your views
If only 8 percent of the membership sends emails to Congress — we have problems!
—Cmdr. Richard N. Wiernik, USN-Ret.
Action and Accountability
“Take Action” [From the President] in the February 2012 Military Officer is spot on in pointing out the apathy and lack of concern by too many [MOAA] members.
If only 41 percent of the membership is willing to send back a letter that is already stamped — we have problems! If only 8 percent of the membership sends emails to Congress — we have problems! If only 35 to 40 percent of the membership opens the Legislative Update in any given week — we have problems!
This kind of apathy is unacceptable in a time when we are facing the axe.
—Cmdr. Richard N. Wiernik, USN-Ret. via email
For years, the Pentagon has been accused of having a wasteful, unaccountable, unwieldy financial system that fails to fully account for/efficiently track the funds it receives across all services, especially in the area of weapons and major end-item procurement. Improving financial-system efficiency and ensuring that expenditures achieve expected value-for-dollar goals, which in turn reduces waste, could return multimillions of dollars back into the annual Pentagon budget, supposedly. If these savings could be realized, they could actually help pay for the promises made to those who have worn the uniform. …
Or … an investigative reporter might find that the Pentagon has the most efficient, effective accounting system ever seen and one that the rest of government should emulate. Either outcome would make fascinating reading and the political and administrative facts uncovered [would be] priceless.
—Lt. Col. Robert “Bob” Lommel, USA-Ret. via email
Deep Freeze
I enjoyed the article in the January [2012] magazine on “Operation Deep Freeze” by Christina Wood very much. One comment is that the U.S. Public Health Service should have been included in the list of uniformed services that have supported the operation since 1955.
Beginning in the fall of 1960, the [Public Health Service] had an officer stationed at McMurdo Station for several years performing environmental radiation monitoring because of the small nuclear power plant that was built there. I personally knew four officers who did a tour “on the ice.”
—Capt. J.K. Channell, USPHS-Ret. via email
Deep Water
Understanding funding for all missions of the U.S. Coast Guard and every other service is thin at best, it was interesting to analyze [U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J.] Papp’s comments relative to the replacement of [Coast Guard] ships [“Up to Speed,” February 2012].
As I understand it from this interview, the Coast Guard is building deep-water ships, while I read elsewhere that the Navy is building a shallow-water fleet. Where are mission priorities? Not only does the Coast Guard need to review [its] many missions and set priorities [that] are attainable by available funding, but [so] does our nation and its other services. Perhaps a little interservice mission coordination is in order here as well.
It sounds to me like the maritime safety and security team mission that the admiral discussed is a lot like the SEAL mission. I’m sure mission similarities and duplication can be found across the board. Even though they are under different secretaries in our nation’s political arena, perhaps it is time to set service egos aside and join in a common goal of defending our nation.
Also of note during the admiral’s discussion of ship replacement was the absence of any discussion relative to the Coast Guard’s Aids to Navigation ships.
16 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2012
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