Several uniformed chiefs from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force testified before the House Armed Services Committee last week, identifying the key military programs that might falter due to a government shutdown, NJ.com reports.
The military faces either a $52 billion spending reduction beginning Oct. 1 – the start of the 2014 fiscal year – or a "continuing budget resolution" bill that will freeze the spending budget at the 2013 amount. The news source reports that both scenarios would have detrimental effects on the U.S. uniformed forces.
According to the news outlet, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno warned the House committee that more than 100 of the branch's acquisitions programs, including the ground combat vehicle program and the Army's Aerial Scout program, will be impacted.
Odierno called the results of the impending budget cuts "extensive modernization program shortfalls," a sentiment echoed by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos.
"If we are to succeed on future battlefields we must modernize and we must care for our infrastructure and training facilities," Amos said. "Soon there will be little left within these accounts to offset our readiness requirements."
Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, added that not only will the Navy lose more than 10 aircraft carriers, but it will also only complete the renovations of facilities that are "safety-essential," the news source reports.
All uniformed chiefs predicted a decrease in membership of their active-duty forces.
As the U.S. government inches closer to a potential shutdown, military personnel might be locked in to work without pay, according to U.S. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee.
Although the Department of Defense remains functional during government shutdowns, Young told Military Times that servicemembers should expect to work without pay until appropriations funding becomes available. While pay will be accrued during that time, Young warns that the morale of the servicemembers will inevitably suffer.
"The impact of a shutdown on the department and the military and civilian families – many of whom live paycheck to paycheck – is simply catastrophic," Young said.
Military personnel are also exempt from government furloughs. However, the laying off of civilian defense workers combined with lack of funding to the defense department will potentially result in delayed military operations, ranging from medical treatment and payments to medical providers to travel and permanent moves, the news source reports.
Congress currently has until Oct. 1 to iron out its spending budget and avoid a government shutdown. The House passed a bill last week that would fund the government through Dec. 15. However, the hotly contested bill also eradicates the Affordable Care Act, entirely stripping its funding. The bill will be taken up by the Senate this week.
As several states with same-sex marriage bans currently fight the Department of Defense's new policy to include same-sex couples in its spousal benefits, one Midwestern state has decided to turn the tide.
Members of the Missouri National Guard who are currently in same-sex relationships can now receive equal military benefits, despite the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage, the Riverfront Times reports.
"We're just following guidance from the Department of Defense," Missouri National Guard spokesman 1st Lt. John Quin told the news source, adding that the state's same-sex marriage ban was not taken into consideration by the guard because its benefits program falls under the federal system.
The DoD's spousal policy shift occurred in July, following the landmark Supreme Court decision that struck down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that blocked federal agencies from recognizing same-sex couples. Under the new rules, same-sex military and National Guard couples are eligible for various assistance programs such as military healthcare, Social Security and survivor benefits, as well as military identification cards allowing access to bases and their facilities.
While Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has yet to speak on this issue, the governors of nearby states Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi – all of which have a constitutional law banning gay marriage – have blocked their same-sex couple guards members from receiving these benefits. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin was the latest state leader to cease the processing of same-sex couple benefits, according to The Associated Press.
The on-going sequester continues to pose a major threat to servicemembers and military families as Congress currently battles over an increasing debt ceiling and hefty spending cuts, which include a $52 billion defense reduction for the 2014 fiscal year. One of the most pressing issues facing the military community is the potential furlough of civilian defense department workers and the adverse effects it may have on servicemembers, according to Government Executive.
In 2013 the Department of Defense furloughed more than 650,000 employees, according to the news source. While Congress is currently fighting to fund the government through the end of the year, the divisive debate might result in more government furloughs in 2014.
Servicemembers are exempt from government furloughs, but many of their programs and facilities reportedly suffer from the laying off of civilian workers. The news outlet reports that a recent survey conducted by First Command Financial Services Inc. found that 72 percent of middle-class military families with an annual household income of $50,000 were affected by recent furloughs, ranging from reduced hours at the commissary to limited access to medical treatment.
"It's worth noting that a significant subset of active-duty households include a federal employee," CEO Scott Spiker told Government Executive. "These families were hit twice by the furloughs – through a reduction in various services to the military communities as well as smaller paychecks for federal workers."
According to the survey, which also collected data from civilian households, only 32 percent of non-military middle-class families felt negative effects from the recent government furloughs.
