Fort Detrick  Military and Family Support Center

Military and Family Support Centers are part of the network of agencies, programs, services and partnerships which supports the overall well-being of military families. Military and Family Support Centers provide information, education and support programs to help balance the demands of military life. The Military and Family Support Center should be one of your first stops once you arrive at a new installation to connect with key programs, services and support systems. Programs and services may vary across services and installations.

• Deployment support provides information, education and support to assist you and your family during all phases of the deployment cycle.
• Relocation assistance provides an array of services during the relocation process to meet your moving needs.
• Personal financial management provides information, education and one-on-one financial counseling to assist you and your family in maintaining your financial readiness.
• Employment assistance offers comprehensive information, tools and resources to support career exploration, education, training and licensing, career connections and employment readiness.
  • The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship is a workforce development program that provides eligible military spouses with financial assistance for licenses, certifications or associate degrees to pursue an occupation or career field. For information on MyCAA please visit https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil.
• Family life education provides information and education to assist you and your family in developing resilience skills that can help as you navigate your mobile military lives.
• Information and referral can assist you in identifying and clarifying needs to determine appropriate forms of assistance and in locating services and programs available both on and off your installation.
• The Transition Assistance Program prepares separating, retiring and demobilizing service members (and their families) with the information, skills and knowledge necessary for a successful transition from military to civilian life. The first step in your transition process is to complete the congressionally mandated pre-separation counseling session, which furnishes detailed information on the various benefits and services available.

Military and Family Support Centers may provide other programs, such as the Exceptional Family Member Program, Family Advocacy Program and the New Parent Support Program. These services vary by location. Find your specific center by visiting MilitaryINSTALLATIONS and searching by installation or postal code.

The Community Activities Center is located in the center of Fort Detrick making it easily accessible to everyone on the installation.  This newly renovated venue provides outstanding amenities for meetings, conferences, parties, recreation and entertainment.  The center is equipped with state of the art audio and visual equipment. The main room can be divided into 2 separate rooms complete with individual audio/visual equipment. Seating capacity is flexible and dependent upon set up requirements. Dining services can accommodate groups up to 180; meeting and conference services can accommodate up to 250. An outdoor patio is available for more relaxed seating during good weather. Mobile catering is available and will deliver to any size group on post.  CAC services include a lounge complete with television, pool table, ping pong, darts, cocktails, sandwiches and bar food. Catering services offer extensive menu options. Catering events range $12.50-$25.00 per person. For Lunch, Lounge and catering services: Call 301-619-2957 for more information.

Installation Specific Information

Like some larger installations, Fort Detrick does not have a separate Family Assistance Center. At Fort Detrick, the Army Community Service (ACS) serves in that capacity and offers Families support. 

Fort Detrick does not currently have a Family Life Educator; however, many of the services described are found within the Family Advocacy Program. In addition to the programs described in the general overview, the Fort Detrick ACS also has Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), the Army Volunteer Corps (AVC) program, and Outreach available.

The AVC recruits volunteers for the Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation events and on-post agencies.  The Army Family Team Building program is also an integral part of the AVC.

Fort Detrick Outreach Program is responsible for the Mob/Dep, Army Family Action Plan, Operation R.E.A.D.Y, Operation Happy Holidays (OHH), and Family Readiness Group training. The OHH assists Families during the holiday season by providing, clothing, food, and gifts.

Please call your Fort Detrick ACS for more information on any of our programs, 301-619-2197.