February 2011 Navy
By CAPT Ike Puzon, USN (Ret)
Our national security faces perfect storm of conflicting issues surrounding all the Services, the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Congress and our American society: Rapid and momentous changes in governing political parties; budgets that make no sense to anyone that runs a household; two wars lasting ten years; proliferation of contingency operations in the 80’s and 90’s; and, of course, overspending by all forms of US government. Adding to this storm are pending drastic cuts in defense budgets by a stalemated Congress in an apathetic electorate world.
Our military is the greatest due to three factors – the people, the proven structure, and US military training.
The new world order after the Cold War left voids in world power and the world economy. Mixed in with all of these clashes of interest was a real and Constitutional requirement for a United States to protect itself and thus have a functioning military that grew to be the policeman of the world! Our real threat is – Congress (both parties) and the White House (both parties) bankrupting America in the name of providing a better way of life for every person in the United States and the world.
However, throughout history, our leaders (collectively) have forgotten what made our military so envied by other nations – common sense and viable support to the military member. It is my opinion that we suffer seriously from well-meaning leadership but less than stellar leadership. Career individualism overtakes a common sense approach.
In the last two Congresses, Congressional leaders told Navy that their Maritime Strategy was nothing real but merely words on paper. Congress proceeded to take action based on their home state requirements. No doubt Navy has serious shortages in shipbuilding and aircraft. How could this happen? Someone decided to submit budgeting requirements that led us to these shortages. Navy alone did not cause this. To appreciate the reasons for budgeting waste and changes in priorities, you have to spend time at the Pentagon, the highest levels of Executive Branch, and appropriate time with Congress. From my perspective, since 1990, all the key decision makers themselves are politically correct either by design or forced to this phenomenon. This correctness has permeated the Services.
There is somewhat agreement that budget decisions have facilitated decisions in the past that have not been healthy for our Navy. We are now faced with the following budgeting issues for the next five years. I am sure we all understand there are unintended consequences. A recent statement by SECDEF included;
“At the outset, I want to emphasize that while America is at war and confronts a range of future security threats, it is important to not repeat the mistakes of the past by making drastic and ill-conceived cuts to the overall defense budget. At the same time, it is imperative for this department to eliminate wasteful, excessive, and unneeded spending. To do every- thing we can to make every defense dollar count.” SECDEF, Pentagon, 1-6- 2011 press statement.
Every SECDEF has had a lot to say about not making the mistakes of the past and somehow we still do! All senior leaders attempt to eliminate waste and unneeded spending, but we manage to continue do the same every four years when new leaders come in with the answer! We are at war – and have been over and over and over! America still finds money for a wide range of social and domestic issues, but now we are going to cut and cut wasteful programs in the military. Seems to me like an oxymoron. The perfect storm is upon us – less for defense, more for social and domestic programs.
Where the Nation goes from here is not up to the appointed leaders in the DoD, flag officers, those elected and over-appointed in the White House, or the new Congress. It is up to you! If you let any of these “politically correct” leaders do their will – then they will. You become a part of the politically correctness by doing or saying nothing. One letter, one call, one e-mail is not enough to achieve elimination of waste, or funding of proper requirements, or the protection of earned benefits. In Washington, crucial votes on all important issues come down to: late night, last minute, during Christmas – when you are not paying attention. History proves this over and over! If you are not paying attention, it gets done by 550 people in Washington, and you stand around and ask what happened.
Frugal defense spending is not a clear process nor is it clear that it works. Our defense budget has never been lower since WWII, and, yes, we do have waste, but the Department of Defense has proven over and over that finding wasteful spending is out of its reach due to constant changes in leadership – poor and strong.
It is clear that the Defense Department is to be the federal bill payer. As an example, history shows that when we wear out military members and more experiments occur, combined with cuts, our national security process is sent into panic.
The following is what SECDEF reports will be cut over the next five years:
The Department of the Navy proposed savings of more than $35 billion over five years. Those measures include:
* Reducing manpower ashore and reassigning 6,000 personnel to operational missions at sea.
* Using multi-year procurement to save more than $1.3 billion on the purchase of new airborne surveillance, jamming, and fighter aircraft.
* Disestablishing staffs for submarine, patrol aircraft, and destroyer- squadrons plus one carrier strike group staff.
* Disestablish the headquarters of Second Fleet in Norfolk.
Regarding changes to Defense-wide issues, the following are some of the changes: (All changes can be found at our Web site.)
* Reform how the Department uses information technology.
* Reduce contractors to perform functions that should either be done by full-time employees or, in some cases, to staff activities that could and should be discontinued.
* Continue a freeze in the number of positions.
* Eliminate more than 100 general officer and flag officer positions out of the roughly 900 current positions.
* Reduce the Department’s, according to current leadership, unaffordable health costs – and, in particular, the benefits provided to working-age retirees under the TRICARE program. Impose modest increases to TRICARE fees for working-age retirees with fees indexed to adjust for medical inflation.
Reportedly, SECDEF has indicated that these savings are going to be used for specific issues that the Services need and DoD needs. What is interesting about that process is that DoD and the Services have to go to Congress to seek approval to redirect the money, thus opening up the redirection to a political process. Some of what Navy wants to do with savings:
* Accelerate development of a new generation of electronic jammers to improve the Navy’s ability to fight and survive in an anti-access environment.
* Develop a new generation of sea- borne unmanned strike and surveillance aircraft.
* Buy more of the latest model F-18s and extend the service life of 150 of these aircraft as a hedge against more delays in the deployment of the Joint Strike Fighter.
* Purchase additional ships over the next five years – including a destroyer, a Littoral Combat Ship, an ocean surveillance vessel and fleet oilers.
What happens is not totally up to those in Washington, because they will act and vote their individualism or act independently. It is up to you. We have new leaders in Congress, and in AUSN and a new spirit. Total grassroots involvement is the only way for AUSN to succeed in legislative goals and to make leaders in Washington do the common sense thing. Less of your involvement means the perfect storm will sink the new ship in a politically correct world. We can succeed in any adversity – the military has in the past, but they need you to speak up and be counted.
(L to R) Captain Ike Puzon, AUSN Director of Government Relations, with Congressman Buyer.