Navy service invariably involves assignment to a ship, and Navy ships project power around the globe, resulting in 6 to 9 month or longer deployments. At any point in time, about half of the Navy's 285 ships are underway with over 50,000 sailors, (20% of the total force) whose families can only watch and wait while their loved ones are away at sea.

Navy families are typically concentrated near large Naval Bases such as Norfolk and San Diego, where the ships are home ported, and the  adjacent Naval Air Stations where the carrier air wings are stationed. Although larger Navy facilities offer some family housing, 80% of Navy families live and worship off base.

In the Norfolk area, community churches play an important role in supporting the families of deployed personnel. Many churches have "adopted" a ship, offering church facilities for Family Readiness Group (FRG) Meetings (mutual support groups for the families of deployed sailors), arranging Bon Voyage and Welcome Home parties as the ships come and go, and practical help with home maintenance, finances, and other problems when Mom or Dad is away.

Naval Reserve forces have been particularly affected by the current conflicts since they are often called up as Individual Management Augmentees, and deployed for up to a year with the Army or Marines. Since these sailors aren't attached to a ship, their families don't have the mutual support of an FRG, so their home church may need to provide even greater family support.