washingtonscene Military Morale A

Crashing Survey shows troops have a dim view on their pay and benefits.

Military Times Survey active duty personnel surveyed

2,300 more than

indicated they consider their quality of life is “good” or “excellent.”

said they think their quality of life will further decline in future years.

56% 70%

44%

indicated their pay and allowances were either “good” or “great.”

34 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2015

Military Times survey released in December 2014 showed troops are beginning to feel burned out, underpaid, and unsupported by senior leadership. These findings came from nearly 2,300 ac- tive duty person- nel participating in a survey be- tween July and August 2014. Only 56 percent

of surveyed ser- vicemembers indi- cated their quality of life is “good” or “excellent.” This pales in com- parison to the 91 percent of respon- dents in a similar 2009 survey. More than two-

thirds (70 percent) said they think their quality of life will further decline in future years. On senior lead-

ership, only 27 percent of respon- dents think senior military leaders have servicemem- bers’ best interests in mind. More than half of re- spondents felt that way in 2009.

Views on military compensation and health care also have dipped. In 2009, 87 percent of respondents indicated their pay and allowances were either “good” or “great.” In 2014, only 44 percent took the same view. For health care, the numbers of those satisfied plummeted from 78 percent to 45 percent.

Despite the grim outlook, DoD of- ficials continue to report that recruiting and retention remains high. But underly- ing problems easily are masked by the ongoing drawdown. This survey — echoed by similar sur-

veys conducted by Blue Star Families and the Navy Retention Study — should serve as a bellwether for the health of the all- volunteer force. These surveys highlight what MOAA has said for years: Short-sighted cuts to compensation and benefits prove to be a slippery slope — once started, cuts histori- cally continue until they damage recruit- ing and retention. “It’s not surprising servicemembers

would show increased signs of disappoint- ment with current compensation,” says MOAA Deputy Director of Government Relations Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret). “2009 and 2010 saw the last pay raises that exceeded private-sector wage growth. Those plus-ups were critically needed to eliminate a 13.5-percent pay gap that existed between troops and their private-sector counterparts. Since then, today’s active duty force has had two straight years of pay caps that represented the smallest pay raises in 50 years. Their health care benefit has been eroded with the elimination of Prime ser- vice areas, and servicemembers will soon see out-of-pocket costs for their housing.” High operational tempo and the un- certainty of the drawdown leave many servicemembers and their families won- dering what tomorrow will bring.