Thanks to a new White House privacy initiative, servicemembers might be able to retrieve their military benefits through one identification number.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has granted Id.me Inc., a Virginia-based web company, $1.2 million to develop the innovative technology, NextGov reports. Through the potential web system, veterans, Pentagon staff and their families can gain access to many secure websites, including online banking accounts, federal agencies and healthcare companies. NIST officials also said it would help veterans obtain their college financial forms.
According to the news source, the in-development system would expand on Troop ID, a current Internet tool that lets servicemembers and other military personnel log onto commercial websites. NIST states that more than 200,000 servicemembers and veterans already use the system to access their military benefits.
While Troop ID currently uses password-protected technology, developers at Id.me hope to change that. In a world where cybersecurity is a top priority, the web company is attempting to develop a more secure credential that will include passcodes being sent via text message.
"The Troop ID pilot will help Americans, the military community and their families access more secure, privacy-enhancing multi-factor identity solutions that they can use in lieu of passwords in their everyday transactions online," Jeremy Grant, NIST senior executive advisor for identity management, said in a news release.
This potential military access technology builds on the privacy data systems currently in-development by the U.S. government. According to NextGov, the larger White House initiative, National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, envisions a world where citizens will only need one I.D. credential to log onto numerous sites.
Following the Washington Navy Yard shooting that claimed the lives of 12 civilians Monday, Sep. 16, the defense department is looking into its policy on background checks and taking further steps to reform the process, Reuters reports.
Defense department officials told the news source that background checks for workers with "secret" security clearance are valid for a decade. The checks are only re-opened if new reports of misconduct are raised by the individual's supervisor or self-reported, officials said. While there is a self-reporting requirement, officials are skeptical that workers who participate in illegal activity would be inclined to report themselves.
The harsh reality
As safety concerns rise following Monday's mass shooting at a U.S. military installation, newly uncovered details of the shooter's former military life provide insight into the potential failings of the security clearance system, the news outlet reports.
Aaron Alexis, a Navy veteran, was initially given security clearance in 2008 during his service in the Navy Reserve. At the time of the shooting, Alexis was working for a defense contractor as an information technology specialist.
The background check highlighted a 2004 arrest, but Alexis was nonetheless granted clearance. That clearance held over to Alexis' current specialist job, because it was already tied to the military, an official told the news source.
"In national policy, there is a procedure which allows for reinstatement of that existing clearance, provided that there's no derogatory information known," the official said.
However, Alexis, an increasingly troubled individual, had recent issues. The Los Angeles Times reports that Rhode Island police warned the Navy just last month about Alexis' recent mental health developments, including his statement that he was allegedly hearing voices. A Navy official told the news source that the security department did not label Alexis as a threat after a "routine" review.
The news outlet also states that Alexis was treated by a Veterans Affairs hospital in late August for insomnia, and was discharged to his primary care provider.
A policy in flux
Defense department officials told Reuters that while security clearances were ramped up following 2009's mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, a new security process is still evolving.
"What we're doing is trying to make sure we have a system by which we are appropriately protecting [privacy], but providing information to the experts who need to know it," an official said.
According to defense officials, only 52 of the 89 security recommendations offered since 2009 have been fully implemented within the department. Among those recommendations still in development are information sharing between the FBI and local police jurisdictions, the establishment of threat-management units and active shooter training, the news source reports.
The defense department is also working on a program that would immediately notify security officials of recent arrests and criminal charges. Defense officials hope that program will help identify potential threats to military safety.
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., is leading a fight to maintain Fort McPherson's commissary, the sole military benefits store in the Greater Atlanta area that's slated to close Sep. 28.
Located just outside of Atlanta in College Park, the commissary is in danger of closing due to the construction of a future store at Dobbins Air Force Base in nearby Marietta, Ga. However, that construction has been stalled due to a lack of funding, leaving many to wonder if it will open at all.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Johnson urged the defense department to keep the commissary at Fort McPherson open until the one at Dobbins AFB is completed. If the commissary closes before then, Johnson wrote, thousands of servicemembers and veterans residing in the Greater Atlanta area will be left without access to a military provisions store.
A member of the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees and long-time advocate for veteran benefits, Johnson stated that cutting this "important benefit" from active-duty members and veterans undermines their service.
"These heroes have earned this benefit through service to our nation," Johnson wrote. "In these difficult economic times … it is deeply disappointing that the Department would make the decision to deprive Atlanta-area veterans of a commissary."
Although Fort McPherson stopped operating in 2011, its commissary remained open. If it closes, servicemembers and veterans will have to travel more than two hours to Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. for the nearest military provisions store.
A congressional subcommittee has recently taken up military benefits, threatening the pay, healthcare and retirement packages of future servicemembers.
