Army Emergency Relief's primary goal is to be the first choice destination for every Active Duty and Retired Soldier and their families in financial need. We aim to deliver services that meet all valid needs of the 21st century Soldier and deliver those services quickly and efficiently to ensure our Soldiers are focused on their mission, not on their Families emergency financial needs.

To accomplish our goals, AER will improve its level of communication with Soldiers to better understand their needs, in order to constantly review and align our programs to be inline with those needs. AER will utilize both our field level Officers as well as more effectively embrace our digital space to address Soldiers where they are and educate them on AER's benefits.

Each year, the United States Army supports Army Emergency Relief through a ten week information and fundraising Campaign. The Annual Campaign has worked for 75 years to inform Soldiers and invite them to contribute. Our slogan, "Helping the Army take Care of Its Own" has always reflected AER's mission to raise funds from Soldiers to assist Soldiers. To meet this need, AER works with 300+ Officers spread around the globe to assist Soldiers in financial need and to work towards informing them of AER's many benefits.

The value and success of AER's programs is reflected in how AER is valued by those it serves. In 2012, delegates to the Army's Family Advocacy Program Conference rated AER as one of the top programs supporting Soldiers and their Families. Because assistance is provided on an emergency basis, our success cannot be judged by numbers of cases, rather by our continued ability to be there for Soldiers and their Families when they need help.

AER has worked hard since 1942 to adjust to the needs of Soldiers, just as the Army has adjusted as it seeks to find and retain the best talent. Through programs such as our Command Referral Program, Wounded Warrior Comfort Grants, Wounded Warrior Special Access Program, and now our Direct Access Policy, Army Emergency Relief continues to modify how we help to fit the ever-changing requirements of Soldiers and their Families. Additionally, AER has added 9 new categories of assistance since 2010, ensuring we can be there when a Soldier needs help. AER is able to meet 100 percent of the emergency financial needs of Soldiers and Families through our fundraising efforts and through withdrawals from our reserve account. However, we can't meet the needs that are not brought to us. Payday lenders and other high-interest solutions continue to trap Soldiers in cycles of financial distress. As long as Soldiers reach out to banks, credit cards, and high interest lenders for valid emergencies, then our work to find ways to reach them is not complete.