ROA Dot Org Robert Feidler SAIC

8/3/2019 ROA Dot Org Robert Feidler SAIC

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2/73

Roll CallT h e O f f i c e r V o l u m e L X X X I V , N o . 2 F E B R U A R Y M A R C H 2 0 0 8

ON THE COVER

MAJ Erica L. Herzog, USAR,poses in front of the Minute-man Memorial Building atOne Constitution, Wash-ington, D.C. This monthsOfficer features articles oncareer-building opportunities

for Citizen Warriors, from theindividual services recruit-ing incentives through to individuals preparingfor retirement. Along the way we hear from MAJHezog, providing her own insights midway up hercareer ladder (photo by Eric Minton/ROA).

Strategic Civil Affairs for the Long WarBy LTC Kenneth H. Moore Jr., USAR 51

FEATURES

An International Concern 27CIOR study fnds Reservists in member nationsneed improved pre- and post-deployment care.

By Lt Col Ann P. Knabe

Because AccidentsDont Need to Happen 28Look for ways to avoid accidents during thesedangerous winter months, and be prepared for

when they may occur.By Marsh Afnity Group Services

The Store Commander 30Army Reservist becomes the frst Citizen Warriorto command AAFES.

By LtCol M.E. Earl

Plus:AAFES Targets Reservists

Career Developmentas a Citizen Warrior 32The Reserve Components offer manyopportunities for people keen to serve

the United States.NOAA: Finding New Things

USAFR: The Steepest Climb is Stillto Come

PHS: A Great Way to Serve forThose Who Need Flexibility

USMCR: Filling a Niche Market Pre-viously Unavailable

USCGR: A Robust Blend of Experiences

USAR: This Environment Calls for Innova-tive and Effective Programs

ANG: The Next Generation of Ofcers

USNR: Global Ambassador of Health

Recruiting Bonuses

Take a Joint Step on Your Career PathWe Cannot Fall Prey to the Shortcuts

Start Early 46Transitioning to a new career takes preparation.

By Dave Griswold

Retirement Readiness 48No matter what your age, focus on thebig picture.

By USAA

Plus: Take Charge of YourRetirement

Plus: Plan Your Progress

The purposes of the corporation are to supportand promote the development and executionof a military policy for the United States thatwill provide adequate national security.ROACongressional Charter, 1950.


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Roll CallT h e O f f i c e r V o l u m e L X X X I V , N o . 2 F E B R U A R Y M A R C H 2 0 0 8

COLUMNS

ROA Presidents Message.........................4Making Good Progress

ROAL Presidents Message......................6To Move Further Forward, Can You Help?

Editorial...............................................................8Fixing Reserve Retirement

Reserve Enlisted Association.................9Far from the Finish Line

Reader Feedback........................................10

RESERVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

OF THE UNITED STATES

Organized in 1922. Incorporated under charter of

the Congress by Public Law 81-595.

THE OFFICER

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Publisher: LtGen Dennis M. McCarthy, USMC (Ret.)

Editor: Eric Minton

Senior Editor: Elizabeth H. Manning

Copy Editor: Carol A. Kelly

Associate Editors: Mary Eileen Earl, Ann Knabe

Graphic Design: Randy Yasenchak, Jamie Hubans,

Darren Nelson

Advertising: James G. Elliott Company

Circulation Manager: Tracey Ware

Chairman, Publications Committee:

MAJ John Rosnow, USAR

THE OFFICER (ISSN 0030-0268) is published monthly in January, April,

May, August, September, October, November, and December, and bimonthly

in February/March and June/July by the Reserve Officers Association of the

United States, One Constitution Avenue NE, Washington DC 20002-5618.

Telephone 202-479-2200; Fax 202-547-1641. Subscription prices: $2.50 for

single issue. $18 per year for members, which is included in the dues, $12

for surviving spouses and ROAL members. United States subscription rate is

$24 for organizations, institutions, and persons not eligible for membership.

Outside the United States, the rate is $34 (includes $10 postage). PERIODI-CAL POSTAGE PAID at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Officer, Membership Depart-

ment, ROA, One Constitution Avenue NE, Washington DC 20002-5618.

DEADLINES: Editorial, letters45 days preceding month of issue; articles,

departments45 days preceding month of publication. Manuscripts preferred

by e-mail to [email protected]. This publication is available on the ROA website,

for members only. Copyright 2006 by the Reserve Officers Association. All

rights reserved. ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Deadline: 1st day of month

preceding month of publication. ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Mike

Semple, James G. Elliott Co., 135 E. 55th Street, New York NY 10022; Phone

212-588-9200, ext. 1331; Fax 212-588-9201; E-mail m.semple@jamesgelliott.

com. Kyona Levine, James G. Elliott Co., 626 Wilshire Blvd., #500, Los An-

geles CA 90017; Phone 213-624-0900, ext. 1219; Fax 213-229-4428; E-mail

[email protected]. Publication of advertising does not constitute en-

dorsement by the ROA Publisher or the Publishers representatives.

DEPARTMENTS

Capitol Hill Connection.............................14NDAA: Many Wins, One Big Loss Earlier Retirement

4 Percent GDP Tricare Clarification 110thCongress, Second Session Leadership D.C. ListeningPost ROA 2008 Legislative Agenda

By CAPT Marshall A. Hanson

Army Section..................................................22Iraq Insights

By Robert Feidler

Air Force Section..........................................23Strategic Planning

By Lt Col Jim Starr

Naval Services Section.............................24On Ships, into Hurricanes, over the Pole

By CAPT Marshall A. Hanson

Defense Education Forum......................26Junior Moments

By Robert Feidler

Book Reviews.................................................55Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of OperationAnacondaby Sean NaylorReview by 2LT Seth Benge

Plus:AAFES Targets Reservists

Spotlight on Citizen Warriors...............56Taking a Bite Out of Crime

By Lt Col Ann P. KnabeSpotlight on Families.................................57College & Hard KnocksBy Lt Col Ann P. Knabe

Law Review.....................................................58Bonus Bust The Meaning in ShiftBy CAPT Samuel F. Wright

ROA News........................................................60ROA Inducts Gen Pace into Hall of Fame ROA Delega-tion Visits Sarajevo Member Services HeadquartersHonors Across the ROA

ROAL News......................................................66Fabulous FabricationBy Leslie Carper

Reveille..............................................................67

Taps.....................................................................68

STARs Industry News & Directory.........69SAIC technology boosts warfight-ers capabilities Boeing DeliversThird C-40C Lockheed Martin UnveilsFirst STOVL Stealth Fighter

Heads Up..........................................................72Pay Matters; ROTC Net; Executive Boost AdvertiserIndex Calendar


4/73

Today, more than ever, the men and

women of the Air National Guard stand

vigilant in the defense of freedom. At

Boeing, were proud to stand with the

Guard every day in its vital mission.


5/73 the Officer/FEBRUARYMARCH2008 WWW.ROA.ORG

Col paul groskreutz, USaf ( RET.) ROA NATIONAL PRESIDENT

ROA PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

We are over halway through my year as your Na-tional President. Tose members attending theMid-Winter Conerence will get a rsthand

account on my progress to achieve my goals. I will summa-rize that report here or those who are not attending theconerence.

Let me rst review my goals.Members: I will help cra solutions to improve our

membership among drilling Reservists and improve ouroverall membership.

Financial: I will help cra solutions to ROAs nancialchallenges.

Defense Education: I will work to move ROA orwardas the recognized leader in deense education.

Basics: I will lead ROA back to basics by working to im-prove communication with the departments.

ROAL: I will develop ways to work collaboratively withROAL.

I must rst state that this is a report o what has been ac-complished not just by me but by the national sta and themembers working with me. It has been achieved through theactive engagement o many people.

I am happy to report that the membership indicatorswe check monthly have been positive. We have recruitedenough new members to overcome our losses. Departmentshave helped accomplish this by diligently working to get o-cers with annual memberships to renew. Departments havebeen contacting term members and making a direct requestto renew while drawing them into department and chapteractivities. Te eorts o Member Services Director Will Hol-ahan and his sta have made that possible. Tey now have anautomated electronic program that monthly sends to depart-ment presidents all relevant inormation on new membersand those who have not paid their renewals. By actively

working these lists, we have retained more than 75 percent othe renewals, pushing the total membership number up.

While we have been working the nancial issue hard, wehave not yet ound the ultimate solution. Director o Re-source Development Richard Tralls and the Capital Cam-

paign Committee have identied a number o oundationsthat support our goals, and the committee has submittedunding proposals to those oundations. We are still waitingor their responses.

Tat is similar to the results o our und-raising eortswithin our own membership. We are still waiting. Whileevery member has been advised many times that we need

each persons help to pay o our loan, only 520 individualmembers have responded with a check or a pledge. Tat isless than 1 percent o our members. Clearly, members havenot realized that ROA needs their help.

Te other key nancial challenge is that income rommemberships is insucient to meet our operational needs.Te insurance program proceeds, upon which we have reliedor years, are dwindling each year and will be gone by 2015.

We need to develop new income streams. We are working tocreate a culture o philanthropy, a pattern o regular giving

by our members, similar to what they do in other areas otheir lives.

Strategic Deense Education Director Bob Fiedler andhis assistant, Seth Benge, are doing an outstanding job onDeense Education. Tey have scheduled a calendar ull oorums with an ever-growing number o partners. ROA has

pushed beyond the number o people who can physicallycome into the building to attend the events by conductingsimultaneous webcasts and C-Span broadcasts. Tis gives usa tremendous capability or outreach and opportunity to in-orm and educate.

I have been working hard to establish communication

with all departments. With the assistance o Member Ser-vices, we have provided the department presidents with atool to assist them in accomplishing the big tasks o their o-ce. Similarly, with the assistance o Lt Col Don Stockton,chairman o the Department National Council Members, wehave provided all national council members with inorma-tion on the basic job requirements o their positions. I havealso claried or the presidents and national council mem-bers that they are essential to keeping communications fow-ing between the members and the national sta and electedocers.

