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Maybe do another round of brac? Cut back on contractors doing what used to be military jobs. The military can shed some service members, but overall strength should not be cut too quickly. For an Army and Marine Corps that has done much of the fighting over the past decade, messing with troop pay and benefits are a slap in the face.
The problem is we are not in a active war, we are in a shadow semi-cold war with China right now and it's the Navy and Air Force who will supplement our allies in this area in the South China Sea. Obama and the military leaders made this decision years ago to pivot to the far east to control and confront China.
Also with no real enemy to fight on the ground in the next 20 years, why have a huge army, the Navy and Air Force have a much longer lead time to ramp up and get war time ready.
And Tricare is in urgent need of reform. From the abuse ridden Tricare prime remote which allows family members to get Tricare standard benefits without having to pay Tricare standard copays.
To people driving by the military ER on their way to a civilian ER for minor situations just because they don't want to wait the extra time at the military ER.
To trying and scam into special formulas, lap-bands, and cosmetic surgery.
This has got to stop and I hope the bill adjusts these abuses.
There used to be, an possibly still is, a program where immigrants could receive citizenship after joining the service. VERY bad program in my opinion. Those are jobs that should be available to Americans and 2. anyone who has worked within that program will tell you that, for the most part, the immigrants stick together, never assimilate and couldn't care less about the USA, they just want money to send home.
Give me a break.
Further, what does someone's nationality have to do with service member benefits?
So he's ok with the $160 billion budget overruns for the F-35 but he thinks we need to cut service members benefits? All the waste in the DoD that could be controlled and these idiots think the guys and gals that are doing the sacrificing are where the cuts need to come from.
I hope that everyone leaves in droves and recruiting comes to a halt and they call Hagel up and tell him he needs to man a machine gun since they don't have enough folks to do it.
We need to get these idiots out of office.
i work in civil service and have constant contact with service members and are friends with many.
and i will say, without any hesitation, there is alot of fat that can be cut when it comes to military personnel! DOD civilians have faced and are dealing with many cuts that were made, there is certainly room for this with the military, especially the officer core! active duty memebrs who serve in combat should be exempted, but not all active duty or veterans saw or performed in combat. much of the officer core make well into the 6 figures when all benefits and wages are accounted for, they can definitely contribute more for these benefits.
I spent 26 years on active duty in the United States Navy and spent years at sea myself. I have a son currently serving on active duty doing the same thing I did myself. I lived the "whole story" and am not relying on internet stories or stories from "veteran friends".
I bet a lot of people would have a different view on this subject if they were the ones making the sacrifices and not just relying on the propaganda on TV and what they read on the internet.
did you recommend this service, that you're now criticizing heavily, to your son?
Look the military these days is MASSIVE. We cant biyatch on one hand about government spending and taxing the hell out of America...then on the other hand demand the most massive military in history. Whether you like it or not its unsustainable. In WW2 Isoroku Yamamoto was quoted as saying "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Well it has been 72 years since then, I think it is time for the giant to rest so that we can repair the economy. If we as a nation are ever threatened again, it wont be too hard to wake that giant back up. We won WW2.
I suppose no one wants to be responsible for cutting benefits to the men and women who volunteer to serve the country. So reforming pay, benefits, and retirement policies is understandably difficult and emotional.
Benefits creep has been an issue ever since 9/11. I say this as a veteran.
I'm also glad that the military is taking a look at structural/strategic obsolescence. I actually wrote a paper in college on how the military has its budgetary priorities misplaced and is lacking the foresight to fully adapt to and prepare for current and future defense challenges. The future of warfare isn't large tank columns conducting flanking maneuvers or infantrymen standing on ever corner waiting to be shot; the future of warfare is drones, information(integrated battle systems, it might very well be that future battles will be conducted by a handful of individuals), spec-ops, intelligence, and fiber.
i work in civil service and have constant contact with service members and are friends with many.
and i will say, without any hesitation, there is alot of fat that can be cut when it comes to military personnel! DOD civilians have faced and are dealing with many cuts that were made, there is certainly room for this with the military, especially the officer core! active duty memebrs who serve in combat should be exempted, but not all active duty or veterans saw or performed in combat. much of the officer core make well into the 6 figures when all benefits and wages are accounted for, they can definitely contribute more for these benefits.
Actually officers are compensated at a lower rate as compared to their civilian counterparts than enlisted members are.
Sure supply officers make bank competitively, but look at the pilots, doctors, nurses, lawyers who all make less than their civilian counterparts (yes there are bonuses to bridge the gap, but they don't get close even if these professions worked a 9-5 stateside only). And then look at the corpsman, yeomen, cooks, gate guards and the like that make much more than their civilian counterparts.
The whole socialist methodology of military pay needs to be adjusted.
Look the military these days is MASSIVE. We cant biyatch on one hand about government spending and taxing the hell out of America...then on the other hand demand the most massive military in history. Whether you like it or not its unsustainable. In WW2 Isoroku Yamamoto was quoted as saying "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Well it has been 72 years since then, I think it is time for the giant to rest so that we can repair the economy. If we as a nation are ever threatened again, it wont be too hard to wake that giant back up. We won WW2.
........."We won WW2".........
We never would win that war today !
It would end up as a stalemate just like Korea and Vietnam.
The civilians today would not put up with the sacrifices the civilians of WWII did...........( rationing, draft, high number of American casualties, dropping the bomb to end the war )
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