According to the Military Times, House Armed Services subcommittee chairman Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va. is in favor of cutting benefits and pay for future troops. However, he is intent on blocking base closures and cuts to armed services structures.
Wittman also insists that the potential cuts to military pay and other benefits will not affect current active-duty members.
"I think we have a moral commitment as a nation to say this is the agreement, while not legal but I think a moral agreement, under which you came into the services," Wittman said in a recent televised interview with C-SPAN Newsmakers. "I think we need to stand by that."
Wittman, who according to the news source controls roughly 40 percent of the defense budget told the television program that he believed pay cuts would be fair and not result in less dedicated troops.
Although Congress has long been against cuts to military pay, the stress of the sequester has placed a heavy burden on both the legislative branch and the military, reports Military.com. The battle over the defense budget comes to a head Oct. 1, when the military faces a $52 billion reduction in the new fiscal year.
According to the news source, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stated last month that military benefits account for half of the defense budget.
The increase in suicides among veterans and active-duty members over the last decade has caused many investigators to take a closer look at how military life insurance might factor into these deaths. Currently, the military provides life insurance for families of servicemembers who have committed suicide.
A possible red flag
Jami Calahan, the widow of Army Spc. James Christian Paquette, who committed suicide in 2011, told the Los Angeles Times that her husband might still be alive today if suicide was not covered under his life insurance plan.
According to the news source, Paquette visited the Ft. Wainwright, Alaska benefits office two weeks before he killed himself, asking about his plan in regard to suicide. Following his death, $400,000 was paid to his family.
Calahan told the news source that she only found out about Paquette's trip to the benefits office from investigators. Two years later, she remains angered by the fact that no one at the office recognized this as a red flag.
"He just wanted to know we would be provided for," Calahan said.
Increased rates
Until 2005, the standard military life insurance coverage was $250,000. Congress raised the coverage to $400,000 at the height of the Iraq war, when the suicide rate for servicemembers and veterans also began to rise. Unlike private insurance companies, which block suicide coverage for the first two years, coverage for suicide under military life insurance begins upon enlistment.
The current military life insurance plan covers all deaths except for execution for treason.
Although experts told the news source that life insurance is not a major factor in military suicide cases, many researchers have suggested that knowing one's family will be more than adequately covered after one's death might provide some motivation. Previous studies of private life insurance plans in the U.S. and overseas have shown that suicide rates tend to spike once restrictions on the suicide coverage are lifted, the news source reported. The studies added that the policies for those who committed suicide issued larger sums than those who died from natural causes.
Still, the delicate nature of military suicides makes the issue harder to parse, and some Defense Department members, including director of the DoD Suicide Prevention Office Jacqueline Garrick, worry that it might be unfair to leave the families of veterans and servicemembers with nothing.
"Family members should not be punished or penalized because of a medical condition of their loved one," Garrick told the news source.
Therapy dogs have shown promise in helping veterans overcome challenges associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, and now some of the youngest members of the military community are also turning to four-legged friends for comfort. This summer, a number of therapy dogs visited Operation Purple – a camp for kids with parents who are deployed – and the early returns have been overwhelmingly positive, Fox affiliate WTFX reported.
A long-standing relationship
Canine companions coming to Operation Purple, which has locations all over the country, continue the tradition of dogs in the military. As far back as World War II, therapy dogs were sent to help comfort injured soldiers, and more recently with veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Using them to alleviate the stress placed on military children is relatively new, but therapy dogs have currently visited all 14 Operation Purple summer camps. The benefits to such a program are very apparent, experts say.
"Therapy dogs have been shown to reduce anxiety, decrease depression and increase self-esteem and confidence," Amy McCullough of the American Humane Institute told the news channel. "So at the summer camps we see therapy dogs distract kids from their worries, help with homesickness and provide conversation starters to make new friends."
Challenges abound
Uncovering effective ways to help military children overcome their obstacles has become particularly important in light of recent findings. One of the most significant challenges they have to overcome is the product of frequent moves. According to the Department of Defense, military children attend between seven and nine different schools before graduating. As a result, military children often see social, emotional and behavioral problems civilian youngsters do not, according to a 2011 study from the RAND Center for Military Health and Policy Research.
"Long and frequent deployments, with short dwell times in between, have placed stresses on Army children and families already challenged by frequent moves and parental absences," the report said.
The findings echo results of a more recent study from the nonprofit Child Trends that examined the effects deployment has on children. Specifically, the research found that young children are particularly vulnerable to long-term emotional strain. More specifically, anxiety is common among young military children who have a parent serving overseas, and that is often heightened if they return from combat with injuries.