fromthepresident Under Pressure A
MOAA’s discussions on Capitol Hill confi rm: Sequestration limits the nation’s options to address the three key pillars of the defense budget — recapitalization, readiness, and personnel.
At a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in March, Sec- retary of Defense Jim Mattis characterized sequestration cuts as “nonstrategic and self-destructive.” Similarly, in March before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Aff airs and Related Agencies, the services’ senior enlisted advisors argued for budget cer- tainty and investment in servicemembers to help recruit and retain the best all-volun- teer military. But with the administration’s request to boost appropriations by $54 bil-
equest to boost appropriations by $54 bil- lion midway through the current year and proposed increases for FY 2018 to address modernization and readiness, pressures on personnel accounts are more acute.
The FY 2017 defense budget advanced
several MOAA-supported issues*: It se- cured a 2.1-percent military pay raise, pro- tected benefi ciaries from steep TRICARE fee increases, and included reforms to improve benefi ciaries’ access to timely and high-quality health care. The bill stopped the force drawdown and rejected a pro- posal to cut housing allowances. Finally, it extended the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance at $310 a month until May 2018 and implemented Survivor Benefi t Plan annuities for survivors of reservists who die during inactive duty training. While the Bipartisan Budget Act of
2015 provided short-term relief, funding levels have not kept pace with the reali- ties of the strategic environment. Absent new legislation, the caps set by the Budget
Control Act of 2011 will return in FY 2018. Congress and the administration are likely to hit fi scal walls while attempting to re- capitalize the nation’s military. The current force must strain to meet global commitments. At one point in early January, the U.S. had no aircraft carrier presence around the world at sea. The Army assesses only three of 58 brigade combat teams are available to “fi ght to- night.” The Marine Corps reports only 45 percent of its aircraft are mission-capable on the fl ight line, not to mention rapidly diminishing safety rates. The Air Force reported it could not fi ll 21 percent of its 3,495 fi ghter cockpits, with pilots leaving the military at a rate Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein declared a crisis, citing operational tempo and a draw from the airlines. These challenges forecast ad- ditional pressures on personnel accounts. MOAA recognizes the need to modern- ize the military enterprise, and we chal- lenge Congress to meet these readiness challenges while remaining attuned to the need to recruit and retain talent. We need solutions that solve for both, without hand- ing the bill to our troops. As our senior enlisted advisors remind us, investments in servicemembers are an investment in read- iness and the future of the force. We know they, like you, will “never stop serving.”
— Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret)
*online: Visit
www.moaa.org/takeaction to learn more about MOAA’s legislative agenda. 8 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2017
PHOTO: ROB CANNON
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