I have personally made numerous contacts to reduce by75 percent the number o departments with delinquent An-

nual Election and Financial Reports. Without these currentreports, ROA doesnt know who represents the departments.Tose departments lacking these reports dont receive com-munications or their membership rebates.

Anne and I are sharing ideas on how to make both ROALand ROA more eective and relevant to members o theGuard and Reserve. We are conducting a joint First-imersOrientation at Mid-Winter.

When all things are considered, I believe we are makinggood progress toward achieving my goals. Tanks or all youreorts.x

Making Good Progress


6/73

Limit 1 Dog Tag per quote. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Offer good while supplies last. AFI eligibility requirements apply for membership and this offer, please call for more information.



anne groskreutz ROAL NATIONAL PRESIDENT

ROAL PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

To Move Further Forward, Can You Help?

We are doing it! We can do it! As with ROA, ourmembership numbers appear to be moving upslowly. Tat is a beginning. It is something we

will need to keep working on.Past presidents eri Barnes and Rick Riccardi used

innovative incentives to increase membership. It workedor them at that time. I believe at this time we need to putto use some o the recommendations rom the StrategicPlanning Committee and the member-approved Strategic

Planning Direction. I dont believe we are using the StrategicPlanning Direction or the committee to ulll our missionand goals as well as we can, but I need your help to build onour successes. Nikki Linder, a member o the committee, hassome ideas on what we can do to help build membership andkeep our members. Can you help her with that?

Te StrategicPlanning Directiondocument states thatthe purpose o theROAL is to partner

with the ReserveOcers Association tomeet mutual goals

We will be doing thatthis year by sharing theFirst-imers Reception

beore the opening o the Exhibit Hall at the start o theMid-Winter Conerence. Tat part is going to be relativelyeasy. We do need people to help with the reception and othersimilar activities. Can you help with that?

Te Strategic Planning Committee at its meeting inOctober also recommended other things we can be doing tomake our organization an efective, relevant organizationhaving the condence and involvement o its members.

Tese included some simpler tasks, such as updating ourtriold membership application and ROAL inormationsheet. However, there are other tasks to be undertaken, andthe committee and board members are not the only ones

who need to be involved in doing these things. Te StrategicPlanning Committee members work on the plan; it is up tous to implement the parts. Can you help with that?

o be efective and relevant or our younger members, weneed to include activities that are diferent rom what wehave done in the past. I hope we are ready, willing, and ableto do that. I have asked Kim Farris, wie o Brig Gen Wallace

Wade Farris, wing commander, at Westover ARB, Mass.,to speak with us at the Mid-Winter Conerence about a

program she has set up there as a way o communicating withReservists amilies, particularly when the servicemember isdeployed. I believe that ROAL can work with programs likethis to become involved with the local Reservists amiliesand help them when they most need assistance. Familyreadiness programs provide some assistance, but I believe wecan also help. And we dont need to reinvent the wheel in

guring out how we can help our military amily members.Can you help with that?Te ROA Executive Committee has approved a revision

in the national meeting schedule to take efect in 2010. Tisincludes moving the annual convention to February with aNational Council Meeting during the summer. Te detailshave not been worked out at this time. As this change willafect ROAL and our meetings, as well as our schedule andagendas, the Strategic Planning Committee will need aworking group to consider some o the options open to usand what we need to do to accommodate these changes. Can

you help with that?ROAL has occasionally hosted workshops that deal

with topics o interest to our members. Many o them haveprovided inormation about the military situation aroundthe world. Some have been learning opportunities, such assetting up a website. Sometimes we have been able to visitone o the museums around Washington, D.C., (thanks toFrancis Goulds hard work) or at the site o the NationalConvention. Tere are many other things we can be doing to

provide inormation, gain learning opportunities, share ourtalents, and just or un. Would you be willing to help plansome o these kinds o activities? Can you help?

Tere are other ways that our Strategic Plan worksor us. Te great thing is that it is just a starting point or

much discussion and brainstorming. It provides us withan opportunity to be involved, help ormulate change, andmake a diference in our organization. You know what

you want rom ROAL. Are you willing to help make thechanges to carry us into the uture as an efective, relevantorganization? ROAL needs your participation. Imcounting on it. Contact me.x

Onthe Web: For more information onROAL, visit www.roa.org/roal.

To be eective and

relevant or our younger

members, we need to

include activities that are

dierent fom what we

have done in the past.


8/73

Count me inI am proud to add my tax-deductible contribution in the amount o_____________.

My check is enclosed.

Please charge my credit card

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ROA Capital CampaignReserve Ofcers AssociationOne Constitution Avenue NEWashington DC 20002-5618


9/73

8 THE OFFICER/ FEBRUARYMARCH 2008 WWW.ROA.ORG

ltgen dennis m. mccarthy, usmc (ret.) roa executive director

EDITORIAL

Fixing Reserve RetirementA

s you may have seen back in December, I found my-self outraged by the last-minute revision to this yearsNational Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) deal-

ing with Reserve retirement.Despite a number of positive actions, one aspect of the

NDAA le 600,000 Citizen Warriors in the lurch. e actwill nally contain a provision to allow some Reservists tolower the age at which their retirement pay kicks in. Butthat provision has been made prospective, meaning thatthe service of those mobilized up to now in the Global War

on Terrorism does not count toward this earlier retirementeligibility.

Congress cited those Citizen Warriors as its rationale tomake a long-awaited change in the Reserve retirement provi-sion. e change was itself a compromise, but it was clearlyintended by its principal sponsor to be a corrective mea-

sure, one that would goback to the beginningof Reserve mobilizationfor the Global War onTerrorism.

Reducing the age atwhich career Reservistscan draw their retired

pay has been a key objec-tive for many years. It hasbeen based on two es-sential facts: (1) Reservesare being employed in an

entirely dierent way than they were when the present retire-ment system was designed; and (2), reduced retirement age

was widely seen as a powerful incentive to convince Reserv-ists to stay in service for a longer period of time.

ROA has spoken forcefully in favor of reduced retire-ment plans that acted as a force management tool, creating

a tangible incentive for those who served the longest (andthe most) with an improved retirement plan. We continuedto say: If you just serve the minimum time, and leave serviceaer 20 years, an age 60 retirement seems fair. But if you staylonger, and serve more, you should be rewarded with an ear-lier retirement eligibility.

is year, the basics of that concept seemed to catch on.Sen. Saxby Chambliss (RGa.) sponsored a bill that reect-ed at least part of our philosophy. Some in Congress, arguingthe scal side of the issue, argued that applying that philoso-

phy to those who had served since 2001 would be too expen-

sive, but Sen. Chambliss fought back on the Senate oor, andthe prospective-only provision was replaced with one thatsaid that eligibility for earlier retirement would be based onservice since Oct. 1, 2001, the date at which the current mo-bilization began. Although his provision did not accomplishall that ROA thought it should, we recognized the validityof his approach, and considered it a reasonable compromise.

But somewhere in the murky in-ghting of the Confer-ence Committee the scal conservatives were able to re-as-sert themselves, and the nal version returned to prospec-

tive only, discounting service from 2001 until now.As this edition goes to press, President George W. Bush

was expected to sign the NDAA into law. I have heard nocomment from the White House on the specic issue of Re-serve retirement provisions. Everyone recognizes the impor-tance of passing this law in a timely fashion, and it does havea lot of good provisions for servicemembers of all compo-nents (see page 14). But it is not yet right on Reserve retire-ment, and we will keep ghting.

We will seek to amend the law immediately in the nextsession of Congress to remove the prospective only provi-sion and to properly reect the nations gratitude and ad-miration for the service of our Citizen Warriors since 2001.Anything less would be a retention disincentive, the lastthing we need now.

As a nation, we must send a message to the men andwomen of our National Guard and Reserve that says: Wevalue your service. We want you to stay in service to yourcountry. We need you to do that, so that our all-volunteerforce can remain a reality. We dont want to go back to thedra.

On our website (www.roa.org) you will nd a fact sheeton Reserve retirement. In it, you will nd a succinct set ofreasons why Congress should move now to make the 21stCentury Reserve Retirement plan cover the entire 21st cen-

tury. In other words, why its provisions should begin whenthe current mobilization began on Oct. 1, 2001. You can usethis fact sheet to write and call your senators and representa-tive, and to speak knowledgeably about the issue within yourcommunity. Please do so.

ROA and REA will carry this message to every congres-sional o ce. We are in this ght until it is won.x

Congress should

moe now to make

the 21st Century

Reserve Retirementplan coer the entire

21st century.

ONTHEWEB: See the full joint statementfrom ROA and REA on early retirement atwww.roa.org/advocate_121207_retire.


10/73WWW.ROA.ORG the Officer/FEBRUARYMARCH2008

RESERVE ENLISTED ASSOCIATION

cmsgt lani burnett, usaf (ret.) rea executive director

Far from the Finish Line

In December, when most people were busy making holi-day preparations and waiting or Christmas break, there

were some o us anxiously waiting or an approved Fis-cal Year (FY) 2008 National Deense Authorization Act(NDAA). In the bill the House and Senate presented, we

were pleased to see included several areas REA addressedduring the year.

Reduced-age retirement, however, was one area that,while some viewed it as a partial victory, we did not. Pleasevisit www.roa.org to read the REA/ROA Joint Statement re-

leased on Dec. 13, 2007; LtGen McCarthys column on page8 o this issue also summarizes that statement.

Tinking the NDAA was all but signed, I le or a holi-day break with visions o what I would report to you in thiscolumn. Ten at the end o the year, I (and probably manyothers) was surprised to learn that President George W. Bushused a pocket veto to reject the bill. At the time o this writ-ing, there is much controversy surrounding the veto, andCongress had not returned rom its winter break. When itdoes, work will be done to enact the NDAA and, hopeullyby the time this issue is published, it will be signed into law.Among the thousand pages o the bill, you will in all likeli-

hood see the ollowing: A reduction in retirement age eligibility by threemonths or every 90 days a Reserve Component memberspends in support o a uture contingency operation. Note:Tis provision discounts the more than 600,000 ReserveComponent members who have served since Sept. 11, 2001,making them ineligible or this new beneft and making this

provision unacceptable to REA. Reimbursement or travel expenses or inactive duty

training (ID) travel costs or certain selected Reserve mem-bers. Te service secretaries will be allowed to reimburse upto $300 per trip to individuals with critical skills.

