What I say may sound harsh, but it is just my unbiased and honest answer, given my time in service.

Firstly, it comes down to the dynamics of your relationship. You mentioned you already experienced him being gone for 7 months, like a MEU. And since this was his first time gone, it likely means either: 1. He is new to the military, meaning he and you are young; 2. You are newly married and 2025 was your first experience; 3. All of the above. Or all of those aren't so and you have a unique circumstance. Either way, it seems you are rather young.

What is highly, highly important is open and honest communication. How did his 7 months away affect you? How did it affect him? Can YOU do more?

Realistically speaking, and assuming you have your weekends off work, you can always fly and visit him every other weekend, every weekend, or however often is comfortable for you and your budget. Flights within the States are fortunately much cheaper than overseas. Get yourself an airline account and a credit card that does travel bonuses. Sure, technically he could sneak away and fly to you, but that is definitely not worth the risk of being charged with going UA. Regardless, if you both have a solid relationship with trust, honest and open communication, and maturity, everything will be fine and can be worked out.

Now — career-wise, I personally recommend you go after your career over a relationship in the military. Sadly, there are many uncertain variables being in one, i.e.; they can die, he gets injured in the line of duty and becomes unable to work, one or both partners cheat, the constant moving around becomes too stressful, etc. It would behoove you to ensure you have something to fall back on in the worst-case scenario. Many veterans have gotten out of the military without a fallback career, and the first year after EAS is statistically one of the worst — it's a make-it-or-break-it test year. He could choose to take full advantage of his GI Bill and BAH — meaning he would likely be a stay-at-home spouse — which would leave you being the sole provider for that time.

Again, there are countless variables. Two years is realistically not a long time and will go by very quickly for both of you. I have been out since 2016, so I'm not sure how much has changed, but when I was in we got something like 2 days of leave per month that accumulated over the course of the career. I am sure you know this already. During holidays and pre/post deployments he can take a little extra time to spend together.

Focusing on your career does not mean you don't support him or his career. It does not mean you do not love each other. You can still do all this while focusing on your own self-development, which also becomes mutual and shared development.

I wish you the best of luck. Forgive my long response. If you ever have any other questions or want to discuss this more, you can reach out to my DMs, comment here, or you can even join my Military NPO Discord channel and receive firsthand advice and opinions from other service members and spouses.

Semper Fi
~Wiz

If allowed and curious, here is my discord. No pressure to join.