not same demographic here, and retired from usnr not army, but i’m in exactly the same $25k, reliable, suv-ish, search mode. i am soon giving my nice 2013 vw passat to my younger son as he transitions from active army to reserves and a fulltime mba at cornell.
my own results, on what’s generally available at these parameters, thru a nationwide online search: new vw taos s fwd, cpo vw tiguan s, cpo mazda cx5 sport, new kia soul lx or s. would consider, but cannot find, a kia seltos anywhere. maybe a chevy trailblazer but i’m leery of its 3cyl turbo.
as for overseas tours in his next few years, if even a pov is allowed, a local, used, hooptie is best for a young single lt.