In this issue:

• AUSA Legislative Agenda
• AUSA on the Hill
• DoD Budget Choices Target Military Benefits 

AUSA’s Government Affairs Directorate is sending out its newly published 2012 Resolutions books to every member of Congress as well as all state Adjutants General and and Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army.  Members of the Army Secretariat and other Army General Officers and Command Sergeants Major will also receive copies.  Members of AUSA and the general public can view the 2012 Resolutions in the Legislative Agenda portion of the the AUSA website www.ausa.org.

AUSA ON THE HILL

AUSA director of government affairs, Bill Loper, visited with the Military Legislative Assistant and the Military Congressional Fellow in Senator Bob Casey’s office to discuss AUSA’s legislative agenda for 2012.  He outlined AUSA President GEN Gordon Sullivan’s concerns about the military retirement system and military health care benefits becoming targets for solving the current national fiscal crisis and discussed AUSA’s positions on Army endstrength, TRICARE fees, the military retirement system and cost of living pay increases among other things.  He provided copies of the AUSA 2012 Resolutions and other AUSA publications.

More than a dozen other congressional staffers attended AUSA’s Aviation Symposium and exhibition 11-13 January.  They spoke with senior AUSA officials and were able to gain information on the future of Army Aviation as well as AUSA’s concerns about the future of the military retirement system and military health care benefits.  They  also received AUSA’s 2012 Resolutions booklet that outlines AUSA’s legislative  agenda.

DOD BUDGET CHOICES TARGET MILITARY BENEFITS

On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced the broad outline of its plan to reduce its budget in response the the national fiscal crisis.  While AUSA understands that in the era of fiscal crisis, all must contribute to solutions, we will fight proposals that target military personnel pay and retiree benefits.  The DoD proposals would, in 2015, reduce pay raises below  private sector increases.  Such pay raise reductions in the 1990s are what led to the 14 percent pay gap that it has taken more than ten years to reduce.  AUSA will fight to keep that from happening again.  We will also fight the proposal to establish enrollment fees for TRICARE for Life and the establishment of a military retirement commission with BRAC-like authority to change the military retirement system.  As AUSA president, General (Ret) Gordon Sullivan has said time and again, “Fiscal responsibility must not lead to a target in the center of the military retirement system and health care benefits”.   We urge you to add your voice to ours.  Please go to  http://www.ausa.org, click on “Legislative Agenda” and then “Contact Congress”.  Put your zip code in the box titled “Elected Officials” and then click on the prepared letter “Preserve military and Veterans Benefits”.