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COLA Climbs • After more than two years in the hole, the CPI finally crept back above zero in Janu- ary. Inflation rose 0.5 percent for the month and now stands at plus 0.42 percent for the year. Barring another implosion of the econ- omy, retirees will see at least a modest COLA increase in 2012.


The new report identified four key


areas that will be the focus of the effort: • enhancing military families’ well-being and psychological health; • developing career and education oppor- tunities for military spouses; • increasing child care availability and quality of child care; and • improving education and development of military children. Government agencies that will partner in this “unprecedented commitment” will include the departments of Education, Labor, Agriculture, Treasury, and HHS. Robert Gordon III, deputy under


secretary of defense for Military Com- munity and Family Policy, emphasized the effort will require a “whole-nation approach,” as DoD and the VA can’t ac- complish it alone. Gordon said DoD has 200,000 military


children in the child care system but still faces a shortage of 37,000 child care spaces. Without access to quality child care, military spouses have difficulties pursu- ing education and career goals, which has negative ripple effects for the whole family, especially in an environment of multiple deployments and permanent- change-of-station moves. There are 50 commitments in the re- port aimed at addressing such concerns. The president said he had asked ser- vicemembers during his December 2010 trip to Afghanistan what he could do to better support troops there. He was told, “Sir, take care of our families. If we know our families are all right back home, then we can do our jobs.” The president closed by calling on 100


percent of Americans to support this effort to demonstrate the nation’s gratitude to troops and their families. Ryan said, “The troop feedback I’ve got-


ten on my trips to Iraq has been consistent with what President Obama heard. The


feedback I’ve heard from their military leaders in theater has gone further — that they’re worried the persistent lack of ad- equate home time between deployments will eventually take a toll on retention and readiness.” He added, “MOAA shares the concerns on both of those fronts and will continue doing everything in our power to address them.”


Commissary


Cuts Coming? Funding could be targeted.


S


ervice leaders testifying at a Feb. 9 House Armed Services Per- sonnel subcommittee hearing were


warned to be prepared to address new budget threats to commissary and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) programs. Subcommittee Chair Joe Wilson (R-


S.C.) said some in Congress want to pur- sue big defense spending cuts and might be more apt to target support programs like these rather than weapons programs. Wilson said he intends to strongly


resist any such cuts and pledged to fight “misperceptions” that these programs don’t contribute to readiness. He ex- pressed a strong belief that commissar- ies, exchanges, libraries, and child care and fitness centers are essential to troop morale, family support, and retention. He said service leaders should “fight


hard to factually justify the programs that are truly critical to servicemembers and their families.” The senior subcommittee Democrat,


Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.), echoed Wilson’s concerns. Davis said some don’t appreciate the


value of commissaries, exchanges, and other facilities and suggest, “Let them go


*late-breaking news: The U.S. Supreme Court protects protests at military funerals as “free speech.” 40 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2011


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