Military Officer - December 2006 - (Page 12)

yourviews MILIT ARY OCTOBER 2006 $4 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MOAA | ONE POWERFUL VOICE® W W W. M O A A . O R G OFFICER Naval Action CNO Adm. Michael Mullen shares his goals — which include more sailors on the ground in Iraq 44 DISABILITY BACK PAY? DoD, VA say more than 100,000 might qualify 29 QDR ASSESSMENT, PART I What threats will the U.S. face in the years ahead? 54 MO_cover.indd 1 “Removing personnel outside their realm of mission/duty is an accident waiting to happen.” —Capt. Harold J.E. Deibert, USMC-Ret. Naval Disagreement As a retired naval ofﬁcer, I found the interview with CNO Adm. Michael Mullen [“Naval Action,” October 2006] to be very disturbing. Your interview indicated he did not seem to possess a very ﬁrm understanding of the very important role of the naval service in the defense of our country. … If the Marines and the Army need more personnel in this battle, they need to say so, and all Americans need to step up to this requirement and demand that our Congress/administration allocate more. Cmdr. Ken Aanerud, USN-Ret. Yuma, Ariz. likely sooner. The article stated that most sailors are “being assigned to Iraq rather than volunteering.” Yet, he characterizes the majority response as “Throw me in coach. I’m in the military. That’s where the ﬁght is. I want to go.” What is his deﬁnition of “volunteering”? 11/6/06 10:14:08 PM The same sailors/soldiers in 20 years will become eligible for the beneﬁts of a watered-down TRICARE system — a system he now says is too expensive. I am certain he will not be worried about the increase in copayment upon retirement, as the military health system takes very good care of O-10s. He was right about one thing. The ﬁghting in Iraq and Afghanistan is going to end, and the global war on terrorism is going to go on for a long time. I feel that war will not require the expensive ships he is so concerned about but will certainly need trained, dedicated, and intelligent personnel — sort of like the ones he is worried about costing too much for health care. Lt. Col. Dee C. Christensen, USA-Ret. via e-mail Lt. Col. R.B. Blackburn, USAFR-Ret. via e-mail I have always thought the main purpose/mission of the U.S. Navy was to man “ships at sea.” Removing personnel outside their realm of mission/duty is an accident waiting to happen for these personnel not fully trained or equipped to function with frontline units. Capt. Harold J.E. Deibert, USMC-Ret. Oceanside, Calif. When our military has been given a very difﬁcult task, without adequate manpower and needed equipment and protective gear, talk of reducing beneﬁts can only serve to further weaken morale. I think it is noteworthy that none of our senior military leaders have “fallen on their sword” to protest what the administration has done to the military services. We have thrown money at every other faction of our nation, but the administration has resisted all suggestions that more troops and equipment are needed. Thankfully, MOAA has repeatedly gone on record that our troops need help. Lt. Col. George C. Reoh, USAF-Ret. via e-mail While his desire for more Navy ground action in Iraq and Afghanistan might be considered admirable (sorry!) let Admiral Mullen stick to water/amphibious operations; it seems inevitable that action will come his way sooner or later, most 12 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2006 It is interesting that Admiral Mullen is able to casually justify a billion dollars for a destroyer and $2 billion for a sub and is now letting the Army train sailors to be soldiers. Then again, it is the only way, with the exception of the Marine Corps, to get the Navy into the Iraq ball game. I am aghast at the CNO’s comments regarding TRICARE payments. This is no longer about freedom, sacriﬁce, valor, or patriotism. It’s about money, and no one cares about http://WWW.MOAA.ORG

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Military Officer - December 2006

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