This study reflects a synthesis of a number of interrelated activities that have been performed by the Army Family Research Plan family adaptation research group over 3 years. These activities have included literature reviews, model development, primary and secondary analysis of available datasets and expert/user consultations, as well as field visits to conduct interviews with soldiers, family members, and Army leaders and service providers. Indicators of family adaptation were found to vary by individual, family, work, and community characteristics such as informal support networks, military support services, and military leadership support. Policymakers and Army leaders can use the findings to guide their decisions concerning the family programs that are most likely to foster family adaptation. Future research on military family adaptation needs to expand current efforts in several new directions. These include more attention to multi-method approaches to examining family adaptation, more use of qualitative methodologies, more short-term longitudinal research and more intervention research focusing on the effects of selected programs and services. Without careful investigations of outcomes from military program interventions, it is difficult to make appropriate judgments of program effectiveness or to understand the potential contributions that selected support services can have for military family adaptation. (ABL)