The maximum that the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) will garnish, outlined in 5 CFR §581.402, is the following:

Upon obtaining a Colorado dissolution, the former spouse of a servicemember has a right to receive military benefits so long as he/she meets the criteria. As the benefits are statutory entitlements, they are automatic and not subject to negotiation or deviation by a divorce court in Colorado or other states.

Children and stepchildren of servicemembers retain full military benefits while unmarried and under 22.

COMDINST M1000.6A, Personnel Manual, Chapter 8M (this is a huge 17MB document, which takes forever to load) sets out obligations of Coast Guard servicemembers to support their spouses in the absence of an agreement or court order.  Paragraph 8.M.3.c.

MCO P5800.16A, Marine Corps Manual for Legal Administration, Chapter 15, sets up monthly support standards members must follow in the absence of an agreement or court order.  Per section 15004, the amount payable upon request by a family member is expressed as a fraction of the BAH or OHA the marine is receiving, with a minimum dollar level per family member:

MILPERSMAN 1754-030, Chapter 15, Support of Family Members, provides a guide for family support in the absence of an agreement or court order.  Para. 4.a.  The obligation is expressed as a fraction of the sailor's "gross pay" (defined as base pay plus BAH, if entitled, but excludes all other allowances, such as BAS, hostile fire pay, etc).

• Spouse only: 1/3
• Spouse & 1 minor child: 1/2
• Spouse & 2 or more children: 3/5
• 1 minor child: 1/6
• 2 minor children: 1/4
• 3 minor children: 1/3

Waiver of Obligation

Only the Director, Dependency Claims, Navy Military Pay Operations, at DFAS, may grant a waiver.  Pursuant to para. 5.b, the grounds for a waiver are:

Air Force Instruction 36-2906, Personal Financial Responsibility requires servicemembers, in the absence of an agreement or court order, to "provide adequate financial support to family members."  Para. 3.2.1.

Army Regulation 608-99, Family Support, Child Custody & Paternity requires soldiers to pay temporary support depending upon the family situation.  All payments are based upon BAH-II, which was formerly known as BAQ, and is the housing allowance without the locality allowance, found on page 2 of the military pay chart:.  Paragraph 2-6 sets out the following support requirements in the absence of a court order:

Each of the military services has a regulation requiring its servicemembers to support family members upon separation, in the absence of an agreement or court order. Note that they are stop-gap measures, and depending upon their circumstances (such as "fault", income levels, or number of children), either the servicemember or civilian spouse may be better off seeking a court order for temporary support and maintenance.