the Family Readiness Group. The last thing deployed Soldiers should have to worry about is their spouses and family members back home. If your unit has an effective FRG, the group can help remedy many of these problems and eliminate unnecessary stress amongst Soldiers and dependents.

Even if your FRG isn't perfect, don't fret.  Instead, consider it a work in progress.  Just keep making baby steps each month and your unit's Family Readiness Group will make significant progress.

Learn more about the Family Readiness Group in my Company Command eBook