The decree acknowledges the immutable relationship between the state of military families and 3 DND/CF Ombudsman Special Report On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium the CF’s operational capability, although the tangible impact it has throughout the organization is subject to question. [...] This systemic review found that the wide disparity in the quality of military housing, coupled with the fluctuations in rent charged from one location to another, is having a negative impact on the life of military families. [...] In the early 1990s, the chain of command and government of Canada made a conscious decision to encourage CF personnel to live in civilian communities – encouraging the purchase of homes to get on the property ladder. [...] It is recommended that DND/CF continue to effect an important shift in its philosophy towards military families by reinforcing a more complete integration of families into the defence team, consistent with the pivotal role that has been 9 DND/CF Ombudsman Special Report On the Homefront: Assessing the Well-being of Canada’s Military Families in the New Millennium demanded of them over the past two [...] It is recommended that the Military Family Services Program be reviewed and modernized consistent with both the evolution in the composition and nature of today’s military families, and the enhanced role demanded of them.