President Donald Trump signed an executive order at the White House to establish what he described as the first-ever presidential military spouse commission. According to his remarks in the Oval Office, the move is aimed at supporting military families, and the president framed it as a long-overdue step to address challenges faced by the spouses of service members.
The president named the people who will lead the new body. According to the remarks, the commission will be chaired by Jennifer Hegseth, whom he identified as the wife of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. He also announced Desiree Thompson Sale as the commission's executive director, thanking her for her work as the initiative was set up.
The commission's membership was set out as reaching across parts of the administration. According to the remarks, it will include Christy Mullen, the wife of Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, as a member. The president said the panel would also feature the spouses of the service secretaries, the spouses of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the spouses of their senior enlisted leaders.
Several senior officials were present for the signing. According to the remarks, Trump said he was joined by Secretary Hegseth and by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane. The president used the occasion to praise the role that military spouses play while service members are deployed and to highlight the sacrifices made by military families.
The stated purpose of the commission is to translate those concerns into concrete proposals. According to the president, the commission will provide recommendations for improving the quality of life for military spouses, developing suggestions to address particular challenges in areas including housing, employment, healthcare, childcare and education, among others.
Jennifer Hegseth, speaking after the president, described the issues the commission intends to tackle as long-standing. According to her remarks, she spent the past year traveling to meet military spouses and families around the world and across the country, and said the concerns were consistent, pointing to housing, healthcare, employment, childcare and education as recurring themes.
The president tied the commission to what he described as broader efforts by his administration to support the armed forces. According to his remarks, those efforts have included funding for military childcare and improved housing on military bases, as well as measures directed at service members, framing the new commission as a continuation of that support for military families.