Yudu - 2015 06 June

washingtonscene

Carter Appeals to Future Recruits SecDef suggests changes to the

current force structure. I

Sign Up for MOAA Text Alerts Stay current on congressional actions affecting you and your family with MOAA’s text alerts. Text LEGIS to 66221 today. Mes- sage and data rates may apply.

n early April, Secretary of De- fense Ash Carter traveled the East Coast to unveil his “Force of the Fu-

ture” initiative, which suggests changing the way DoD recruits, promotes, and re- tains personnel but off ers few specifi cs or clear proposals. According to Carter, about 250,000 new people need to enter the service every year for the military to keep up with recruiting goals. Currently, two- thirds of Americans ages 17 to 21 are ineligible to join the service due to entry exam scores, physical fi tness require- ments, or character issues. To appeal to the reduced talent pool, Carter wants to evaluate the promotion process to give less weight to seniority and more to merit, allowing the most talented people to move up in rank more quickly. He also wants to consider options that will allow well-trained people, such as in cyberse- curity or the medical profession, to enter the service with a rank that will refl ect their civilian experience and skill sets. “If we’re going to have a new genera-

tion, we … can’t off er them a conveyor belt that you get on and you don’t move until you get off ,” Carter said. “We’re not going to be appealing if we do that, so we’re going to need to change the way we think about things.” Carter also proposed the ideas of a re-

verse GI bill to pay off student loans for re- cruits and off ering fl exible career paths for servicemembers that would allow sabbati- cals or leave from the active duty force for a period to do things such as obtain a degree, acquire a new skill, or start a family.

42 MILITARY OFFICER JUNE 2015 Although specifi cs are scarce for Carter’s

plan, MOAA is interested in how the bulk of the force will be aff ected. “We’re concerned with how some of these initiatives are going to impact the vast majority of those currently serv- ing,” says Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret), a MOAA deputy director of Government Relations. “Some of the proposals sound good in theory but would be very diffi cult in practice.”

Choice Program

Rule Relaxed Change increases eligibility.

he VA announced in late March it is relaxing its deter- mination of driving distance for eligibility in the Choice Program. Veter- ans who live more than 40 miles away from the closest VA health care facility and have wait times of more than 30 days to see a VA physician are eligible. The VA only covers non-VA care for medical needs approved by a VA physician. Driving distance now will be the deter- mining factor in calculating the 40-mile rule. Previously, the VA used a straight-line distance from a veteran’s home to the clos- est VA facility.

The 40-mile rule has been a source of

frustration among veterans, prompting members of Congress and organizations such as MOAA to press for change.

— Contributors are Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret), director; Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret); Col. Bob Norton, USA (Ret); Capt. Kathy Beasley, USN (Ret); Col. Phil Odom, USAF (Ret); Cmdr. René Campos, USN (Ret); Karen Golden; Jamie Naughton; and Trina Fitzgerald, MOAA’s Gov- ernment Relations Department. To subscribe to MOAA’s Legislative Update, visit www.moaa .org/email.