At what cost?

It seems in the news we're always hearing about military cuts. Whether they're taking it from our defense budget, pensions or health care benefits the one common denominator in the trend is that we're cutting from the very force which protects us. Most recently, the Army has announced it's cutting 50,000 soldiers. This doesn't take into account the recent cuts which have affected all aspects of the various branches. 

On November 1, 2011 Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert warned while testifying on Capitol Hill that the cuts reaching nearly $1 trillion over the next decade will “cause irreversible harm” to the Navy. He stated further that “It will hollow the military, and we will be out of balance in manpower, both military and civilian, procurement and modernization.”  His statements of warning were similar to those of Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice CNO, who made similar claims to a House subcommittee last week. Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff added to this by stating that a pullback in U.S. defense spending could cause potential enemies to question the the power of U.S. military power.  Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, further stated that budget cuts beyond the $450 to $465 billion already in the works would cause severe, long-term damage to his service and in turn affect the Air Force's ability to prepare for future crises and wars.  It came as no surprise when Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps concurred with them by adding that steeper defense cuts would undermine the military's ability to maintain a large presence in key parts of the world.  So here we have the leaders of our military forces, the ones whom we turn to when we need swift and immediate action against the war on terror telling us that these cuts are not good for the longevity and/or safety of our country. I find it troubling that we are even entertaining such cuts when Washington has been given valid and concrete reasons as to why they should not happen.

 

Now, I know to the average Joe these cuts may not seem like that big of a deal. As a matter of fact I feel that sadly most Americans have become desensitized to the constant news regarding military budgetary topics and for the most part tune it out. And therein lies part of our problem. These cuts are getting out of control and we're headed on a path that could be damaging to the United States as well as potentially irreversible.  I'm sure the first argument by many will be that spending by the Military is out of control as they provide a laundry list of the cost of planes and weapons. I would remind those individuals though, that we didn't become a super power by buying second rate defense weaponry. We spare no expense because nothing is as important to our Armed Forces as protecting this country and it's people. I'm sure many will further argue that we're using these weapons on foreign lands and fighting other people's wars, but are we really? There is a reason it's referred to as the 'global' war on terror and shouldn't we be grateful that the war is not being fought on our land? Our US Armed Forces serve as a global force to all enemies of the world showing them that terrorisst will not win, that as long as the United States of America is there, no human should have to suffer at the hand of terrorists. 

 

However, I must digress as there is another factor in this that I haven't touched on, the care of our men and women who serve. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is at an all time high in our current military as well as veterans. More and more of our troops are coming home with symptoms of this invisible but very real wound. There are also those warriors who come home wounded and whose needs exceed standard medical care. Some need prosthetics and therapy which can range anywhere from weeks to months. We are also seeing a rise in the number of troops who return from combat with Traumatic Brain Injury. We should never forget that these men and women were injured while serving their country. A country they fought valiantly for. Our VA Hospitals have a hard time meeting the health care needs of the troops and veterans we have on the home front now, this doesn't include the tens of thousand who will be returning.

With the Army's recent cuts of 50,000 soldiers and the Air Force's announcement to cut 9,000 civilian jobs we will be sending nearly 60,000 people into an already failing economy with a job market that isn't fit for some of the most qualified applicants. This will leave a majority of our troops out of work, assuming some of them are lucky enough to find employment, in a country where unemployment is already out of control. They can file for unemployment benefits, however we are already paying out so much money on a weekly basis for that it makes you wonder, where would this extra money be coming from?  Aren't the military cuts in question supposed to help our drained economy? Taking millions from one calling it a budget cut and in turn paying out millions of unemployment dollars doesn't seem like a well thought out strategy to me. The one place I never seem to see budgetary cuts lies within the very people that are deciding these cuts. I won't get into a political party debate, but I will state that I feel that many in Washington have been irresponsible with both their salaries (including increases) as well as their budgets. Taking vacations, expensive dinners and countless other extravagances do not seem to be relevant to national security. Truthfully, I don't believe one of them would ever stand up and fight the way our men and women of the armed forces have.  I don't intend to appear unsympathetic to the task at hand when it comes to finding places to cut millions of dollars in a faltering budget. Cutting from defense just does not seem to be a realistic or feasible option. It certainly isn't one that makes sense to me. Cutting millions from the entities that protect us at the potential risk of weakening our armed forces and subjecting our homeland to terrorist attacks doesn't seem like the end would justify the means. I'm afraid to think what being out of work may do to the mental health of some of our troops returning home who may be suffering from wounds already. There must be a reason health care providers have said for as long as I recall that a positive attitude is good for your health.

Think of all they've seen. Try to imagine if you can the horrors that they've been exposed to in war. The sad realization of it is, that you can't. Unless you've been there and experienced all they have you can only empathize but never truly understand. Our troops are not under draft. They fight so that their homeland is safe and free from harm. Their duty to serve is ingrained somewhere deep within them, putting others before themselves. Isn't it our job to take care of the very people who have fought to protect us? I tell everyone that they should Honor Them for their service, sacrifice and all they do. Is putting them out of work after all they've done for us honoring them? Ask yourself if you could look one of our brave and selfless troops in the eye and say, I know you've fought for me and protected me, but we have no job for you and we don't have the resources available to care for your needs. Sadly, that's what I feel Washington D.C. is saying to our brave men and women of our US Armed Forces.