Military Officer - February 2007 - (Page 12)

fromthepresident Lessons to Learn History offers ample evidence that failure to support a strong national defense and value all military servicemembers will come back and bite our country where it hurts. A s a teacher, history has no mercy. Unfortunately, we as a nation keep rediscovering this fact when it comes to supporting a strong national defense and valuing our military people. We have rediscovered it each time we weren’t fully ready to meet the military requirements of the day — World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and now in Iraq. Because we weren’t fully ready for these wars, we had to spend more time and money recovering than we would have spent to ensure a fully trained, properly equipped force in the ﬁrst place. Equally troubling, our nation would be hard-pressed to react — especially over a sustained period — if another major contingency beyond Iraq and Afghanistan were to arise somewhere in our complex world. Appointed and elected leaders of both parties — and the citizens who tell our leaders what their priorities should be — have neglected the big picture about having a strong national defense. The nation’s leadership ﬁnally has realized that more military people are needed to meet all of our defense requirements. Sustaining a strong national defense for the long term also requires a long-term commitment to preserving the kind of compensation and beneﬁts package for currently serving and retired members that is essential to help offset the extraordinary demands and sacriﬁces inherent in a military career. It is a 12 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2007 grievous mistake to assume, as some have in the past, that “retired servicemembers and survivors don’t contribute to readiness.” History shows that today’s career force is sensitive to the government’s treatment of their predecessors as far as retirement and health care. Larger forces and a fairer compensation package won’t come cheap, but the alternative to recruiting, retaining, and supporting high-quality people — while also procuring and maintaining highquality equipment — simply is not acceptable. With a new secretary of Defense, many new members of Congress, and new congressional committee leaders, we have a golden opportunity to refocus national attention on these key priorities. There is simply no higher national priority than ensuring the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country today and yesterday are supported and valued. Please sign and mail the four tear-out letters at pages 32 and 52 of this magazine to help ensure Congress understands at least one part of the big picture leading to a stronger national defense. — Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - February 2007

Military Officer - February 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Building Stability Reaching Out, Reaching Up 5 Tax-Season Strategies A Capital Event MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index Member Books Sounding Taps MOAA Calendar Encore

Military Officer - February 2007

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