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Here we go into 2012. As we kick off the New Year we are
reminded once again that the nation will have thousands of
warriors homeward bound as the Iraq and Afghan Wars wind
down. I, like most other Veterans, pray that we do a much
better job in accommodating the returning than we did for
the Vietnam Veterans.
I'm not talking about just the
pat on the back, and hey, “Let me buy you a drink” kind of
welcome. I'm talking about the long journey most will take
on the road back to becoming a civilian, re-opening the
lives they left behind, finding that lost innocence that
they had before being exposed to the horrors of war; and
discovering the communication and intimacy that will be
needed to keep their families together. What a challenge for
even the strongest among them.
Were it a perfect
world to which they were returning; a country with a strong
economy and a bright future, I like many, would be much more
optimistic. Unfortunately, with the nation facing the
largest unemployment since the Great Depression, severely
under estimated at 8.6 %; a government which ran roughshod
with the nations credit card running up record deficits, and
doubting we can meet the unfunded mandates promised to so
many over decades of vote-buying promises; and the record
number of Veteran's benefits that will be needed to care for
the nearly 1.5 million returnees who will be eligible, real
challenges lie ahead.
U.S.
service members retire the colors during a ceremony marking the end of
the U.S. military mission in Iraq in Baghdad, Dec. 15, 2011.
DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo |
With all the government agencies, including the
Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, and the
social services of individual states struggling to rein-in
runaway budgets, major changes are going to have to be
implemented on all levels. The military is already figuring
on much reduced levels of troops in all branches that will
be needed to maintain the nation's security, so hundreds of
thousands will be forced out of the service and into an
already restrictive job market.
There is some light
on the horizon for some who might wish to continue in
military service however, as one of our closest Allies,
Australia, is opening the doors to enlistment of US troops
for those leaving the US military. They are not at war any
other than the 1000 troops still in Afghanistan. Many will
wonder about taking that step, but having spent time
Downunder, I can think of a lot worse places to be these
days...lots of land, lots of room, lots of freedom, and an
American-friendly population.
In 2009 the Australian
Department of Defence released a 140-page white paper called
Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific century: force 2030
(1), which announced $72 billion in new military spending
for an island nation of barely 20 million inhabitants with
no adversaries except those it chooses to make for itself.
The document details the Australian government's plans to
acquire and expand a full spectrum – air, sea and land –
arsenal of advanced weaponry in the nation's largest arms
buildup since World War II. Trying to attract military
personnel already trained makes economic sense as far less
will have to be spent on training.
The new weaponry
Australia plans to acquire is our front-line defense arsenal
that will include:
Australia plans to add Aegis Class ships to
their Navy. They will need trained military personnel. That spells
opportunity.
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Six submarines with double that amount
possessing greater range and longer mission capabilities,
“hunter-killer submarines”.
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“A big new investment in anti-submarine
warfare”.
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Three new destroyers “specializing in air
warfare”, which presumably be Aegis class ships with missile
killing capacity.
-
Eight new frigates.
NOTE: All of the above are to be equipped
with land-attack cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500
kilometers, and most certainly of the Tomahawk ground-launched
cruise missile variety, which will make Australia “the first
regional defense force to have such potent weapons system.”
The
Aussies will also acquire 46 Tiger [German-French Eurocopter
multi-role combat] helicopters.
-
Hercules and other new generation
military transport planes.
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100 armored vehicles.
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100 F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters
most likely the Lockheed Martin-manufactured fifth-generation,
multi-role stealth-capable military strike fighter capable of
short- and medium-range bombing.
I. Australia has been
working with Norway on the Joint Strike Missile, “a newly
developed anti-surface warfare and land attack missile that will
be adapted to meet an uncovered operational need on the F-35
Lightning II – Joint Strike Fighter”.
NOTE: The list of armament is as lengthy as
it is high tech and there is mention of the Australian
anti-submarine, Orion fleet being replaced with a mix of at least
eight P-8 Poseidon, US Navy anti-submarine warfare and electronic
intelligence, long-range surveillance aircraft, together with up to
seven unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles, possibly the US-made
Global Hawk.”
For years many of us have been saying it
is time for the rest of the world to man-up in defense of the
tyrants of the world. Seeing Australia being one of the first to
make a major commitment is music to my ears. Being one of America's
closest allies it may offer an opportunity for many of our military
men and women and opportunity to continue in military service, or
maybe to become the trainers of those entering service in Australia.
A total of 2,226,056 service members were deployed to Iraq and
Afghanistan, with nearly 942,000 being deployed more than once. With
1,443,000 now eligible for VA benefits; with over 700,000 already
being treated by the VA and about 580,000 receiving counseling for
PTSD and other issues, there still remain a large number of warriors
who are more comfortable in uniform than out, so Australia may be an
option, We as a nation have much work ahead to insure all those
needing help, those with physical and mental disabilities; those
needing intense rehabilitation; those needing transitioning help to
grow back into civilian live so they can care for and earn a living
for their families; will not have to put up with the bureaucratic
maze that has hundreds of thousands who have come before them in a
complete quandary.
The point to remember is that today's
military, the most over-burdened in history will need to use the
services they were promised. They do not deserve the bureaucratic
malaise that awaited the Vietnam Veteran. It is estimated that of
the 1.44 million who are eligible for VA services, over 900,000 will
actually need help, at an estimated cost of nearly one trillion
dollars. With a government that can't seem to get its act together
this is a scary situation, particularly when just in the last five
years the number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year
has soared tenfold and doubled since President Obama took office, a
USA TODAY analysis finds, and yet they seek budget cuts in the VA
system.
By Ed Mattson
Copyright 2011
Reprinted from Veterans Today
About Author: Following his service in the Marine Corps Ed Mattson built a diverse career in business in both sales and marketing and management. He is a published author and medical research specialist. He is currently Development Director of the National Guard Bureau of International Affairs-State Partnership Program, Fundraising Coordinator for the Warrior2Citizen Project, and Managing Partner of Center-Point Consultants in North Carolina. Mr. Mattson is a noted speaker and has addressed more than 3000 audiences in 42 states and 5 foreign countries. He has been awarded the Order of the Sword by American Cancer Society, is a Rotarian Paul Harris Fellow and appeared on more than 15 radio and television talk-shows.
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