Continued eligibility o education benefts i a membero the Selected Reserve is transerred to the Individual ReadyReserve.

10-year post-service use o education benefts or de-ployed Reservists.

Authorization or Reservists to earn an additional 40retirement points per year or paid and non-paid ID or pro-essional courses.

30 days notice or Reserve Component members whowill be called or ordered to active duty or a period o morethan 30 days in support o a contingency operation, with agoal set or 90 days.

Tese are positive steps orward, but the fnish line is thepoint where we can throw our hands up and claim victory.We arent there yet.

REA 2008 Legislative AgendaBased on the anticipated outcome o the FY 08 NDAA

and eedback rom REA members, the ollowing are areas oocus or the upcoming year:

Reduced Age RetirementEnsure a reduction in re-tirement age eligibility by three months or every 90 days a

Reserve Component member spends in support o a uturecontingency operation, including members who have servedsince Sept. 11, 2001. Our ultimate goal is a non-mandatedage 55 retirement system or a Reservist that does not in-clude a penalty or taking the earlier retirement and includesricare benefts.

Health CareProvide dental care 90 days prior to and180 days post-mobilization to ensure servicemembers meetdental readiness standards when Department o Deenseacilities are not available close to a Reservists home. Ensurethat post traumatic stress syndrome and traumatic brain in-

jury treatment is available in areas where Reservists live oncethey return home aer mobilization.

EducationIncrease beneft rates to keep up with costo a our-year education. Authorize up-ront reimbursemento tuition. Permit individuals to retain the use o educationbenefts ollowing separation rom the Selected Reserve that

was the result o orce shaping, such as Base Reallignmentand Closure (BRAC).

BRAC ransition AssistanceAllow priority place-ment into civil service positions or Reserve Componentmembers and their spouses, authorize separation pay, con-tinue Servicemembers Group Live Insurance or 180 daysand continuation o commissary and exchange privileges ora two-year period ollowing a separation i the separation is

due to BRAC or other transormation action that eliminatesthe members Reserve unit.

Employment Benefts/ProtectionGain tax credit in-centives or employers who support and employ Reservists.REA will also fght to extend Uniormed Services Employ-ment and Reemployment Act protections to spouses o de-

ployed service members.

OntheWeb: For more information onthe Reserve Enlisted Association, visitwww.reaus.org.



READER FEEDBACK@

Army PCS Policy for ReservistsWill Have Unintended Results

I am povdng you a opy o an -mal I snt to t Hon. Ronald Jams,assstant stay o t Amy o man-

pow and Rsv aas (n sponsto Rsv DY/PCS Saga Contn-us, he Oicer, Dmb 2007).

Da S:I was recently made aware o a policy

change under consideration that wouldreduce per diem or Army Reservistswho are mobilized or more than sixmonths, instead oering a PCS change.

Supposedly, this move will save theArmy money at a time when I know theArmy is trying to save money to ght thewars and meet all other required costs.

I hope that you are also aware o theunintended consequences this action willhave. Te large majority o Guard mem-bers and Reservists dont relocate theiramilies or a mobilization. Our spouseshave jobs in the local area, we have kidsin local schools and amilies nearby, wedont want to sell the amily home and

have to pay to buy another house backhome when the mobilization is over, etc.o assume that Reservists should relocatetheir amilies or a one-year mobilizationis, rankly, an absurd assumption and tellsme that some in your ofce simply dontunderstand the nature o the Reserveorce and how these people live, work,and raise their amilies.

I love my service in the Army Re-serve and am proud o my contributionto the nation in a time o war. How-ever, i I am now required to suer an

Reader Feedback PolicySnd dbak by mal to T Edto, he Oicer, Rsv Ofs Assoaton, On Consttuton

Av. NE, Wasngton DC 20002-5618; by -mal to [email protected]; o by usng t Fdbak om onwww.oa.og.

Ltts sould b no mo tan 500 wods and must nlud t wts nam, ank ( applabl), andty and stat o sdn. T ospondn must also nlud a pon numb to vy t lttsautntty; t pon numb wll not b publsd. Ltts may b dtd o gamma, styl, and lngt.he Oicer svs t gt to us publaton o ospondn o any ason.

additional and substantial nancial lossin order to serve, in addition to all theother sacrices (amily separation, ci-

vilian job opportunity and retirementlosses, personal saety and security), tobe mobilized and serve, I am araid thatmy threshold or pain will have beenreached. I, and I suspect many other Re-servists, will no longer volunteer or call-up i I have to subsidize my housing cost

while mobilized because my governmentwont do the right thing. I m not look-ing to make money based on my service.In act, I make substantially less money

while on active duty than rom my civil-ian position. However, I cant aord totake a signicant loss either.

Suly you undstand t pda-mnt ts puts tousands o Rsvstsn, wo av svd multpl tous and

would otws onsd voluntngagan to sv t naton n ts tmo wa. Havng bn nvoluntaly mo-blzd wt sv n Aganstan n2004, I an tll you t a psonal

osts and adsps assoatd wtt mltay sv o Rsvsts sn9/11. Aodng to t wods o oultd lads, t mltay sv oou Rsvsts s ssntal to ou sussn t wa on to.

Plas do not pla an unason-abl fnanal budn on ou moblzdAmy Rsvsts by qung a PCSmov o t duton o p dm oa on-ya moblzaton. Gvn all t

postv ots tat av bn madto ognz Rsvsts ontbutons,ts knd o ban ount mntalty sa slap n t a o patot Rsvsts,dfs ommon sns, and s ontayto ou natonal lads statd postongadng t valu and ontbuton ot natons Amy Rsv mmbs.

Tanks o you onsdaton andots on bal o ou opatonalAmy Rsv.

Kenneth R. Lewis

COL, USAR

Charlotte, N.C.

Corrections

he Oicer notly dntfd Kt H. K, t wt o a lt-t n t Rad Fdbak ston o t Januay 2008 ssu. L MmbCOL K s td om t U.S. Amy Rsv and also as t ank otd bgad gnal om t Calona Mltay Dpatmnt. he O-icer gts t o.

An atl n t ROAL Nws ston o t Dmb 2007 ssu ohe Oicer lstd an not -mal addss o ROAL Natonal Ps-dnt Ann Goskutz. Fo nomaton on olltng goods o dploydtoops, -mal [email protected].


12/73WWW.ROA.ORG the Officer/FEBRUARYMARCH2008 11

Outrageous Too Tame a Word

For Congresss Retirement PlanTank you or the update on the

National Deense Authorization Act(at www.roa.org; see also page 8 thisissue). Outrageous is not strong enougha word to describe the disappointment

we probably all eel with the continuedlip service the Reserves and NationalGuard get rom many o our legislators.

Aer the wrangling o the past ewyears o how best to recognize the sac-rifces o those o us recalled to activeduty as related to early Reserve retire-

ment, the total points system discussedseemed the most equitable and airmethod or all Reservists.

I proudly wear the uniorm o myservice and continue to answer the callto duty. I am proud o my contributions

to the Global War on errorism sinceSept. 11, 2001. I am proud o the duty

o my ellow women and men in the Re-serves and National Guard. I continue tobe dismayed at the appearance o the sec-ond-class-citizen status we seem to ace.

Without the pressure and inuenceo organizations like ROA and REA,among others, we wouldnt have madenearly as many strides in equity with theActive Duty elements. Again, thank youor your continued eforts on our behal.

Kenneth HinesCDR, USCGR

Columbia, Mo.

Early Retirement Would Further

Burden Overtaxed TaxpayersAll o the arguments or retiring at

an earlier age suggest that an early Re-

serve Retirement is an entitlementnot a beneft. Who pays or military re-

tirement pay? It is we the people, thetaxpayers not the ederal government.Encumbering more o the taxpayerstight budgets or early Reserve retire-ments is placing more unnecessary bur-dens on overtaxed taxpayers.

I served on active duty or nine yearsand in the active Reserves or 17 years. Iretired rom the Reserves at age 47 andhad to wait 13 years or my retirement

pay. I could still ully utilize all militaryacilities, but just did not receive my re-

tired pay until I reached age 60. Joiningand serving in the military is voluntary,an honor and a privilege.

Raymond J. AsikLt Col, USAF (Ret.)

Vermilion, Ohio



READER FEEDBACKREADER FEEDBACK

Early Retirement PushIs Nothing But Greediness

Te most blatant example o pure,unadulterated greed on ROAs part isgetting retirement reduced to age 55or earlier. Considering how much ser-

vicemembers, particularly ocers andsenior NCOs, make in the rst place

and their already generous retirementbenets, this is a classic example o

greed run amok.I appreciate the eforts to get us re-

tirement, but lets be realistic. Whilerequiring sacrice and endangerment,it is still nota servicemembers pri-mary occupation. Te vast majority

o Reserve andNational GuardSoldiers, Sailors,Airmen, and Ma-rines will neverserve more than

two weeks activeduty per year oroutside the Unit-ed States, unless

they volunteer or it. Most already havewell-paying civilian jobs with good re-

tirement benets plus Social Security.Te biggest problem is that retire-

ment pay is a totally ununded item inthe national budget. We cannot pay orthe medical care or retirees, injuredSoldiers rom Iraq, or veterans now. Wecannot pay or the weapons and otheritems our orces in Iraq need. Why do

we want to add yet another unundedbeneft program simply to satisy greed?

Earlier retirement will not help withrecruiting or retention. Te vast major-

ity o those who leave do so beore 15years service and know what they aregiving up.

