Supporting Troops & Families - In a Minute

I recommend taking two minutes and 40 seconds to read MOAA’s Dana Atkins’ thoughtful piece last week, “Want to Thank Troops and Families for Serving…?” In plain language, Dana lays out the impacts of cuts in military compensation, the false choice between “bullets and benefits," and ends with a note of caution -?

“Stop-and-start negotiations and continuing resolutions make the kind of long-term planning needed to shape and modernize a fighting force difficult, if not next to impossible.”

Political discord in American politics has been a national pastime since the New World was discovered.?Its contemporary form is often labeled as “unprecedented” by rotating pundits, but historians such as Jon Grinspan say there is nothing “unprecedented” here – that at the turn of the 20th century, “US politics was far more unruly.” ?The oft-repeated difference is, back in the day, things managed to get done.

Today, not so much.

Thoughtful change requires informed and motivated leadership. DoD relies on protocols and chain of command to fulfill its good and important mission.?With significant gaps in leadership, the decisions, innovations, and opportunities for informed policies stagnate. The machine simply cannot run as well with important parts missing. Today, many qualified professionals wait for Senate confirmation so they may affect the change necessary to support the entire military community in their roles at the Department of Defense.

I will end here to respect your time and yield the remaining 30 seconds to a call to action: motivated citizens who may or may not be military connected, who think leadership, innovation and continuity is critical in the senior leadership roles that support our military community, please reach out to your senator, and encourage rapid confirmation of President Biden’s DoD nominees.?Click here for connecting to the Senate Directory.?

Every call counts towards supporting troops and their families.