The Transition of Military Veterans from Active Service to Civilian Life

Abstract: In every nation within NATO, service members at some point leave the military. The military-to-civilian transition is the term used to refer to the process by which service members and/or their families rejoin their civilian community. Transition out of the military includes a series of adjustments. These include changes in location, career, relationships, family roles, support systems, social networks, community and culture. This transition has implications for post-service well-being and functioning. Despite this little has been done to conceptualize how transition occurs, identify factors that promote or impede transition, or operationalize outcomes associated with transition success. Many veterans transitioning from the military to the civilian life encounter unexpected challenges such as finding meaningful employment, adjusting to "civilian" culture or dealing with unresolved mental and physical health issues. In this report, we present the current practices and policies of military-to-civilian for those nations who participated in this RTG. In addition, we also present the findings of a survey of NATO nations conducted focusing on practices and policies of NATO and non-NATO nations. Nine key principles were identified that very nation, both NATO and non-NATO nations, should consider in supporting service members and families in re-joining their civilian community.