While I am a retired ocer, I am an

CONTACT ROA Telephone ...............................................202-479-2200

Toll-free ...............................................1-800-809-9448

Fax(Executive/Media) ...........................202-547-1641

Fax (Member Services) ............................202-646-7762Fax (Legislation, DEF) ..........................202-646-7753

Home page ..............................................www.roa.org

HQ e-mail .................................See directory, this page

ROA HQ

One Constitution Avenue NE

Washington DC 20002-5618

Telephone: 800-809-9448

Or use the Feedback form on the ROA Home Page:

www.roa.org

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESIDENTCol Paul R. Groskreutz, USAF (Ret.)

NATIONAL PRESIDENT ELECT

COL D. Ladd Pattillo, USAR (Ret.)

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

CAPT Michael P. Smith, USN (Ret.)

JUDGE ADVOCATE

LTC Lizette Colon, USAR

NATIONAL TREASURER

LCDR Richard E. Neiman, USCGR

[email protected]

ARMY SECTION

VICE PRESIDENT

COL Robert C. Jackle, USA (Ret.)

JR. VICE PRESIDENT

1LT Peter Powell, USAR

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS: COL Terry

Fobbs, USAR (Ret.); COL Kevin R. Riedler, USAR; LTC E.

Lisa Tepas, USAR (Ret.).

NAVAL SERVICES SECTION

(Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, PHS Corps, and NOAA

Corps)

VICE PRESIDENT

CAPT Morgan Little, USNR (Ret.)

JR. VICE PRESIDENT

LTJG Paul J. Pelletier, USNR

EXCOM MEMBERS: CAPT Gordon Austin, USN; Col

Robert Hudon Jr., USMCR; LCDR Rafael A. Ortiz, USCGR

AIR FORCE SECTION

VICE PRESIDENT

Col Beth A. Mann, USAFR

JR. VICE PRESIDENT

Capt Geno DAmico, USAFR

EXCOM MEMBERS: Lt Col Kimberly A. Fergan, USAFR;

Col Charles Fox, USAFR (Ret.); Col Michael J. Marten,

USAFR.

CHAPLAIN

Chap. (Maj) Vincent A. Cummings, USAFR

SURGEON

BG Gerald D. Grifn, USAR (Ret.)

DENTAL SURGEON

LTC Cheryl L. Becker, USAR

HISTORIAN

LTC Timothy N. Hoon, USAR (Ret.)

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

CAPT Henry E. Plimack, USCGR (Ret.)

SERGEANT-AT-ARMSLt Col Jan L. Rhoads, USAFR

CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT

NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERS

Lt Col Donald L. Stockton, USAFR (Ret.)

VICE PRESIDENT CIOR/U.S.

Maj Gen Robert A. Nester, USAFR (Ret.)

VICE PRESIDENT CIOMR/U.S.

MG Donna F. Barbisch, USAR (Ret.)

ROAL PRESIDENT

Mrs. Anne Groskreutz

NATIONAL HQ STAFF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LtGen Dennis M. McCarthy, USMC (Ret.)

[email protected]; 202-646-7701

DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MG David R. Bockel, USA (Ret.)


DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE AND MILITARY POLICYCAPT Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.)


DIRECTOR, MEMBER SERVICES

Col William L. Holahan, USMCR (Ret.)


DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC DEFENSE EDUCATION

Mr. Robert Feidler


DIRECTOR, RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Mr. J. Richard Thralls


DIRECTOR, INDUSTRY AFFAIRS & BUSINESS

RELATIONS

Ms. Lani Burnett


DIRECTOR, ARMY SECTION

Mr. Robert Feidler


DIRECTOR, NAVAL SERVICES SECTION

Mr. Will Brooks


DIRECTOR, AIR FORCE SECTION

Lt Col James E. Starr, USAFR (Ret.)


DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS

Ms. Jennifer G. Hickey


DIRECTOR, WEB DEVELOPMENT & GRAPHICS

Mr. Kelly M. Matthews


Reserve Ofcers Association National Leaders/HQ Staff Directory

Voting members of Executive Committee Non-voting members of Executive Committee



American frst, and fnancial stability othe government is my primary concern.

Just as the government never plannedor the benefts or the large number oretirees, dependents, veterans, disabled,and so orth each time it enlarged theReserve Components or the active orc-es or sent them into harms way, it is notplanning now. What neither the Penta-gon, ROA, Congress or the presidentplan or is: What will be the cost to thetaxpayer, the economy, and governmentprograms 20, 30, 40, 50 years rom now?

Robert C. Tugwell

LTC, USA (Ret.)Belton, S.C.

Half-a-Loaf StrategyOn Retirement an Insult

I can only shake my head in disgustwith ROA leaderships decision toalign itsel with the Republican hal-a-loa strategy or improving retire-ment benets or those Reservistsmobilized since Sept. 11, 2001. Tearguments against the leaderships de-

cision are compelling, yet ROA lead-ership seems bent on cozying up to theproponents o this divisive legislation.

I have dozens o riends who servedhonorably and with distinction insuch places as Somalia, Bosnia, andHaiti. Teir service is devalued by the

proposed legislation. Te use o Sept.11, 2001, as an arbitrary dividing linebetween those whose service mattersand those whose service doesnt is cal-culated to play to the partisan interestso those who sponsor the legislation.As ROA has so oen urged, I will becontacting my legislators, and I willbe telling them that this legislation ismisguided. I strongly encourage oth-ers to do the same.

Te larger issue is whether the ROAleadership is speaking or the member-ship in choosing to support one parto its membership over another. Tisis wrong. Instead, ROA should do theright thing and stand up or all Reserv-

ists. ROA should stand on the principlethat all mobilized service equally sup-

ported the nation, and should be con-sidered on equal ooting when weighedin retirement calculations.

John WarsinskeLTC, USAR

Philomath, Ore.

Correspondence Courses Build

Retirement Points for ReservistsAs a proud husband o a ellow O-

6 who surpassed my extra retirementpoints rom various active-duty-or-training periods with her nearly com-

plete seabag o correspondence courses,Ive long advocated the knowledge,

points, and retirement dollars availablerom this so-oen-overlooked NavyReserve Program.

But it wasnt until I read an article

by EM1 Robert Fisher, USNR (Ret.),Correspondence Courses: More

Money or Your Retirement in theU.S. Navy InstitutesProceedings or De-cember 2007, that I realized Reservistsinallservices may benet rom his hard

work and wisdom.EM1 Fisher cites using the 27 avail-

able annual points or extra retirementamounts up to $44,000 or enlisted

personnel. ROAs recent report o anincrease in annual points to 130 ofersadditional new vistas or all. EM1 Fish-er also ofers a ree PowerPoint presen-

tation on request by e-mail to [email protected].

Bravo Zulu and well done to EM1Fisher.

David L. Navy Dave WoodsCAPT, USNR (Ret.)

Hedgesville, W.Va.



CAPT MARSHALL A. HANSON, USNR (RET.) ROA DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATION

CAPITOL HILL CONNECTION

Successes more than outweighed one major disap-

pointment ollowing the passage o the NationalDeense Authorization Act (NDAA). Although the

act itsel was still in limbo at press time because o PresidentGeorge W. Bushs pocket veto o the legislation, the bulk othe billincluding measures aecting the Reserve Compo-nents released by the conerence committee on Dec. 6 and

passed by the House on Dec. 12 and the Senate on Dec. 14will likely become law.Te Reserve Ocers Association played a key role in the

successul inclusion o a number o issues in the NDAA.One provision, however, was met with keen disappointment:earlier retirement.

Earlier Retirementhe NDAA nally makes earlier retirement or Reserve

Component members a reality, allowing a reduction inretirement age by three months or every 90 days spent insupport o a contingency operation. However, eligibility

would begin on the day the law goes into eect rather than

back-dating to at least Sept. 11, 2001, precluding more than600,000 Guard and Reserve members who have been mo-bilized or the Global War on errorism rom receiving thenew retirement benet (see the ull story on page 16).

Retirement PointsIn good news, Reserve Component members will get more

retirement credited with an increase in the annual ceiling oninactive points from 90 to 130 starting with any service yearthat includes Oct. 31, 2007. ROA has been a traditional lead-er on this issue that will allow Guard and Reserve members toearn an additional 40 retirement points per year for paid and

non-paid inactive duty training (IDT) or professional courses.IDT Travel

With passage o the NDAA, the service secretaries are au-thorized to reimburse travel expenses or ID travel costs orcertain selected Reserve Component members. Te secre-taries may reimburse up to $300 per trip to individuals withcritical skills. ROA helped craf the language used.

EducationTe service secretarys authority is redened to pay tu-

ition assistance to members in the Selected and Individual

Ready Reserve (IRR) who are on active duty. Members willhave to sign an agreement to remain in the Reserves or our

years afer completion o the paid education. Also, educa-tion payments or certain Reserve Component membersor certain technical programs will be accelerated; members

will have the ability to accumulate three years o deploymenttime to maximize chapter 1607 reimbursement; and they

will also have the option to pay a buy-in o $600 to Mont-gomery GI Bill (MGIB) Reserve Education Assistance Pro-gram (REAPchapter 1607) to increase monthly paymentsby $150. Another provision permits ocers to be includedin an expansion o the education loan repayment program.

Another ROA goal was completed with continued eli-gibility or MGIBSelected Reserve (MGIBSR) chap-ter 1606, i a Selected Reservist is involuntarily transerredinto the IRR. Additionally, under the MGIB, chapter 1607,deployed Reservists will be permitted a 10-year eligibilityafer separation rom the Selected Reserves. Te NDAA alsocalls or a report on transerring MGIBSR rom the ArmedForces to the Veterans Aairs committee.

CompensationIn addition to a pay increase o 3.5 percent or all service-

members, Basic Allowance or Housing will be authorizedor Reserve Component members without dependents whoattend accession training while maintaining a primary resi-dence. Te bill claries income replacement payments orReserve Component members by days rather than months.Compensation will be permitted to IRR members who com-

plete an annual electronic screening. A special incentive paywill be allowed or Reserve Component members serving incombat zones or more than 22 months.

PersonnelFormer enlisted will be permitted to reenlist at their or-

mer enlisted grade i, as ocers, they are RIFed rom theircommissioned cadre. Retention o military technicians wholose dual status in the Selected Reserve due to combat-re-lated disability will be permitted. Mandatory retirement orlieutenant generals and vice admirals was dened at 38 yearsor ve years in grade, whichever is later. Te maximum pe-riod o temporary ederal recognition o National Guard o-cers has been extended rom six months to one year.

Many Wins; One LetdownNDAA provisions treat Reserve Components well, for the most part.



MobilizationReserve Component members will be given at least 30

days notice when ordered to active duty in support o a con-tingency operation or a period o more than 30 days, with agoal set or 90 days.General and ag ocers will be allowedto serve on active duty up to 365 days rom the current 179,

without impacting Active end-strengths.

FamiliesTe NDAA adds child custody protections or parents

who are deployed members o the armed orces. wenty-sixweeks o Family Medical Leave is now allowed or caregiv-

ers o wounded warriors. Anationwide combat veteran

reintegration program will becreated to provide NationalGuard and Reserve membersand their amilies with su-cient inormation, services,reerral, and proactive outreachopportunities throughout theentire deployment cycle. Tebill authorized that, beginningin 2009, survivors will be paid$50 a month in adjustmentstaken or Survivor Benet

Plan/Dependency and Indem-nity Compensation (SBP/DIC) ofsets. Tis will increaseannually by $10 per montheach year through 2013.

HealthProhibition on ricare ee

increases and on pharmacyco-payments will continuethrough Sept. 30, 2008. ohelp keep costs down, ri-care retail pharmacy will beincluded in ederal procure-

ment pricing. As an option to ricare, the deense secretaryis authorized to pay a stipend which will allow dependentso deployed Reserve Component members to remain withtheir civilian health provider. ROA will report on the timingo the implementation o this new plan, which was an ROAgoal. Te NDAA permits Federal Employees Health Ben-ets Plan beneciaries and others who had earned ricareReserve Select through deployment, prior to Oct. 1, 2007, tocontinue to keep their earned benet or the duration o thecoverage.

Reserve DollarsTe NDAA authorizes $980 million or the National

Guard and Reserve Equipment Account. It provides $2.5billion in operation and maintenance unds to the ArmyReserve; $1.2 billion or the Navy Reserve; $209 millionor the Marine Corps Reserve; $2.8 billion or the Air ForceReserve; $5.9 billion or the Army National Guard; and $5.5billion or the Air National Guard.

ROTCCongress will allow the Navy to issue serviceable material

to ROC units. Te annual limit on the number o Armyand Army National Guard ROC scholarships is repealed.Moving expenses will be covered or Junior ROC instruc-

tors i they move to hard-to-ll instructor positions.End-strengths

Te bill authorizes the end-strength o the Army Reserveat 205,000; the Army National Guard at 351,300; the NavyReserve at 67,800; the Marine Corps Reserve at 39,600;the Air Force Reserve at 67,500; the Air National Guard at106,700; and the Coast Guard Reserve at 10,000.

Tese included end-strength increases o 5,000 or theArmy Reserve and 1,300 or the Army National Guard, andreductions o 3,500 or the Navy Reserve, 7,400 or the AirForce Reserve, and 300 or the Air National Guard. TeCoast Guard and Marine Corps Reserve remain unchanged.

Te allowable variance in Guard and Reserve strength hasbeen changed rom 2 to 3 percent.

National Guard Empowerment ActTe position o the chie o the National Guard Bureau

will become a our-star billet. Te National Guard Bureaubecomes a joint activity o the Department o Deense, andits unctions will be expanded to include more homelandsecurity. U.S. Northern Command assignments will be re-

viewed to increase the number o jobs or Reserve Compo-nent members. At least one o the deputies o the NorthernCommand will be a National Guard ocer. Te bill also in-creases the number o Reserve Component general and agocers on specied combat command stafs rom 10 to 15.

Veterans/RetireesMembers o the armed orces and veterans who are pres-

ent but not in uniorm will be able to render a military sa-lute. Combat Related Special Compensation will be expand-ed to include disabled chapter 61 medically retired with lessthan 20 years. Unemployable disabled retirees will not onlybe provided with 100 percent concurrent receipt o militaryretirement and disability payments, but it will be retroactiveto Jan. 1, 2005.x

The Veto and You

PresidentGeorgeW.Bushs

veto was the rst of a Nation-

al Defense Authorization Act

(NDAA) since 1988. He cited as

reasons for his veto a couple of

provisions, one that could entan-

gle Iraqs assets in court claims

by victims of Saddam Hussein,

andanotherthatwouldgrantad-

ditional rights to prisioners of war.

There is no contention over

provisions affecting Reserve

Component members, families,

orretirees.BoththeHouseand

Senate Armed Services Commit-

tee staff members are preparing

new versions of the NDAA to

permit quick passage.

CQPolitics.com reports that

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

(DCalif.) hopes to have a new

defense bill passed and signed

into law by the end of January.

Still, the legislations 3.5 percent

pay raise for servicemembers

will be retroactive to Jan. 1.




When word reached ROA thatthe National Deense Autho-rization Act (NDAA) con-

erence committee had released its re-port, the reaction was excitement mixedwith caution: would early retirementbe included? What would be revealed?Te bill was voted out o committee on

Tursday aernoon, Dec. 6, and we re-ceived an electronic copy o the Senates

press release by 8:09 that evening romstaers in Georgia Republican Sen.Saxby Chamblisss oce.

Te new bill included the early re-tirement provision, but there was nomention o an eective date. ypicallythis would mean the new benet wouldstart once the bill was signed into law.ROA contacted Sen. Chamblisss oceor clarication, and our concern was

conrmed: Eective date o enact-mentit is not retroactive due to theextremely high cost.

ROA responded: 600,000 Guardand Reserve members will be verydisappointed.

Eligibility or the new program, asannounced jointly by both the Houseand Senate Armed Services Commit-tees, would begin only upon the dateo President George W. Bush signingthe NDAA into law (at press time his

pocket veto, due to other provisionsin the bill, was still holding sway). Telaw would allow Reserve Componentmembers to earn a reduction in their re-tirement age by three months or every90 days they will spend in support o acontingency operation.

While Congress had a scal incen-tive or making enactment the eec-tive date, it just isnt air to more than600,000 Guard and Reserve members

who have served since Sept. 11, 2001,

who would be ineligible or this newbenet. Tey would only earn newcredit i they accepted uture orders oranother tour in support o a contingen-cy operation. While other associations

were preparing NDAA announcements,ROA prepared a press release refectingthe organizations dissatisaction.

It is a slap in the ace o all thosewho have served their country aithullyprior to an arbitrary date establishedby Congress, said David D. Newsome,ROA president or the Department oAlabama, in the press release. Tou-sands upon thousands have answeredthe call and basically put their personallives and careers on hold to serve thenation, yet they will not benet romthat service.

Tis early retirement plan will be a

disincentive, ROA National PresidentCol Paul Groskreutz, USAFR (Ret.),said in the release. Many members whohave served multiple tours will likelyquit in rustration.

Tat evening, theNavy Times pub-lished an article headlined Reserve re-tirement plan is not retroactive, whichextensively quoted ROAs leadership (see

www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_reserveretirement_071207w/).

Tis was only the rst step in ROAsstrategy. ROA began conversations withseveral Capitol Hill oces to seek sup-

port or corrective legislation to restoreretroactive eligibility to those who haveearlier served. ROA Executive Direc-tor LtGen Dennis McCarthy, USMC(Ret.), and Reserve Enlisted Associa-tion Executive Director CMSgt LaniBurnett, USAFR (Ret.), next issued astatement titled We are in this ghtuntil it is won. In it, the two executivedirectors said, We will seek to amend

We Have Earlier Retirement, ButDispleasure prompts proactive ROA response.

the law immediately in the next sessiono Congress to remove the prospectiveonly provision, and to properly refectthe nations gratitude and admirationor the service o our Citizen Warriorssince 2001.

By weeks end, ROA took a step ur-ther. ROA Legislative Aairs DirectorCAP Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.),

with dra legislation in hand, met withRep. Joe Wilson (RS.C.), who agreedthat a bill was immediately needed torectiy the wrong. Within 96 hours,Rep. Wilson introduced H.R. 4930,the National Guardsmen and ReservistsParity or Patriots Act.

Since then, ROA has been work-ing to get cosponsors in the House, andcompanion legislation introduced inthe Senate. We also plan to hold a semi-nar on early retirement, co-hosted with

Rep. Wilson or Capitol Hill staers,not only to explain the need or retroac-tive eligibility, but also to explore otherearly retirement plans that might re-

place the benet that was passed.ROA members can help by contact-

ing their elected ocials and sayingthat the early retirement plan as passedalls short o what is needed, and earlierservice needs to be included at a mini-mum.x

OntheWeb: Contact your

members of Congressthrough www.roa.org.Click on the Advocacybox and fnd the Write

to Congress box on thenext page, which willtake you to a programwith contact informationfor your senators andrepresentative.



ROA has received a number o complaints rom retir-ees and drilling Reservists whose employers will nolonger provide them with supplemental benets or

reimburse them or premiums i they use ricare or ricareReserve Select (RS) aer Jan. 1, 2008. Te good news: De-

partment o Deense health aairs ofcials have claried thelaw that was passed as part o the National Deense Authori-zation Act o Fiscal Year 2007 (NDAA FY 07).

Application o the law was reviewed by the ofce o ri-

care Management Activitys general counsel. As currentlywritten, itle 10, U.S. Code Section 1097c, pertains only topeople covered by ricare under Section 1086 (in general,retirees under age 65 and their amilies). Tis means thatemployers can reimburse Reservists or RS premiums.

Further, or the retiree population, i your employer iscomplying with Internal Revenue Service laws and oers allemployees a caeteria-style health plan that permits everyoneto opt out, then the employer will not be violating 1097c.Plans that permit all employees to select optional plans orcash payments that comply with the IRS rules are also all

right. I a ricare supplemental was a caeteria option, it cancontinue to be so.

itle 10 USC section 1096c orbids employers rom o-ering incentives (nancial or otherwise) to ricrae-eligibleemployees to opt out or disenroll rom the employersgroup health-care plan and stay on ricare. I your employeris particularly targeting ricare-eligible employees by oer-ing a cash incentive to them and permits only those employ-ees to opt out o the employers group health-care plan thenthat employer is violating 1097c.

A provision o NDAA FY 07 prohibited employers romoering their employees nancial or other incentives to usericare rather than the companys group health plan. Te

provision applied to state, local, and private employers. Smallbusinesses with ewer than 20 employees are exempt romSections 1096c and 1097c.MAH

While many within Congress are debating howmany dollars to spend on the war, other electedofcials would like to debate what should be spent

on deense. wo bills were introduced supporting a basicdeense budget that, at the minimum, matches 4 percent ogross domestic product (GDP).

Rep. rent Franks (RAriz.) introduced House JointResolution 67 (H.J.Res. 67) on Dec. 6. Te bill was original-

ly cosponsored by 18 other representatives: odd Akin (RMo.), Gresham J. Barrett (RS.C.), Paul C. Broun (RGa.),om Cole (ROkla.), David Davis (Renn.), John . Doo-little (RCali.), Phil Gingrey (RGa.), Virgil H. Goode(RVa.), Duncan Hunter (RCali.), Randy Kuhl (RN.Y.),Doug Lamborn (RColo.), Frank A. LoBiondo (RN.J.),Taddeus McCotter (RMich.); Je Miller (RFla.), RandyNeugebauer (Rex.), Rick Renzi (RAriz.), Jim Saxton(RN.J.), and William Tornberry (Rex.).

I our Department o Deense is to sustain the strongest,most-well-equipped, and thoroughly trained military in theentire world, it is absolutely crucial in looking orward touture threats that it not be dependent on the politically ex-

pedient whims o Congress, said Rep. Franks.ROA met with Rep. Franks sta last summer, and in ad-

dition to ROA supporting the bill, we also shared our resolu-tion 06-04, Ensure an Adequate National Defense Budget.

Rep. Franks ofce used ROAs resolution as a starting point.A number o the bills Whereas paragraphs were duplicateso the ROA document.

In the Senate, a companion bill, S.J.Res. 26, was intro-duced on Dec. 7 by Sen. Elizabeth Dole (RN.C.). Project-ed deense spending will all considerably short o meetingmany o our militarys needs, said Sen. Dole. I we do notremedy this situation now, there will be serious consequenc-es or our national security.MAH

4 Percent GDPROA resolution used in legislation seeking higher defense spending.

Employers were denying supplemental benefts.

OntheWeb: For more details, visitwww.tricare.mil/pressroom/news.

aspx?fd=340.

Tricare Clarifcation




Senateic Leadership

Majority Leader, Chairman o Democratic Caucus, Harry Reid (Nev.)Majority Whip, Richard Durbin (Ill.)Chairman o the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Vice-

chairman o Democratic Caucus, Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.)Conerence Secretary, Patty Murray (Wash.)Chairwoman o Steering Committee, Debbie Stabenow (Mich.)

Republican Leadership

Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell (Ky.)Minority Whip, Jon Kyl (Ariz.)Conerence Chairman, Lamar Alexander (enn.)Conerence Vice-chairman, John Cornyn (exas)Policy Committee chairwoman, Kay Bailey Hutchison (exas)Chairman o the National Republican Senatorial Committee,John

Ensign (Nev.)

Senate Committee Chairs (D) and Ranking Members (R)

Aging, Herb Kohl (DWis.), Gordon H. Smith (ROre.)Agriculture, om Harkin (DIowa), Saxby Chambliss (RGa.)Appropriations, Robert C. Byrd (DW.Va.), Tad Cochran (RMiss.)Armed Services, Carl Levin (DMich.), John McCain (RAriz.)Banking, Christopher J. Dodd (DConn.), Richard C. Shelby (RAla.)

Budget, Kent Conrad (DN.D.), Judd Gregg (RN.H.)Commerce, Daniel K. Inouye (DHawaii), ed Stevens (RAlaska)Energy,Je Bingaman (DN.M.), Pete V. Domenici (RN.M.)Environment and Public Works, Barbara Boxer (DCali.), James M.

Inhoe (ROkla.)Ethics, im Johnson (DS.D.), John Cornyn (Rexas)Finance, Max Baucus (DMont.), Chuck Grassley (RIowa)Foreign Relations, Joseph R . Biden Jr. (DDel.), Richard G. Lugar

(RInd.)Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Edward M. Kennedy (D

Mass.), Michael B. Enzi (RWyo.)Homeland Security and Governmental Aairs, Joseph I. Lieberman

(DConn.), Susan M. Collins (RMaine)

Indian Aairs, Byron L. Dorgan (DN.D.), Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska)Intelligence, John D. Rockeeller IV (DW.Va.), Christopher (Kit) S.

Bond (RMo.)Joint Economic, Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.), Sam Brownback

(RKan.)Judiciary, Patrick J. Leahy (DVt.), Arlen Specter (RPa.)Rules, Dianne Feinstein (DCali.), Robert F. Bennett (RUtah)Small Business, John F. Kerry (DMass.), Olympia J. Snowe (RMaine)

Veterans Aairs, Daniel K. Akaka (DHawaii), Richard Burr (RN.C.)

Housecratic Leadership

Speaker o the House, Nancy Pelosi (Cali.)Majority Leader, Steny H. Hoyer (Md.)Majority Whip, James E. Clyburn (S.C.)Caucus Chairman, Rahm Emanuel (Ill.)Caucus Vice-chairman, John B. Larson (Conn.)

Republican Leadership

Minority Leader, John A. Boehner (Ohio)Minority Whip, Roy Blunt (Mo.)Conerence Chairman, Adam H. Putnam (Fla.)Policy Committee Chairman, Taddeus G. McCotter (Mich.)Conerence Vice-chairwoman, Kay Granger (exas)Conerence Secretary, John R . Carter ( exas)Chairman o the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee,om Cole (Okla.)

House Committee Chairs (D) and Ranking Members (R)

Agriculture, Collin C. Peterson (DMinn.), Bob Goodlatte (RVa.)Appropriations, David R. Obey (DWis.), Jerry Lewis (RCali.)Armed Services, Ike Skelton (DMo.), Duncan Hunter (RCali.)Budget, John M. Spratt Jr. (DS.C.), Paul Ryan (RWis.)Education and Labor George Miller (D Cali.), Howard McKeon

(RCali.)

Energy and Commerce, John D. Dingell (DMich.), Joe Barton(Rexas)

Financial Services, Barney Frank (DMass.), Spencer Bachus (RAla.)Foreign Aairs, om Lantos (DCali.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (RFla.)Government Reorm, Henry A. Waxman (DCali.), om Davis

(RVa.)Homeland Security, Bennie G. Tompson (DMiss.), Peter . King

(RN.Y.)House Administration, Robert Brady (DPa.), Vernon J. Ehlers

(RMich.)Intelligence, Silvestre Reyes (Dexas), Peter Hoekstra (RMich.)Judiciary, John Conyers Jr. (DMich.), Lamar S. Smith (Rexas)Resources, Nick J. Rahall II (DW.Va.), Don Young (RAlaska)

Rules, Louise McIntosh Slaughter (DN.Y.), David Dreier (RCali.)Science and echnology, Bart Gordon (Denn.), Ralph M. Hall(Rexas)

Small Business, Nydia M. Velazquez (DN.Y.), Steve Chabot (ROhio)Standards o Ofcial Conduct, Stephanie ubbs Jones (D Ohio), Doc

Hastings (RWash.)ransportation and Inrastructure, James L. Oberstar (DMinn.), John

L. Mica (RFla.)Veterans Aairs, Bob Filner (DCali.), Steve Buyer (RInd.)Ways and Means, Charles B. Rangel (DN.Y.), Jim McCrery (RLa.)

T dtoy n t Januay ssu o he Officer lstd t wong paty alaton o Oos U.S. Sn. Gog V. Vonov (R)

Congressional LeadershipUs t ollowng at n onjunton wt t ongssonal dtoy n t Januay 2008 ssu o The Officer.



OntheWeb: Stay in tunewith national securi-ty and political news bymaking www.roa.orgyour web browsers homepage.

The Chairman SpeaksTe U.S. military will need more

money to replace aging and war-wornweapons to carry out an ever-growinglist o missions, or cut next-generation

programs, said ADM Michael Mul-len, chairman o the U.S. Joint Chieso Sta, during a Nov. 27 meeting withDefense News editors and reporters.

Te Deense Budget currently ac-counts or about 3.3 percent o thegross domestic product, according to

Pentagon sta writer John . Bennett.Tis number excludes the emergencywar supplementals that have undedoperations in Iraq and Aghanistan.Modernization and the swelling person-nel costs o a growing Army and MarineCorps will require that gure to grow toat least 4 percent, ADM Mullen said.

He worries that another peace divi-dend a postwar drawdownwouldput [the United States] in a weak posi-tion in the uture.

Homeless Numbers DeclineUSA Today headlines declared Vet-

erans make up 1 in 4 Homeless. Tearticle also stated that this represented11 percent o the American adult popu-lation. Numbers rom the Departmento Veterans Aairs (VA) indicate that194,254 veterans are homeless on anygiven night, with about 30 percent othis number being chronically homeless.More than 100,000 o them receive VA

health care every year. Te total num-bers represent a reduction o 22 percent

in the past ve years.USA Today was perhaps overly en-

thusiastic with its statistics. Tis pub-lished homeless number represents

just 8/10s o a percent o the veteranpopulation, not 11 percent o the adultpopulation. In July 2007, there were

23.7 million living veterans.Te VA plans $287 million or

homeless-specic programs in FiscalYear 2008 and another $300 million is

provided in grants to local agencies. VAhas identied 1,500 homeless veteransrom the current wars.

Is Your Fridge Running?Te Associated Press reports that V-

ll Atlason, a 16-year-old Icelandic highschool student, nearly convinced the

White House that he was Icelands pres-ident, Olaur Ragnar Grimsson, duringa phone call attempt to reach PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Tinking he had a

private phone number, Vill called thepublic switchboard at 202-456-1414.

Vll claims he was passed on to sev-eral people, each o them quizzing himon President Grmssons date o birth,

where he grew up, who his parentswere, and the date he entered oce. Itwas like passing through checkpoints,he said. But I had Wikipedia and a ewother sites open, so it was not so di-cult really. Reaching President Bushssecretary, Vill claims he managed tobook a call meeting with the presidentor two nights later.

Instead, Icelandic police turned uptwo days later at his home in Akranes, ashing town about 48 kilometers romReykjavik, and took him in or severalhours o questioning and then releasedhim without being charged.

Carriers Route Irks BeijingTeFinancial Times reported that

the Chinese government was grave-ly concerned with the aircraf car-rier USSKitty Hawk (CV-63) passingthrough the sensitive aiwan Straitshortly afer Beijing barred it rom visit-ing Hong Kong. In December, Chinareused permission or port visits to

Hong Kong by a string o U.S. warshipsincluding theKitty Hawk, as well astwo smaller vessels seeking reuge rombad weather.

TeKitty Hawk returned to its basein Japan by making an unusual passageo the strait that separates mainlandChina rom democratic rival aiwan.

Washington considers the aiwan Straitinternational waters, but the passage

was the rst since 2002 by an aircracarrier, theFinancial Times reported.Te straits are 112 miles wide.

China has signed the Law o theSea reaty granting exclusive economiczones out to 200 miles, which Beijinginterprets as territorial waters, especiallyas the Chinese government also claimsthat aiwan is a rogue province. Teaiwan Strait is one o the busiest com-mercial shipping and transportationlanes in the world.

China test-red missiles over theseshipping lanes near aiwans two busiest

ports in 1996. In April o 2001, China

orced down a U.S. Navy EP-3 electron-ic surveillance aircra, claiming it wasfying over Chinese territorial waters.x



The Reserve Ofcers Associations2008 Legislative Agenda2008 Legislative priorities for ROA

Assure that the Reserve and National Guard con-tinue in a key national deense role, both at homeand abroad.

Reset the whole orce to include ully undingequipment and training or the National Guard

and Reserves. Provide adequate resources and authorities to sup-

port the current recruiting and retention require-ments o the Reserves and National Guard.

Support warriors, amilies, and survivors.

Issues to help FUND, EQUIP, AND TRAIN

Advocate or timely, adequate unding to maintainnational deense during the Global War on Terrorism(GWOT).

Advocate or both the Reserve and Reservists, pro-

tecting the mission and contributions being made byGuard and Reserve members. Support Active and Reserve end-strengths that support

mission requirements. Regenerate the Reserve Components with eld-com-

patible equipment. Fully und the Military Pay Appropriation to guaran-

tee a minimum o 48 drills and two weeks training. Sustain authorization and appropriation to the Nation-

al Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA)to permit exibility or Reserve chies in support omission and readiness needs.

Optimize unding or additional training, preparation,and operational support. Keep Active and Reserve personnel and Operation &

Maintenance unding separate.

Issues to assist RECRUITING

AND RETENTION

Access: Monitor access to military recruiters at institutions o

higher education, providing the same access as otheremployers.

Changes to retention policies: Permit service beyond the current Reserve Ocers

Personnel Management Act (ROPMA) limitations. Support incentives or aliation, reenlistment, reten-

tion, and continuation in the Reserve Component.

Mobilization:

Facilitate change to the Department o the Armys pol-icy to place Reservists on Permanent Change o Station(PCS) orders or mobilizations over a year in length,and stress the efect it has on allowances and retention.

Obtain diferential pay or ederal employees. Make permanent the ability or mobilized Reserve

Component members to withdraw without penaltyrom 401(k)s and IRAs.

Pay and Compensation: Obtain proessional pay or Reserve Component medi-

cal proessionals, consistent with Active Component. Eliminate the 1/30th rule or Aviation Career Incen-

tive Pay, Career Enlisted Flyers Incentive Pay, DivingSpecial Duty Pay, and Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay.

Simpliy the Reserve duty order system without com-promising drill compensation.

Protect and improve recently passed legislation restrict-ing payday loans.

Education: Improve Active Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) to allow

deployed Reservists to qualiy by accumulating mobi-lized time.

Increase MGIBSelected Reserve (MGIBSR) to 47

percent o MGIBActive. Include our-year reenlistment contracts to qualiy or

MGIBSR. Support repayment o seminary loans or chaplains re-

cruited into the Reserves. Enact Uniormed Services Employment and Reem-

ployment Rights Act (USERRA) and ServicemembersCivil Relie Act (SCRA) protections or mobilizedGuard and Reserve students granting academic leave oabsences and protecting academic standing and reundguarantees.



Adjust interest rates on ederal student loans when themarket rate drops below 6 percent.

Employer Support: Enact tax credits or health care and dierential pay ex-

penses or deployed Reserve Component employees. Provide tax credits to oset costs or temporary

replacements o deployed Reserve Componentemployees.

Support tax credits to employers who hire servicemem-bers who have served in the GWO.

Support establishment o a law center dedicat-ed to problems o deployed Active and Reserveservicemembers.

Employee Support: Permit delays or exemptions o regularly scheduled

mandatory education and licensing/certifcation/pro-motion exams scheduled while mobilized.

Change the Internal Revenue Service code to permitabove-the-line deduction or overnight travel expenseso Reserve Component members rom 100 to 50 miles.

Health Care: Continue to improve health care to all drilling Reserv-

ists and their amilies byoMonitoring the implementation o Department o

Deense (DoD) paying a stipend toward employershealth care or dependents.

oAllowing demobilized retirees and Reservists invol-untarily returning to Individual Ready Reserve toqualiy or tier I ricare Reserve Select coverage.

Extend military coverage or restorative dental care ol-lowing deployment.

Allow gray-area retirees to buy-in to ricare.

Spouse Support: Repeal the partial Survivor Benefts Plans Dependency

Indemnity Clause oset. Provide employment protection and provide amily

leave or spouses and amily caregivers o mobilizedGuard and Reserve members or a period o time priorto or ollowing the deployment o the military member.

Deerred Benets and Retirement: Extend recently passed early retirement legislation

retroactively to Sept. 11, 2001.

Continue to promote better legislation on reducingthe Reserve Component retirement age.

Permit mobilized retirees to earn additional retirementpoints.

Continue to protect and sustain existing retirementbenefts or currently retired.

USERRA/SCRA: Fix USERRA and SCRA to protect health-care cov-

erage o returning servicemembers and their amiliesor pre-existing conditions, and continuation o priorgroup or individual insurance.

Exempt Reserve Component members rom age in-eligibility or ederal employees to buy back retire-

ment when deployment intereres with applicationdeadlines. Encourage ederal agencies to abide by USERRA and

SCRA standards.

Veterans Afairs (VA): Extend veterans preerence to those Reserve Compo-

nent members serving more than 180 days. Permit Guard and Reserve members with 20 years o

good service to qualiy or veteran status. Make permanent Reserve Component VA Home Loan

Guarantees expiring in September 2009. Seek equity on VA Home Loan ees between Active

Component and Reserve Component programs. Support burial eligibility or deceased gray-area retirees

at Arlington National Cemetery. Continue to seek timely and comprehensive imple-

mentation o concurrent receipt or disabled receivingretired pay and VA disability compensation.

Voting: Ensure that every deployed servicemember has an op-

portunity to vote byoWorking with the Federal Voting Assistance

Program.

oSupporting electronic voting. Ensure that every military absentee ballot is counted.

Service-Specic Issues:Te Army, Naval Services, and Air Force Aairs Direc-

tors provide service-specifc legislative agendas. Tey can becontacted by calling 1-800-809-9448.

OntheWeb: ROA resolutions, position papers, and white papers supporting these ini-tiatives are at www.roa.org/advocate. Or contact CAPT Marshall Hanson, director oflegislation and military policy, at [email protected], or 800-479-2200, ext 713.



LTC ROBERT FEIDLER, USAR (RET.) DIRECTOR, ROA ARMY SECTION

ARMY

Podally, td GEN Bay MCay, wo nowsvs as an adjunt posso o ntnatonal aasat Wst Pont, ppas a statg and opatonal

assssmnt o unt suty opatons n Iaq. Hs sousang om t U.S. Cntal Command Command ADM

Wllam J. Fallon and GEN Davd H. Ptaus, ommandng

gnal o t Mult-Natonal Fos Iaq, to popl asmt on vaous vsts to makt plas, pol statons, andsu. Hs latst pot, basd on a vst mad to Iaq nDmb, pants a postv ptu o t sug n Iaq, butalso tows up som bgt auton ags.

Followng a glgts: T stuggl o stablty n t Iaq Cvl Wa as

ntd a nw pas wt damatally dud lvls o vl-an staan voln, poltal assassnatons, abdutons,and mpovsd xplosv dv attaks. GEN Ptaus andAmbassado Ryan Cok av povdd bllant olltvladsp to U.S. os.

Al-Qada n Iaq as bn datd at a tatal andopatonal lvl n Bagdad and Anba Povn and s ty-ng to onsttut n t not and along t Syan ont.T Iaq popl av tund on al-Qada baus t ov-ad, tyng to mpos an aln and as pat o Islamnonsstnt wt t mo modat pat o t Sunnmnoty. Fogn ntvnton aoss t Syan bod asdoppd substantally. Al-Qadas sno lads av bom

walkng dad mn baus o t nomous numb o vl-an tps gong dtly to U.S. os.

