fromthepresident It Takes a Team A

MOAA’s success in protecting the hard-earned benefi ts of the entire military community relies on a strong, engaged membership. Now more than ever, we need your voice.

A member recently shared with me that she stays involved with MOAA be- cause we provide her with a much-needed voice. With engaged members, MOAA can provide one powerful voice that rep- resents all who wear or have worn the uniform and their families and survivors. Our strength stems from having everyone, from the most junior offi cers to the most senior ranking offi cers, on our team. MOAA recognizes it requires a team to complete our mission of advocating for the military community and connecting it with the nation it serves. Whether listening to our own members or joining forces with The Military Coalition or other partners, we do not go it alone. Our team regularly provides solutions for military and veterans’ issues and maintains a presence in the Capi- tol, the VA, DoD, and the White House. We are privileged to have partners and sponsors who regularly lend their voices and resources, enabling us to continue serving the military community. I strongly believe in creating a team around MOAA that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Only with many, diverse voices are we able to shape legislative action. Make no doubt about it, we fi nd ourselves at a tip- ping point. This month, Congress might complete its work on the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Bill. Some of the proposals up for debate in the bill are a bad deal for the military community, including: pay raises that fail to keep pace with the private sector;

12 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2015

dramatic pharmacy fee increases; and erosion of the housing allowance and con- tinued cuts to commissaries.

These shortsighted decisions will have

a long-term impact on the future of Amer- ica’s military, aff ecting retention and read- iness — the core of our national defense. Members of the all-volunteer force (AVF)

are paying the price, as their hard-earned benefi ts erode and fewer troops are left to carry out the mission. As a result, the AVF is on a worrisome slope leading to lower mo- rale and poor retention and readiness. Some currently serving or recently

retired senior offi cers might see MOAA’s advocacy mission as being in direct opposi- tion to Pentagon plans and proposals. We understand the impact of competing priori- ties. However, the one weapon system that has never let the nation down is our people, whose service and sacrifi ce is the up-front payment for the benefi ts they have earned. Now more than ever, the military com- munity could benefi t from more experi- enced voices. If you really care about the troops you lead, those you will leave as you transition to civilian life, and those yet to take the oath, lend us your voice and pay it forward. The oath does not fade when we hang up the uniform. As offi cers, we have a lifetime obligation to never stop serving.

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Keep Up-to-Date Add your and your spouse’s email ad- dresses with those of your fellow members, so MOAA can deliver key legislative news updates as they happen with opportunities to act im- mediately. Call (800) 243-MOAA (6622), or email msc@moaa.org.

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

PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN