It’s Unforgivable
Our elected national leadership is out of alignment with respect to military priorities, exacerbating the stress on our armed forces and threatening readiness and morale.
By Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.

Proper alignment makes your automobile tires work more efficiently; misalignment increases stress and wear on the tires and steering mechanism. As I write this column at October’s end, the Senate — its priorities out of alignment — still has not passed its version of the FY 2006 Defense Authorization Bill.

The Senate’s inaction is incomprehensible — especially during a war. At a time when the Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve missed their annual recruiting quotas by thousands, the bill contains important items such as a 20,000 increase in Army end strength; a doubling of the maximum enlistment bonus; major new accession, affiliation, and reenlistment bonus authorities; and health coverage for Selected Reserve members and families.

Compounding this misalignment of priorities, the Pentagon and House of Representatives don’t want to do anything to improve reserve health care for those who are bearing a significant load in the current war. They don’t support fixing the Survivor Benefit Plan/Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset, either. Our dedicated guardmembers, reservists, and surviving spouses seem to be a low priority with our federally elected leadership.

Some in Congress propose cutting the defense budget by 2 percent to help pay Katrina costs. Hurricane victims deserve all the help they can get, but not at the expense of the very military people who saved the day during that disaster.

On top of all this, the Office of Management and Budget wants to have a moratorium on pay and benefits fixes for those fighting the war — and that’s while the war is going on! What kind of signal does that send to our dedicated servicemembers?

Today’s $400 billion defense budget is only about 3.5 percent of the national economy, as measured by the GDP. Between 1940 and 2000, peacetime defense spending averaged 6 percent of the GDP. Now in wartime, we won’t match past peacetime defense budget standards, even while diverting billions to pour on the pork and build bridges to nowhere. Even after Senate action, the House and Senate face weeks of negotiation for an FY 2006 that is already well under way.

Less than 1 percent of America’s people are sacrificing for the other 99 percent while Senate leadership drags its feet. Until this bill is passed and signed by the president, let your elected officials know they are out of alignment. Contact them through MOAA’s Web site (http://capwiz.com/moaa/home) or MOAA’s toll-free telephone line to Congress, (866) 272-6622.