All parents in uniform will get a dozen weeks of leave when they welcome a child under a new Pentagon policy. But only time will tell how the change, which standardizes leave policies that previously varied based on the parent’s role, will affect retention and recruitment.

The policy, announced Jan. 4 but backdated to Dec. 27, gives military parents up to 12 weeks of paid leave within the first year of the birth or adoption of a child. The change was mandated by the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., have been pushing for more military parental leave for years. Houlahan said she has seen the expansion of military paternity leave over the course of her own life. When she was born, her father who was in the Navy, had no parental leave. But when she had her first child while serving in the Air Force, she was able to take six weeks of leave.

“I'm pretty excited about it and really hopeful that it is something that will make a really big difference in the lives of our servicemen and women and their children,” Houlahan said.

The policy also makes the all-volunteer military more competitive with the civilian job market, Houlahan said.

“When people are making decisions, of course it's about service… But you're also looking at what other opportunities there are in the economy, and you want to make sure that you're competitive,” she said. “And also importantly, the military has always led by example, has always been kind of on the cutting edge of diversity issues. Now in this case, its support of family issues as well.”