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Take Action fromthepresident


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We’ve been in a lot of tough defense budget scrapes before as MOAA members. We’ve managed to do pretty well most of the time, but this particular round of cuts is diff erent; the defense bud- get cuts are extremely signifi cant. It’s got me worried. Many in the Penta- gon, Congress, and among the public are taking the all-volunteer force for granted. Americans’ dissatisfaction with govern- ments in Iraq and Afghanistan is growing; meanwhile, the public dialogue is preoc- cupied with cutting the defi cit and getting the unemployment rate down. It’s the job of MOAA’s board and staff to be thought leaders. We study the facts and political environment to recommend the best possible choices for you and your fami- lies. But now, more than ever, we need your help, too. You are our not-so-secret weap- on. MOAA’s voice of reason is heard when its members take action in large numbers. Recent eff orts to galvanize our total membership have left me puzzled. To maximize constituent input to the 12 super committee legislators, we mailed suggested letters to 28,000 of you living in their states and districts. Recipients need- ed only to sign and mail the letter. The ad- dress was on the envelope and the stamp included! But only 41 percent mailed the letters. I fear this level of participation in the future will not have enough impact. In 2011, members sent 820,000 emails


to Congress — but from only 67,000 people. This is better than most organizations but


Your participation is the strength behind MOAA’s One Powerful Voice®. With the all-volunteer force and our national security at risk, we need every member to stand up.


not optimal. There are 120,000 subscribers to MOAA’s Legislative Update, but only 35 to 40 percent open it in any given week. Is it complacency? Do members think the success we’ve had for the past 10 years will continue automatically? Is it lack of awareness of the risks? Or lack of faith that individuals can make a diff erence? What else should we be doing at headquarters? These questions keep me up at night. We thank those who already are partici-


pating, and we ask you to help us motivate other members of the military community to defend their interests. If you use email and don’t receive MOAA’s Legislative Up- date, sign up now (see black bar below*). When we send you an alert, please act on it quickly and urge others to do the same. We recognize DoD needs to be part of the solution to our budget crisis — but cuts shouldn’t skew disproportionately to the personnel area. This isn’t only about pro- tecting your hard-earned benefi ts. It’s about preserving our nation’s ability to sustain the kind of strong career force that is the very foundation of our future national security. Take action on the most current MOAA


legislative alerts: Visit http://capwiz.com/ moaa/home or call MOAA’s toll-free Capi- tol Hill hotline at (866) 272-MOAA (6622) and ask for your legislators’ offi ces.


— Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.


*online: Visit www.moaa.org/email or email msc@moaa.org to sign up for MOAA’s Legislative Update. 12 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2012


PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT


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