fromtheeditor Remain Engaged T

As the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is set to report to Congress, the collective powerful voice of MOAA’s membership is more important than ever.

The 1993 movie Groundhog Day fea- tured a character, played by Bill Murray, who had the (mis)fortune of reliving the same day over and over. It took him several recurrences of Feb. 2 before he realized he was able to retain information from each repeated day and infl uence the events of the day that followed. We should be so lucky to be able to re-

live the same day until we learn that day’s lessons, but we’re not, so we must study the events of the past in order to make in- formed decisions for the future. The Military Compensation and Retire-

ment Modernization Commission, after months of reviewing possible changes to the military compensation and retirement systems, is due to report in early February its recommendations to Congress. A widely discussed potential change to the retire- ment system is the conversion to a 401(k)- style plan. In the feature article “Retirement About-face?” MOAA Government Relations staff members Col. Phil Odom, USAF (Ret); Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret); and Jamie Naughton examine the history and attri- butes of such a plan and some of the poten- tial challenges if it were to be implemented. MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert

R. Ryan Jr., USN (Ret), notes in his Feb- ruary column that your voice is going to be even more important in 2015. The association will continue to encourage Congress to fi nd relief from sequestra- tion and ensure any changes to the military compensation and retirement

systems are fair and do not threaten the future health of the all-volunteer force. At MOAA, through Military Offi cer, we

are committed to providing information you need to make informed choices and help move forward the association’s mission. However, because of the magazine’s lead time, there will always be a lag in getting out the most current information. But there are ways to get more timely information. MOAA’s Web Base (www.moaa.org)

off ers the latest information, and the as- sociation’s News Exchange and Legislative Update e-newsletters, along with our new text message alert service*, push timely information to you when it means the most, especially when we need you to engage with your legislators on Capitol Hill. To make it all work, we need to be able to get the information to you. Make sure we have your correct email address in our database. To update your profi le, log in to your account at www.moaa.org or contact MOAA’s Member Service Center at (800) 234-MOAA (6622) or msc@moaa.org. Though you don’t have the luxury of gathering information by reliving the same day over and over, you can take advantage of the many communication channels avail- able to be a part of a formidable force that is helping to infl uence the events of the future.

— Capt. Gordon J. Hume, USN (Ret)

*online: Visit www.moaa.org/texting to receive text alerts on military-related topics of interest to you. 12 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2015

PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN