What is an Ombudsman?

Ombudsmen are here to assist Navy families. Ombudsmen act as a liaison between the command and families, and communicate information about command and community resources to families. Your questions, comments, complaints, concerns, etc. will all be held in the strictest confidence, within the guidelines defined in OPNAVINST 1750.1D – the Navy Family Ombudsman instruction.

An Ombudsman is an official representative of the Commanding Officer; he/she plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining current and accurate communication between the command and its family members An Ombudsman is a volunteer appointed by a Commanding Officer to serve as a link between command leadership and command families.

How can an Ombudsman help me?

Navy Family Ombudsmen are key resources for family members, particularly during deployments. Ombudsmen maintain current resource files with information on military and civilian community agencies that can help families solve a variety of problems, and successfully meet the challenges they face before, during, and after deployments. In addition to providing referral information, Ombudsmen can facilitate communication between the Command and family members. Ombudsmen may publish or contribute to command newsletters or maintain care lines, which have recorded messages with information for command families that can be accessed 24 hours a day. Ombudsmen can also assist families in contacting the Command for a variety of reasons.

What are the functions of an Ombudsman?

An Ombudsman communicates regularly with command families, provides information and outreach to command families, provides appropriate referral resources and acts as an advocate for command families.

How does someone become an Ombudsman?

Appointed by the commanding officer, command ombudsmen are volunteers and spouses of services members within the command. Someone can apply for this position when the command advertises for volunteers, or they can request to be placed on a standby list of volunteers for future consideration when a position(s) becomes available. Volunteers are screened, selected and appointed by the commanding officer (CO). A board, which may include the command master chief (CMC), executive officer (XO), current ombudsman, and/or other command members, as directed, may assist the CO in the selection process.

What training is provided to the Ombudsman?

The ombudsman, with command support, receives Ombudsman Basic Training (OBT). OBT is a standardized course that provides the required knowledge and develops the skills necessary to perform effectively as the command ombudsman. Ombudsmen continue their education by attending ongoing training. These trainings provide in-depth information on a variety of topics such as public speaking, organizing resources, newsletter training and more.

Is the Navy the only branch that has an Ombudsman Program?

The Marine Corps has staff Family Readiness Officers who serve as the liaison between the command and the command families. They maintain some roles for spouse volunteers that are similar to the roles of ombudsmen, with a more focused job scope such as administration or social. The Air Force has Key Spouse Program whose volunteers perform a similar role to the Ombudsman Program, and the Army has Family Readiness Support Assistants which are similar to the Marine Corps’ FROs.

Who is the Ombudsman’s point of contact at the command?

Ombudsmen work for the commanding officer (CO) at a command. Generally, the CO appoints the command master chief (CMC) to be the point of contact (POC) for the ombudsmen. Most COs will meet with their ombudsmen periodically, even if the CMC is the POC.

Who can be an Ombudsman?

It is Navy personnel policy that persons appointed as Navy Family Ombudsmen are the spouses of active duty members of the command or selected reserves. If the commanding officer/commander is unable to select the spouse of an active duty or selected reserve command member then it refers them to enclosure (1) of OPNAVINST 1750.1G for waiver procedures.

Who can use Ombudsman services?

The ombudsman is a vital link between the command and Navy families. In broader terms, the Navy family is made up of all active-duty and selected reserve Navy members, including single and married service members, their family members, the service member’s parents, siblings, and others at the discretion of the commanding officer.

How can families locate or contact their ombudsmen at their next duty station before their arrival?

There is a Contact Your Ombudsman feature on the Ombudsman Registry. Click on the location of the global maps where the command is located, then click on the installation name and select your command from the list of commands on that installation. A request form will appear for that command allowing you to fill in your information and questions or comments. You will then be contacted within 24-48 hours.

If the command you are looking for does not have an ombudsman assigned, or is not listed in the database, you will be contacted by the Ombudsman Registry Administrator, who will provide you with assistance in contacting your command ombudsman. A spouse may also call the local Fleet and Family Support Center and ask the Ombudsman Coordinator to give them the name of the ombudsmen they are seeking.

Some Ombudsman contact info can also be found on private social media groups/pages which will require approval for membership. Once your information is validated with the command, you will receive notification that you're now a member and have access to the group.

I Am An Ombudsman
By Gayle Brinkley Former Ombudsman Coordinator, FFSC London


I am not a crutch, But I can support you

I am not a counselor, But I know one

I am not a taxi driver, But I can steer you in the right direction

I am not a rescuer, But I can help save lives

I am not a baby sitter, But I can refer you to a caregiver

I am not gossiper, But I am a great listener

I am not an enabler, But I can provide tools to empower you

I am not a master of anything, But I know many experts who

understand your need

I am not a Recreation or Health Specialist, But I am concerned about

your Morale, Welfare & Health

I am not a busybody as I've been called, But I am an Official

Command Representative

I am a Navy Family Ombudsman, And I am of service to You

The Navy Family...