Dividing military pensions in a divorce involves several key steps. The court must have jurisdiction over the service member, established by their residence, domicile, or consent. The pension is divided based on the duration of the marriage overlapping with military service, using the “disposable retired pay” which excludes certain deductions. For direct payments from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the couple must meet the 10/10 rule (10 years of marriage overlapping 10 years of military service). The former spouse must submit a certified court order to DFAS to initiate payments, which cannot exceed 50% of the service member’s disposable retired pay​.