US military expands leave for new parents in uniform

The US military introduced new rights on Wednesday for military parents, doubling the amount of leave time for service members who give birth and providing leave for new parents who don’t give birth, including those who adopt and foster long-term.

The new policy gives 12 weeks of parental leave to service members who give birth, and 12 weeks of leave for the non-birth parent. Previously, only the birthing parent was authorized six weeks of leave.