Military Officer - December 2008 - (Page 12) fromthepresident Our Best Bargain As 2008 closes and we look ahead to 2009, association members must remind national leaders that military people are the nation’s best weapon, worth every penny — and more. I am disappointed when national leaders suggest personnel costs are too high or that spending less on the troops will help procure more and better weapons. It’s especially offensive to hear during a time of war; it makes servicemembers and their families feel less valued, even as the nation demands their extreme dedication and personal sacrifice. Military people have a cost, but they are unquestionably our nation’s best bargain. Who else would make the sacrifices required to defend this nation, work seven days a week in challenging circumstances, and spend considerable time away from their families — often risking their lives — for servicemembers’ current pay and benefits? Yet when something is said and heard so often, it’s assumed to be true — and these arguments desensitize Congress and the public to the military’s worth. We simply can’t let that happen. Yes, personnel costs have risen 60 percent since 2001 to reverse the retention problems of the 1990s and meet wartime needs. But the cost for basic personnel combat equipment has tripled since 1999. The cost for Humvees is up 500 percent since 2001. And the F-22 costs $180 million per aircraft, far higher than the original estimate of $35 million. The only thing out of balance on the personnel side is the time servicemembers have at home between arduous deployments. During two recent trips to Iraq, I saw firsthand that many now deploy for a year, return for a year, and then deploy for another year. Much of that year stateside is 12 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2008 spent training — often away from home — and preparing to redeploy. Out of 36 months, our troops are home for about six. This takes a huge toll. Despite much empathy for the wounded and sincere efforts to improve pay and benefits, there remains an unstated implication that, if the troops and their families have endured the high operations tempo so far, they will keep doing so. This is a risk we should not take — a risk compounded by various commissions and groups that want to civilianize military retirement, delay the active duty retirement to age 57, and triple TRICARE copayments. The services are meeting their recruiting goals, thanks to more recruiters and financial incentives, but they remain very concerned about midgrade NCO and officer retention. The Army is short about 2,000 majors — a critical leadership gap. Every day demonstrates America gets more value and dedication from our troops than we’re paying for. They are the only weapon system that has never failed us. MOAA members must not let the “people are expensive” argument go unanswered. — Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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