fromthepresident Calling on You I

To remain the most infl uential veterans’ association, MOAA needs the collective voice of its members to fi ght for the benefi ts veterans have earned through years of service and sacrifi ce.

I have thought a lot lately about our or- ganizational fl exibility. Our hyper-connect- ed society rewards fl exible organizations. Throughout 2014, MOAA proved quickly mobilizing members can have a strategic ef- fect. But to remain the most infl uential vet- erans’ association, we must readily adapt to emerging requirements. We envision issues unfolding swiftly on Capitol Hill that will require immediate response this year. Going forward, we will need all hands on deck. That means ensuring we can quickly con- nect with you. Pressuring Congress to fi nd relief from sequestration and advancing our position on the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission report, due in early February, compels en- gagement by all 380,000 members. To do this, we ask that you lend us

your voice by ensuring we have in our da- tabase your updated profi le and accurate email address. Without this, our ability to mobilize is constrained. I understand some members might be uncomfortable using computers or email and perhaps rely on Military Offi cer for up- dated information. We also have thousands of members who haven’t shared their email addresses with us. However, MOAA has become reliant on the immediacy of digital platforms to disseminate information. MOAA’s News Exchange® (NEX) is a bi-

weekly e-newsletter that delivers informa- tion on all topics of importance to veterans and their families. NEX goes out to slightly more than 162,000 addresses. MOAA’s

Legislative Update, delivered to you each Friday, keeps you posted on MOAA’s legis- lative eff orts to protect your interests and advises you of special alerts on congressio- nal votes aff ecting you and your family. Yet, only about 161,000 addressees receive these important updates and actionable alerts. Consider this: At least 230,000 more members could lend their voices by re- sponding to these calls to action. MOAA re- cently generated more than 300,000 letters to Congress eff ectively amending the 1-per- cent COLA legislation. And within a three- week period in November 2014, 25,000 members mobilized to generate 50,000 messages to Congress that helped blunt the erosion of benefi ts in the defense bill. Spouses have an important voice, too.

Your spouse’s information could expand our infl uence. MOAA has email addresses for less than a quarter of the 105,000 spouse records in the database and knows thousands of spouses are not yet regis- tered. Our Member Service Center stands ready to assist you in updating your profi le with this information.* We will need all of your voices to suc- ceed in 2015. Only then can MOAA remain agile and persuasive enough to shape appropriate legislative outcomes. Collec- tively, we need to never stop serving.

— Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN (Ret)

*update your profile: Call MOAA’s Member Service Center at (800) 234-6622 or email msc@moaa.org. 14 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2015

PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN