Questions of Defense
The debate continues on requirements for national security.
By Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret.

The debate over whether the United States needs more military forces feels like, as Yogi Berra once said, 'déjà vu all over again.' " So says Frank J. Gaffney Jr., president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C. Gaffney takes the position that our nation's armed services are stretched to the breaking point, using people and equipment in an unsustainable way.

On the other hand, Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute and a professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., argues that current threats and trends "do not make a convincing case for increasing the number of personnel under arms." Thompson states that "force structure and head count have become poor measures of military capability" and that "the quality of personnel ... has become more important to victory than quantity."

Read the full debate in our Pro/Con feature, "Should the U.S. military increase its end strength to meet present and future operations and contingencies?" (page 40). Then, let us know what you think. If you have Internet access, you may weigh in with your fellow officers by going to www.moaa.org/forums/proconforum.asp.

As we begin 2003, America faces a series of threats that may make our debate more than an intellectual drill. We're looking at a global conflict with al-Qaida and other terrorist networks, a possible war in Iraq, a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, and an expanding mission to defend the American homeland.

You've told us that as an MOAA member you are concerned about maintaining a strong national defense and caring for the nation's uniformed forces. For this reason, in the pages of Military Officer we try to keep you up to date on developments in national defense as well as campaigns for military personnel programs.

In the area of national defense, we present the story "Life in the FAST Lane" (page 56). It's about a unique U.S. Marine Corps unit that finds its security mission in big demand. I think you'll be inspired by the story about dedicated young warriors performing a real-world mission. Although they are a small group, they are typical of the many men and women - active component as well as National Guard and Reserve - who are now deploying to defend our country in a time of danger.

The other side of the coin is that, having sacrificed for their country, military people have earned certain basic benefits. When those benefits are eroded, MOAA members work with other military organizations to fix the inequities. This month we highlight an unfair aspect of the Survivor Benefit Plan. For more information, read the MOAA president's comments on page 10. And to add your voice to the debate, mail the postcards on the back cover of this magazine.