AUSA President Testifies on Global Warming’s Impact on National Security


“Climate change is a national security issue,” said AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., during his appearance last week before the newly-formed Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Gen. Sullivan appeared before the committee to discuss a recently-released study by the Military Advisory Board, a panel of eleven retired four-star and three-star generals and admirals who were brought together to provide advice, expertise and perspective on the impact global warming could have on U.S. military operations. Gen. Sullivan serves as the Board’s Chairman.

Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said, “Global warming’s impact on natural resources and climate systems may create the fiercest battle our world has ever seen. If we don’t cut pollution and head off global warming at the pass, we could see extreme geopolitical strain over decreased clean water, environmental refugees and other impacts.

In his testimony to the committee, Gen. Sullivan said, “I must admit I came to the Advisory Board as a skeptic. There is lots of conflicting information on the subject of climate change and like most public policy issues in America, many opinions, which is what makes America great.”

“After listening to leaders of the scientific, business, and governmental communities both I and my colleagues came to agree that Global Climate Change is and will be a significant threat to our National Security and in a larger sense to life on earth as we know it to be.”

The Military Advisory Board’s study, National Security and the Threat of Climate Change explores ways projected climate change is a “threat multiplier” in already fragile regions of the world, exacerbating conditions that lead to failed states – the breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism.

Gen. Sullivan plans to talk to military officials about his group’s report.

The full report can be found at www.securityandclimate.cna.org.


You Asked

“I would like to see some news on “Concurrent Receipt”. What is being done with this bill and what is AUSA doing to help this bill pass?”

Concurrent Receipt is a 19th century law that requires a dollar-for-dollar offset of military retired pay for VA disability compensation.

Several bills addressing concurrent receipt have been introduced in the 110th Congress.

H.R.1436 – Permits certain retired members of the uniformed services who have a service-connected disability to receive both disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability and either retired pay by reason of their years of military service or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC). The bill would also limit the phase-in period for retirees who are rated as 100 percent disabled due to unemployability.

H.R.89 – Extends eligibility for CRSC to chapter 61 (disability) retirees with fewer than 20 years of service.

H.R.303 and its companion bill in the Senate, S.439, would eliminate the 10-year phase–in period for retirees with a disability rating of 50 percent – 90 percent and would extend concurrent retirement and disability payments (CRDP) eligibility to retirees rated less than 50 percent.

H.R.333 includes parts of H.R.303/S.439 and H.R.89 and would also open CRDP to chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service.

All of these bills are currently in committee.

AUSA Director of Government Affairs Bill Loper will present a briefing on concurrent receipt this week to the Army Chief of Staff’s Retiree Council. He will explain what accomplishments have been achieved to this point and what Congress needs to do now.

Full concurrent receipt remains a priority for The Military Coalition, of which AUSA is a member. The Coalition has testified on several occasions to various committees in the House and Senate on many important issues including concurrent receipt. Additionally, The Coalition has presented testimony to the ongoing Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, established by Congress in the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act.

AUSA’s commitment of full concurrent receipt was outlined in our 2007 Resolutions. We urged the Administration and Congress to expand concurrent receipt entitlement legislation to include all veterans that are medically retired (07-03, Point 11) and enact legislation to repeal, in its entirely, the Department of Veterans Affairs offset on retirees military entitlement (07-04, Point 5).

Finally, in addition to the many letters we have sent to key lawmakers on concurrent receipt, AUSA has also asked its members to join forces and send letters to their representatives. Click on “Contact Congress” then after “Elected Officials” type your Zip Code and scroll down to “Concurrent Receipt”. Your help is appreciated!


Guardsmen/Reservists can now Request USERRA Assistance Online

Members of the National Guard and Reserve can now request assistance online from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve ombudsmen for employment issues arising from military service or mobilization.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is the federal law that protects the employment of military reservists and prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of military service.

Guardsmen and Reservists can visit the ESGR website at www.esgr.mil and select the link, “USERRA Complaint Request” on the right side of the page. The service member is asked to provide contact information for him or herself and his or her employer, as well as a brief explanation of the issue. The information is stored on a secure server and ESGR assigns the request to one of its 900 volunteer ombudsmen for informal mediation. Guardsmen and Reservists are still able to use ESGR’s customer service center at 1-800-336-4590 to initiate a request.

“While Guardsmen and Reservists have always been able to e-mail us from the website, the USERRA Complaint Request allows them the opportunity to initiate an ombudsman case online at any time of the day or night,” said Philip T. Pope, acting executive director of ESGR. “The online request will complement the customer service center in making ESGR more accessible to Guardsmen and Reservists serving all over the world.”

In response to USERRA complaint requests, an ESGR ombudsman will contact the service member within 48 hours. If the ESGR ombudsman is unable to resolve the issue through informal mediation within 14 days, the Guardsman or Reservist is referred to the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal agency with statutory authority for enforcing USERRA.


Trivia of the Week
What did Senate Bill 1424 create on this date in 1908? (Click on link for answer)

Answer -
The U.S. Army Reserve traces its beginnings to April 23, 1908, when Congress passed Senate Bill 1424. This act authorized the Army to establish a reserve corps of medical officers. The Secretary of War could order these officers to active duty during time of emergency. This was the nation's first federal reserve. Four years later, a provision of the Army Appropriations Act of 1912 created the Regular Army Reserve, a federal reserve outside the Medical Reserve Corps authorized in 1908.

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