T Iaq Suty Fos a now bgnnng to tak amajo and ndpndnt, sussul ol n t wa. Evn t

pvously gossly ntv and oupt Iaq Pol av

bn tand and -quppd, and many unts a nowpovdng suty n t loal aas.

T ntal govnmnt dos not wok. Howv, loaland povnal govnmnts a sowng vdn o suss-ul onsttuton.

T a ou mllon dsloatd Iaqs, many o tmt ntllgntsa and possonal lass wo av d tongbong ounts.

T onomy s sowng sgns o omng bak. T moal and tatal tvnss o ngagd U.S.

mltay os a stkng. Ts ombat os av bom

t mosttvount-nsu-gny (andons

pol n-vstgatvsv) nstoy.

Sunn Aabs want bak n bo U.S. os lav.Sa ontnu t as and a gvng up ogu l-mnts. Many ngbooods ontnu to b domnatd bygangs o amd tugs. T Iaq just systm dos not ytxst, and vngan s t only opatv law o t land.

T Untd Stats must av ts al poltal obj-tvs to wtdaw most U.S. ombat os n t omng 36monts and lav a stabl Iaq govnmnt n pla. GEN

MCay onluds tat t s too lat to xt Iaq und tunt admnstaton but tat t nxt U.S. psdnt anb st up o suss t Untd Stats dus t numbo bgad ombat tams to 12-plus by Januay 2009.

GEN MCay dos pont to som tal poblms.Altoug t Amy s gadually nasng n sz by 7,000 a

ya to a goal o 547,000 by 2010, GEN MCay blvst nds a numb los to 800,000. H blvs t untutng ampagn s bngng too many nw Solds ntounom wo a not quald to sv.

H glgts t gav poblm ang t Amy o los-ng ombat-xpnd, md-a NCOs and aptans (a

poblm boad n ts ston n t Januay 2008 ssu

o he Officer).Wl bng omplmntay o t Guad and Rsvs,

GEN MCay blvs ty a n pl o not bng adyo t omland suty mssons o dploymnt n tvnt o anot majo sootng wa, su as ould dvlopn Koa. H blvs t Rsv Componnt s nadquat-ly soud and pomng n a g ops tmpo ol o

w ts mmbs dd not sgn up.H onluds by tng tat wl w a no long

n a downwad spal n Iaq, t ultmat outom s stll ndoubt.x

Iraq InsightsWest Point professors report on the warheralds success, but raises cautionary fags.

Retired GEN McCaffrey is given a tour ofCombat Outpost Salie, Iraq, Dec. 8, by MAJLuis Rivera, executive ofcer of the 1st Bat-talion, 10th Field Artillery.

PHOTOB

Y

SPC

BEN

HUTTON/USA



lt col james e. starr, usafr (ret.) director, roa air force section

AIR FORCE

Strategic Planning

In the current Department o Deense (DoD), all ap-

proved joint capabilities emanate rom the presidentiallyapproved National Security Strategy (NSS) and DoD

and services strategic planning processes. Following is a sum-mary o current documents and actions that will occur dur-ing 20082009 that will aect joint capabilities and person-nel o the U.S. Air Force otal Force.

Te top source document that all DoD and service plan-

ners and programmers must be consistent with is the NSS.At a National Deense University (NDU) alumni seminarlast year, the September 2002 NSS and the March 2006 NSS(unclassied), both approved by President George W. Bush,

were compared and discussed. Because NDU seminars arenot or attribution,only a summary othe categories andocus can be pro-

vided here as anoverview. Te NSSdiscussed both the

international anddomestic strategicenvironment. TeUnited States na-

tional interests are essentially the same in the 2002 and 2006NSS documents. Treats and Opportunities and Powerand Inuence are discussed in relation to U.S. national in-terests. Objectives and Instruments are discussed or theiroptions in statecra by the U.S. government.

Once a requirement is determined by senior military orsenior civilians within the services or DoD, the joint capabil-ity required must be properly approved beore budget re-quests are submitted to Congress. Te DoD joint capability

approval system is the Joint Capabilities Integration and De-velopment System (JCIDS). Te system produces capabil-ity proposals that consider doctrine, organization, training,materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and acilitiessolutions to support joint warghting capabilities. JCIDS iscapability-based planning, which replaces the scenario-based

planning system o the last several decades. Te new JCIDSprocess was established June 24, 2003, with release o Chair-man Joint Chies o Sta Instruction 3170.01C.

DoD and the services stas prepare strategic goals thatare consistent with the NSS and DoD guidance. As directed

The Air Force is already gearing up for the next QDR.

by Congress, DoD every our years, with each services input,will provide a Quadrennial Deense Review (DR) Reportto Congress. In November, the deputy secretary o deensedirected the DoD sta to accelerate the DR action cycle

with nal erms o Reerence and Assumptions by January2008 instead o the usual March timerame. Tis providesthe services with specic guidance or their DR workinggroups and executive discussions during 20082009. Te Air

Force ofce o primary responsibility is the AF/A8X, Stra-tegic Plans Directorate, which will lead the eort to preparethe dra Air Force input on DR rom the Air Force chieo sta to the secretary o deense in response to suspensesrom DoD.

Te new directive rom Congress included in the FiscalYear 2008 NDAA Conerence Report (the legislation wasstill pending aer President Bush executed a pocket veto inlate December) calls or a Roles and Missions review or allo DoD. Te report will be due with the DR in December2009 and include, in addition to DoD roles and missions,services core competencies, missions going unaddressed, and

possible duplication o eort.

Monthly SeminarsFor the past nine years, the Air Force has held monthly

seminars to address timely deense strategy and militarytransormation issues. Senior Air Force and joint leaders leaddiscussion among interested personnel rom Capitol Hill,the media, the Air Force, and the corporate worlds. In De-cember AF/A8 hosted its Air Force Deense Strategy Semi-nar Breakast at the Russell Senate Ofce Building with GenNorton A. Schwartz, commander o U.S. ransportationCommand, as speaker. Te generals comments are availableat Air Force Link (www.a.mil) under Air Force Leadership/

Air Force senior leader speeches.ROAs Minuteman Ballroom will be the site or 10 ca-tered breakasts during 2008 or the Air Force Deense Strat-egy Seminars, with AF/A8X (Strategic Plans) as the host.Te rst 2008 seminar, scheduled or Jan. 15, was to eatureLt Gen Gary North, 9th Air Force and Central Air ForcesCommander.x

OntheWeb: For more service section news,visit www.roa.org/military_sections.

Te deputy secretary odeense directed the DoD

staf to accelerate the

Quadrennial Deense

Review action cycle



NAVAL SERVICES

CAPT MARSHALL A. HANSON, USNR (RET.) DIRECTOR, ROA Naval Services Section

On Ships, into Hurricanes, over the PoleNaval Services focus on new vessels, new aircraft, and new missions.Pentagon Delays Warship Purchases

Te military plans to delay its purchase o 11 warshipsunder development by Lockheed Martin o Bethesda andGeneral Dynamics, reports the Washington Post. Te Navyoriginally planned to buy 32 littoral combat ships (LCs)over the next ve years, but will now buy 21, according toan unpublished Nov. 19 directive rom Deputy DeenseSecretary Gordon England that spells out changes in the

Pentagons scal 20092013 plan, thePostsaid. By shiing11 LCSs into the uture, the savings rom buying the vesselsaer 2013 could be as much as $5 billion, thePostsaid.

Arctic Domain OverfightTe 17th U.S. Coast Guard District in Juneau, Alaska,

said it will conduct Arctic Domain Awareness ights everytwo weeks as part o the Coast Guards initiative to establishan increased presence in the region. Te Coast Guards goalin increasing Arctic operations is part o an eort to enhancecapabilities and readiness to meet the needs o American in-terests in the region. Kodiak-based Coast Guard C-130 Her-

cules y north across the Arctic Circle and along Alaskas icycoastline. Along with developing Arctic domain awareness,the purpose o these missions are or the Coast Guard toevaluate equipment and learn how to operate in the cold en-

vironment, as receding sea ice and other conditions result inmore requent northerly ocean trafc. With recent Russianterritorial claims to the North Pole under the Law o the Seareaty, Russia, Norway, and England have been ying Arcticoverights to maintain dominion claims.

Commissioned Corps AfoatA number o US Public Health Service Commissioned

Corps ofcers have been getting their sea legs.

A team o 17 USPHS ofcers served aboard the USNSComfort(-AH 20), a U.S. naval hospital ship that touredLatin America and the Caribbean on a public-health mis-sion. Te our-month cruise provided oral and primary-care health services to nearby communities when the shipdocked. In its joint operation, Corps ofcers worked withU.S. Navy, Army, and Coast Guard personnel, as well as withnonprot organizations Project Hope and Operation Smile.

USNS Comfortdelivered care in Belize City, Belize; Puer-to Barrios, Guatemala; Colon, Panama; Corinto, Nicaragua;Acajutla, El Salvador; Salaverry, Peru; Manta, Ecuador; Bahia

Malaga, Colombia; Port-Au-Prince, Haiti; Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago; Georgetown, Guyana; and Paramari-bo, Suriname, before returning to Norfolk, Va., Oct. 15.

In the Pacic, a multidisciplinary team o ofcers in theUSPHS Commissioned Corps served on USSPeleliu (LHA5) as the ship participated in Pacic Partnership 2007. Dur-ing thePelelius our-month voyage, Corps ofcers helpedbuild a public health inrastructure or people o the West-

ern Pacic region. Te U.S. Navy vessel was the rst to becompletely dedicated to a planned humanitarian mission.Pacic Partnership 2007 launched June 1 rom Pearl Har-

bor, Hawaii, and provided medical, dental, construction, andother humanitarian-assistance programs in the Philippi

ROA Dot Org Robert Feidler SAIC

Documents