Personnel Subcommittee Approves Key Issues

The House Armed Services subcommittees began marking-up their portions of the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill last week. The Military Personnel Subcommittee acted on several key issues important to AUSA and its members including:

-- an increase to the Army’s end strength to 525,400, an increase of 36,000 above the President’s request. AUSA would like to see the Army’s end strength increased to 650,000 which is reflected in our 2007 Resolution 07-07, Point 4.

-- a 3.5 percent pay raise for the military, one-half of one percent above private sector raises measured by the Employment Cost Index. It is also .5 percent above the President’s request. (AUSA Resolution 07-03, Point 1)

-- a proposal to prohibit fee increases in the TRICARE Program and the TRICARE pharmacy program for another year. (AUSA Resolution 07-05, Point 18). The Administration’s budget request assumed nearly $1.9 billion in savings based mostly on changes to TRICARE fees. The subcommittee said it is concerned that without a careful, comprehensive unbiased review of the cost of military health care, premature proposals which put the burden on military retirees may not really address systemic cost drivers within the system.

-- a special $40 monthly “military survivor indemnity allowance” to survivors whose SBP annuities are reduced by VA survivor benefits, beginning on October 1, 2008. While AUSA would like to see the law repealed entirely, (Resolution 04-04, Point 4) we will take what we can get and continue the fight!

--an expansion of combat-related special compensation eligibility for Chapter 61 (disability) retirees with at least 15 but less than 20 years of service who have a combat-related disability rating of at least 60 percent.

-- a proposal to transfer the Reserve Montgomery GI Bill program from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veteran Affairs to help ensure greater equity in benefits for reserve component members.

The Air and Land Forces Subcommittee recommended authorizing $4.1 billion more than the $400 million requested for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. The MRAP, a replacement for the Humvee, would better protect soldiers from rocket attacks and improvised explosive devices.

The panel unanimously agreed to cut $867 million from the Army’s Future Combat System. Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii said the cut will only affect systems not expected to be fielded for several years. The panel would also require the Army secretary to conduct a large-scale operationally realistic test of the Future Combat Systems’ extensive communications and sensor network before it begins production of the system’s manned ground vehicles.

The panel authorized $294 million more than the $1.18 billion requested for Stryker combat vehicles and authorized an additional $500 million for the Army National Guard and reserve equipment shortfall.

Please remember this is only the first step in a long process to seeing these measures actually become law. The full House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to mark-up the bill this week with floor debate to begin next week. The Senate’s Armed Services Committee indicated that their mark-up will occur the week of May 21. Once both chambers have passed their respective bills, then differences must be resolved in conference negotiations.


FY07 Supplemental Update

As expected, the President vetoed the fiscal 2007 emergency supplemental spending bill and, as expected, the House failed to override the veto.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate said they hope to have a bill on the President’s desk by Memorial Day. That may be wishful thinking since Democratic officials in the House have indicated they may consider a measure that would provide three months of funding for military operations ($30 billion) and then call for President Bush to report in midsummer on progress being made by the Iraqi government. Congress would then vote again on providing the remainder of money sought by the Administration.

House GOP leaders are unlikely to support that proposal. “I know that would be a nonstarter fast track to a second veto,” said a top aide.

The Senate has started negotiating with the White House to craft a measure the President would accept. The different tactics taken by the House and Senate will mean another round of conference negotiations before the bill can be sent to the President.
AUSA prefers the Senate’s approach. It is the soldier and the soldier’s family being impacted by the delay. Timely and adequate war funding for the troops is vital.


The Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 Introduced

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., introduced legislation to ensure the medical needs of wounded servicemen and women are properly met and that bureaucracy does not interfere with their progress. Sen. Chambliss co-sponsored the legislation with Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor.

A press release by Sen. Chambliss said, “Our service members need and deserve the best medical care and attention we can offer them, and this bill will help provide that.” They do not need to be disadvantaged by an out-dated, bureaucratic process that adds more stress to their recovery. This legislation is a step in the right direction to reform and modernize the out-patient treatment process, and it will increase the morale and welfare of our recovering service members. They deserve our fullest support. We are committed to meeting their needs, and this bill will accomplish that”.

The legislation, The Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 requires case managers for outpatients to handle no more than 17 cases and review each case once a week; creates a system of patient advocates; increases funding to hire additional physicians, increases training for health care professionals, medical case managers and patient advocates with an emphasis on identifying and treating Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries; establishes a toll-free hotline for patients and their families to report problems with medical facilities or patient care; creates an independent advocate to counsel service members appearing before medical evaluation boards and establishes a pilot program to improve the transition from military to civilian life for wounded combat veterans.

Similar legislation, H.R.1538, was passed by the House by a vote of 426-0 in late March.


Question of the Week
Other than becoming President of the United States, what else did Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901) have in common? (Click on link for answer)

Answer -
Most of the 950 men who made up the Twenty-Third Ohio, mustered into service in June 1862, swore that it was the finest unit in Federal service. At the time, no one guessed that both Maj. William McKinley and Col. Rutherford B. Hayes would occupy the White House before the turn of the century.

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