April 2011 Navy
By CAPT Ike Puzon, USN (Ret)
Over the last month, the President’s budget has revealed the landscape of where our Defense Department may be headed – more serious defense cuts are the way of the future. Surprisingly, most of us grew up saying, “The defense budget is going to be cut.” As you have seen in the news, Congress has not passed a FY- 2011 (five months after the start of the fiscal year) spending bill or a budget. Meanwhile, Congress will debate the future spending level of fiscal year 2012, which was due to be passed by September 2010 (only six months from the writing of this article). Those that know Congress understand that there is not a lot of time to do either of these tasks. As we have grown accustomed to Continuing Resolutions (CR), one wonders who will make a decision and when will a decision really be made.
Secretary of Defense Gates recently announced over $100 billion in spending savings from DoD alone over a five-year period. In all of these spending cuts is the initial cut in personnel earned benefits – TRICARE Prime for working age retirees – 34-64. The USFHP program will be discontinued for any new enrollees.
Additional equipment (US Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle [USMC EVF] and 2nd engine for F-35) cuts as well as personnel cuts (downsizing of end-strengths) loom as a strong possibility for the Department of Defense and for all the Services. Meanwhile, China intends to increase its defense budget by 12.7%! As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the projected rise in Chinese defense spending comes amid growing signs of China’s rising economic and military power. Isn’t it amazing what a foreign country can do with your dollars? China recently ran a test flight of a new stealth jet fighter and is developing an anti-ship ballistic missile that could threaten shipping lanes and commerce in the Asia Pacific region. While China plays down its growing military budget, saying the defense spending will be used for “appropriate armament development” as well as training and human resources development, the US government and other observers say China’s official military budget substantially understates actual spending.
Along with this growth in Asia, we have a total upheaval in the Middle East and, as usual, many calling for the US to do something! So, nothing really has changed – social systems supporters calling for drastic cuts in a US Defense budget, while the rest of the world prepares to take advantage of a weakened US military. Less and less spending on US Defense does not mean that the rest of the world in kind will agree that, now, the world is safer. More challenges to our National Security Strategy are here now and in the future.
The TRICARE Prime fee increases announced by the President’s budget and DoD are 13%. In an attempt to understand these “increases” in TRICARE fees on your earned benefits, AUSN has attended DoD Special Briefings, TRICARE Management Agency briefings, a special meeting with key Armed Services Committee staffers and members, and vigorously discussed the issue with our coalition and alliance associations. Even after these frustrating meetings, we have a hard time understanding the proposed TRICARE Prime fee increases to earned benefits of those that have served our country with honor. For sure, we all understand our balancing the budget and the threat to our nation if we do not do spending cuts now, not later. However, at this writing, our Congress and world leaders are considering a “no-fly” zone over Libya! The price of the no-fly zone over Bosnia was in the tens of billions of dollars with newer equipment and a larger force. The calamity from past cuts to defense (1990s), ten years of war (since 2002) and overspending of the US Budget is here now during wartime!
It is clear that the world security, thus our own security, desires US involvement on a grand scale. It is not clear if Americans recognize it or want it, or understand the enormity to accept the responsibility. The rejection of accepting the responsibility of worldwide involvement seems to be a non-starter when you look at our own economy, security issues, and world position.
Nevertheless, we are at the decision point of gutting the military trust through unwise cuts to personnel plans and policies such as something that may seem simple as increasing the fees that retirees, age 34 to 64, pay now for the “right” to have an earned benefit of health care. The youth of America are guided by this same age group – parents, families, and friends that have served an entire military career with the expectation of health care, which was promised to them 20, 30, 40 years ago! Our serving youth are watching. It may be easy for some in the Executive Branch and Congress and, in fact, civilians in America to marginalize over 3.4 million retired veterans and say you pay your part also. However, those 3.4 million retired veterans did pay for their health care already. Those 3.4 million retirees are the first to serve and would gladly pay additionally, for the most part, if they do not see overspending in areas that need not be spent.
I am not sure what we all thought a modern, first rate military force would cost. But, the security of our nation is the first guarantee of our Constitution. Becoming an all-volunteer force in 1972 was not easy and came with a lot of cost to all of us – increased monetary cost with our increased security.
It is time yet again for each one of us to decide – can I afford this or can I afford that? Affording this means we have to pay a price if we start down the road of cutting earned benefits that we have for ages promised our military members and their families. There are unintended consequences that we each face with a leaner military force. Capabilities may not increase with technologies. At some point in time, the capabilities of our known and unknown adversaries will overtake what we have prepared for in the world of defense. This is exactly what happened to us on September 11, 2001! Our adversaries knew our capabilities and exploited it. Cuts in the defense budgets now will and can have adverse consequences in ten years.
Therefore, I believe it is time to hold cuts to personnel benefits and maintain our end-strengths. We do not know and cannot predict the next major attack – either cyber or out-right attack – with clarity. Almost all national security experts agree. To maintain what we have, at this time, requires your veteran’s, service member’s, and service member family’s involvement. Congress is poised to start a major cut to defense. The handwriting is on the wall. In our meetings with DoD, the Services, and the Hill, it all points to cuts due to budgetary reason vice what the threats are. We believe there are major areas that can and should achieve efficiencies. The first would be in acquisition and accounting for resources already appropriated.
Use our CAPWIZ system – www. ausn.org – to write Congress and to review those bills in Congress that are important. Tell them not to cut the earned benefits of veterans and service members, especially through an attack on health care for service members.