The move is an expansion of the Military Parental Leave Program and applies to service members on active duty for 12 months or more. The 12-week policy applies to those who have given birth, adoptive parents, non-birth parents and eligible foster parents. Previous policies granted eligible parents and caregivers up to three weeks or six weeks, said Charlie Dietz, a spokesperson for the office of the Secretary of Defense. Non-birth parents, adoptive parents and long-term foster parents were included before. However, the new policy will ensure paternal leave remains separate from medical recovery leave, extending it even more, Dietz said. Visit the link in bio for more details.