MOAA believes the Reserve retirement system needs an upgrade. Anyone who reads the newspaper understands that Guard and Reserve duty isn't just a weekend a month and a two-week summer drill any more. 

Reserve retirement laws were written 50 years ago by people who never envisioned that Guard and Reserve members would be called up all the time to perform regular military missions.

Last year, Congress directed the Pentagon and the General Accounting Office to review the issue. 

MOAA has held off endorsing any specific proposal pending publication of these reports and analysis of the problem and options to address it. Meanwhile, the Defense Department had opposed any change. In my August column, I observed that if Pentagon leaders don't offer their own recommendations to address this obvious retention and readiness issues, they can't gripe about others who do.

Well, the Defense and GAO reports have come out—and they just "kicked the can," saying more study is needed. That makes it clear to MOAA that the Pentagon doesn't have any solid basis for arguing against lowering the Reserve retirement age.

It's time to fish or cut bait.

That's why MOAA's Board of Directors has approved a new legislative goal to reduce the Reserve retirement age— i.e., eligibility for retired pay and health care coverage—from 60 to 55.

The fundamental assumption for the Reserve retirement system is that the Reservist has a primary career in the civilian sector. But it's past time to recognize that greatly increased military service demands over the last decade have cost tens of thousands of Reservists significantly in terms of their civilian retirement accrual, civilian 401(k) contributions, and civilian job promotions. Many have taken significant pay cuts, and some have lost their jobs or businesses as a result of extended or repeated mobilizations.

There has to be a reciprocal commitment between military leaders and military members. And keeping that commitment requires an upgrade to the Reserve retirement system. One straightforward way to recognize that is to cut five years off the age at which Guard and Reserve members qualify for retired pay and health care.

It's time to stop kicking the can, and just do it.

Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF-Ret., director of MOAA government relations