MILITARY FAMILY LAW 101: “My wife can't get a share of my pension – we have not been married ten years during my service.” Wrong! There is no minimum number of years for divisibility of the military pension. The so-called “10/10 Rule” (or 10-Year Rule) is a source of confusion for many individuals when dealing with a military divorce. The 10-Year Rule only affects how the former spouse receives the share of military retirement pay to which he or she is entitled as a result of a divorce. The first “10” of the 10/10 Rule requires a couple to have been married for at least ten years. The second “10” requires the military spouse to have served at least 10 years of service creditable towards retirement during the marriage. If both these conditions are met, then the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) may directly pay a former spouse his or her share of military retirement pay. If the 10-Year Rule is not met, then the military spouse must provide the former spouse his or her share directly, which could be done by mailing a check, setting up an allotment or automatic payment, or some similar method.