# 99049. LIFElines: Promising Better Quality of Life in DoD

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By Linda D. Kozaryn 
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon officials are taking advantage of 
satellite communications and the World Wide Web to improve the 
quality of life of service members, reservists and defense 
civilians.

A live 90-minute television broadcast Jan. 27 premiered 
LIFElines, a two-part quality of life initiative that opens the 
door to a new world of support to people throughout the Defense 
Department. LIFElines leverages the power of partnerships and 
four telecommunications technologies -- the Internet, 
teleconferencing, satellite broadcasting and cable television, 
Navy officials said.

LIFElines' first component, the Quality of Life Broadcast 
Network, is a worldwide partnership that will produce and air 
quality of life programming. The second, the Quality of Life 
Mall, is an Internet home page at www.lifelines4qol.org that 
will provide information and electronic access to support 
services.

At present, LIFElines will serve mainly sailors, Marines and 
reservists, but all service branches are expected to participate 
in the program, Navy officials said.

"These components are designed to overcome traditional barriers 
to quality of life service delivery -- barriers such as 
transportation, child care, geography, the possible stigma of 
seeking help, privacy concerns and work schedules," Navy 
Secretary Richard Danzig stated in his Internet greeting to new 
QOL Mall users. 

LIFElines is available around the clock and around the world, he 
continued. "We hope that makes it helpful to as many of you as 
possible -- especially those in remote duty stations and while 
you are at sea." 

The QOL Broadcast Network's premier broadcast featured Danzig, 
Carolyn Becraft, assistant Navy secretary for manpower and 
reserve affairs, and Charles Cragin, assistant defense secretary 
for reserve affairs. The senior defense officials talked about 
what LIFElines means to military members.

LIFElines gives sailors and Marines worldwide an opportunity to 
learn about Navy benefits and capabilities, Danzig said. The 
initiative also gives Navy officials a way to stay in touch with 
their people.

"I very much value the interactive quality of this instrument," 
Danzig said. "It gives us an opportunity to hear from people in 
an organization of three-quarters of a million people where it's 
difficult to have a sense of what people care about most." 

Becraft, speaking as a former service member and military 
spouse, said LIFElines will help families, especially during the 
frequent moves that are part of members' careers. 

"We have people in isolated areas who move to meet the needs of 
their service," Becraft said. "They need quality information at 
the time that they want it. That's one of the beauties of 
LIFElines. All the partners who come together can create their 
own [site] tailored to their needs, and yet they can hot-link to 
all of the available information. It's limitless." 

Cragin said LIFElines, once fully operational in DoD, will 
vastly improve and expand such important services as deployment 
and family support, reserve component mobilizations, returns and 
reunions, crisis and casualty assistance, and voluntary 
education. LIFElines, he said, is especially important to the 
reserve components and recruiters dispersed throughout the 
country. 

"My office is committed to encouraging the use of LIFElines to 
provide the best possible services to those who, prior to today, 
have had the least access to our available support services 
resources," Cragin said. "LIFElines is truly a national model. 
It is leading the way for human resource services by reinventing 
many key business practices, which will make it possible, for 
the first time in our history, for our total force to take care 
of each other and their quality of life needs while meeting 
their missions, regardless of the time of day or duty location."

QOL Broadcast Network programs will air on public access cable 
channels, base television channels and other television outlets 
serving large military populations. Videotapes and CD-ROMs of 
live broadcasts will be made available at cost to individuals, 
participating organizations and commands. An online QOL 
broadcast network directory is in development, Navy officials 
said.

When the QOL Mall Web site is fully operational, the officials 
said, users will be able to "shop" for housing, apply for child 
care, take courses, receive counseling, gain information about 
medical care, apply for a loan, buy uniforms, and more. Service 
members will be able to complete a variety of electronic 
transactions, such as requesting a sponsor and verifying 
military training and education.

The home page will also feature chat rooms so visitors can talk 
to experts about a variety of personnel or quality of life 
issues, officials said.

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