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The military's senior enlisted members appeared before Congress
today to discuss quality of life issues and advocate for budget
certainty to maintain military superiority and recruit and retain
the best people.
Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey, Navy Master
Chief Petty Officer Steven S. Giordano, Marine Sgt. Maj. Ronald L.
Green, and Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright spoke to the
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans
Affairs and Related Agencies.
"If you want to continue to
retain and attract quality people under the current end strength of
our all-volunteer force, we must continue sustainment efforts, as
was the case in last year's Congress," Dailey said.
Investments in service members is an investment in readiness and the
future of the force, he pointed out. Providing the funding to take
care of the service members and their families results in improved
readiness, he and the other advisors pointed out.
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October 15, 2016 - Budget certainty and investment in service members are important factors in recruiting and retaining the best all-volunteer military, the military’s top enlisted advisors told a congressional panel today. Army Spc. Justin Dingler,
with the 111th Quartermaster Company Mortuary Affairs Detachment,
reenlists in Erbil, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Lisa Soy)
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"Ours is a life of hardship and we must do what we can to manage
it in order to keep our sailors focused on their jobs, satisfied
with their service and comfortable in knowing their families are
stable," Giordano said.
He said providing sailors the ability
to devote their full attention and capabilities to the mission is
critical in strengthening the force and ensuring successful
execution of the Navy mission.
"Ensuring the sailors and
their families are taken care of guarantees the Navy maintains
maritime superiority and readiness," he said.
Funding Needed
to Maintain Best Personnel
The military will not be able to
recruit and retain the best people if it is not able to offer them
much in the way of incentives and improved quality of life, the
senior enlisted advisors said.
"The fiscal situation over the
past few years, coupled with the drawdown, has caused some of the
highest quality Marines to walk away from the Corps with their
families," Green said.
"If you ask me what you can do for us
as a Corps today, I would tell you fiscal certainty," he said.
Wright expressed concerns about proposed changes to
compensation, specifically in the form of basic allowance for
housing, or BAH, in the fiscal year 2017 National Defense
Authorization Act.
"The regressive nature of the proposed
legislation effectively removes BAH as a part of regular military
compensation, which could severely limit our ability to recruit and
retain our airmen," he said.
Such a move, Wright said, would
reverse nearly 20 years of legislative action that ensured service
members were appropriately compensated in line with the private
sector.
"While we remain mindful of current budget pressures
across the Defense Department, cost savings need to be tempered by
the need to retain our talent, which is truly a national asset," he
said.
Facebook Group is Against Corps Values
Green
addressed the controversy in which members of a private Facebook
group shared explicit photographs of female Marines. Naval Criminal
Investigative Service is investigating, he said.
"We
absolutely denounce the actions of any Marine, presently serving,
whether active reserve or veteran, that go against our Corps values
of honor, courage and commitment," Green said.
Actions that
disrespect fellow Marines hurt the force and its combat
effectiveness, he said.
"Such conduct tears away the very
fibers of unit cohesion, our families and, most of all, the trust
that sustains us on the battlefield and brings us together as a band
of brothers and sisters," Green said.
The Corps strives to
ensure its people are treated with dignity and respect, he said,
adding, "We're all part of the solution or the problem."
The
commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller, said
yesterday in a video message to the force that the actions were
harmful to other Marines, disrespectful and not reflective of the
core values of the service.
"When I hear allegations of
Marines denigrating their fellow Marines, I don't think such
behavior is that of true warriors or warfighters," Neller said,
noting the investigation is under way and changes will be made, if
needed.
By Lisa Ferdinando
DOD News
Copyright 2017
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