On February 11, 2022, Carlos Del Toro, the Secretary of the Navy, extended the Secondary Caregiver Leave(SLC). This means that paternity leave is no longer two weeks but is now three weeks and provides up to "21 days of non-chargeable leave to parents who are designated as secondary caregivers per the Military Parental Leave Policy." The same is true of the Marines. Instead of paternity leave, it is called secondary caregiver.
The Navy
According to a Navy press release, "This policy change aligns secondary caregiver leave duration in the Navy and Marine Corps with that in the Army and Air Force. The extension to three weeks comes in advance of an increase to twelve weeks authorized in the recently enacted NDAA, which will become effective at the end of 2022." The leave is non-chargeable which means that it does not "count against a member's earned leave balance.
Vice Adm. John B. Nowell, Jr. the chief of naval personnel was quoted several times in the press release.
"Navy is dedicated to supporting our new parents, and we fully understand that our families are as much a part of our service as our Sailors," he said.
Keep in mind that sailors who are currently on parental leave are not eligible for more time. However, those who are about to embark on their leave can take the full 21 days.
The Marines
Following suit, the Marines also extended their second parent leave during the beginning of their child's life. Del Toro said in the Marines' press release. "The expansion of caregiver leave will provide additional relief to the families of Marines and Sailors, further improving Marine and family readiness, as well as recruiting, retention, and overall talent management of the force."
While this change was not anticipated by some, it reflects the Department of Defense's emphasis on family and community connection during difficult times. Note that the Secondary Caregiver Leave can be taken at the same time as a Maternity Convalescent Leave. This is because it is part of the bigger program which is called the Military Parental Leave Program.
The Army and Airforce
The army and airforce increased their paternity and secondary caregiver leave several years ago. The Airforce did this in 2018. Its press release at the time said, "effective immediately, the new policy applies to Total Force Airmen who are birth mothers and fathers, same-sex couples, as well as adoptive and surrogate parents."
The Army extended its leave in 2019, citing that it wanted to increase its members' flexibility as it relates to family reunification. The branch doubled its parental leave for secondary caregivers and added more for maternal leave. On January 23, 2019, the Secretary of the Army at the time, Mark T. Esper signed this directive.
Now, the Marines and the Navy have the same orders and the opportunity for the secondary caregivers to bond with their newborn babies