The Military Family Justice Project

The Military’s Family Court

How DoD’s FAP Became a Divorce Weapon

Serving your country shouldn’t mean losing your family.

As a father and a journalist, I believe no one should lose their family or their future without due process — and silence only helps the abusers.
— Michael Phillips, Founder, The Thunder Report & Fatherand.Co

Why We Exist

For decades, the Department of Defense’s Family Advocacy Program (FAP) has operated a shadow justice system inside the U.S. military.

No judges
No juries
No real appeals
No presumption of innocence
Just paperwork tribunals deciding a service member’s entire future

One false allegation — often during a divorce or custody dispute — can trigger:

✅ Loss of family
✅ Loss of career and rank
✅ Loss of housing and benefits
✅ Loss of child access
✅ Loss of identity
✅ Suicidality triggered by systemic isolation

All based on a “preponderance of evidence” standard —
meaning 51% convinced → life destroyed.

These unreviewable decisions routinely spill into civilian courts, shaping custody outcomes and alienating children from a loving parent.

This is not a justice system.
This is a divorce weapon.

The Hidden Crisis

New data shows:

A surge in FAP involvement during custody disputes
DoD’s own suicide prevention research confirming a link between:
➝ family separation
➝ career loss
➝ suicidality in service members
Rising numbers of restricted reports — impossible to challenge but used against the accused

Thousands of military parents are being erased in silence.

We are here to break that silence.

We Investigate

We document and expose:

Abuse of FAP & IDC determinations during divorce or separation
Misuse of rank, position, and command influence in personal disputes
How administrative sanctions override constitutional rights
Failures in ADA accommodations during mental-health episodes
The connection between DoD family separation and suicide risk

Our work combines:
📌 Journalism
📌 Data analysis
📌 Case documentation
📌 Human rights advocacy

All to push for due-process reforms that protect families and national security.

What We Publish

📍 Investigations
Major stories exposing systemic vulnerabilities

📍 Data Library
Interactive charts and FOIA-based insights on:

FAP determinations
Discharge trends
Suicide and mental-health risk factors
Child custody outcomes

📍 Case Files
Anonymous profiles illustrating real harm

📍 Policy Tracker
Legislative reform status at state and federal level

📍 Tools for Families

How to Share Your Story Safely

We offer a Secure Source Line with multiple options:

Confidential Contact

📧 tips@fatherand.co (ProtonMail encrypted)

Fully Anonymous Upload

(via Tor browser — link coming soon)

You can submit:
✔ Documents
✔ Audio
✔ Photos
✔ Video
✔ Written testimony

Categories you can report under:

Military Family Justice / DoD FAP / IDC
Child Welfare / CPS / Foster Care
Family Court / Custody / Parental Alienation
Wrongful Prosecution / ADA Violations
Corruption / Whistleblowing
Institutional Abuse
Other (write-in)

Your identity is yours.
We only contact you if you choose to include details.

No one should face this alone.
We will listen. We will investigate. We will report the truth.

[ Submit Secure Tip ] — Button
[ Submit Anonymously ] — Button

What We Want Changed

We advocate for:
✅ Federal review of FAP findings before civilian custody impact
✅ Constitutional due-process standards for IDC/FAP tribunals
✅ Independent civilian oversight
✅ Transparency in DoD suicide causal pathways
✅ Training and accountability for misuse during divorce
✅ Preservation of the parent-child relationship as a readiness issue

Because protecting families protects the force.

How You Can Help

✔ Share this project with service members and veterans
✔ Submit a secure tip if you’ve been impacted
✔ Support investigations with a donation
✔ Contact lawmakers with our evidence briefs (coming soon)
✔ Help us build a network of survivors turned reformers

We are building the largest national database on military family injustice.
Your story is a crucial piece of the truth.

Project Lead

Michael Phillips
Journalist & Founder, The Thunder Report & Fatherand.Co
Investigating family justice systems and child rights in America

—
📍 Homebase: Maryland
⚓ Navy Brat — raised in a service family
💼 Former U.S. Government Contractor — experienced in defense and diplomacy systems
🎖 Family Court Survivor
🛡 Champion of Due Process for Every Parent
🎙 Advocate for Equal Parenting Rights
—

This project reflects both personal experience and a public commitment:
No parent who serves this country should fear losing their child for it.