Military divorces edge up again in 2009 as couples cope with separation and stress in wartime

Military divorces edge up again in 9th year of war

WASHINGTON — The divorce rate in the armed forces increased slightly again in the past year as military marriages continued to bear the stress of the nation’s ninth year at war.

The Pentagon says that in the budget year that ended Sept. 31, there were an estimated 27,312 divorces among the nearly 765,000 married members of the active-duty Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

That’s a divorce rate of about 3.6 percent, compared with 3.4 percent a year earlier.

Defense officials say the increase is held down by programs that are available to military couples. Those programs include retreats, marriage counseling and other efforts aimed strengthening the bonds between couples and relieving the stresses caused by the long separations that come as troops are off at war.