The joint initiative between Blue Star Families and the National Governors Association will show that community support for military families is important to military readiness and recruitment.
Stein made the announcement during a ceremony at Fayetteville Technical Community College. His office said it reinforces the governor's commitment to welcoming more military families to North Carolina. Stein also signed four bills into law in 2025 that support servicemembers and their families.
The signed bills will help military spouses transfer their professional licenses from out of state, allowing them to renew driver's licenses remotely, ease the public-school enrollment process for parents, and help military students afford tuition in the UNC system.
"Just as service members and their families have served us, we must serve them," Stein said. "Supporting military families and ensuring they can focus on their core mission to keep us safe is critical to our nation's security and the right thing to do. I am grateful that North Carolina is a Do Your Part State, and I am proud to reaffirm our state's commitment to being a top state for military families."
Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs Jocelyn Mallette noted that more than 600,000 veterans live in the state. North Carolina has the fourth-largest active-duty population of any state.
"I am proud that North Carolina is becoming a Do Your Part State. We owe it to our service members and families to address the unique challenges they face and give them a bright future here in North Carolina."
Blue Star Families is a national nonprofit that supports military families - known as Blue Star families - through the challenges of military life by helping connect them with the communities where they live during their servicemembers' military assignments, according to a release from Stein's office.
The "Do Your Part" initiative identifies and implements effective policies and programs to aid military families.
"I'm excited to welcome Governor Stein and North Carolina to this growing collaboration. Together, we're leading the way in supporting those who serve and the families who stand beside them," said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. "Supporting our military families is not just the right thing to do -- it's essential to our nation's strength and future."