[Senate Hearing 114-658, Part 6]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 114-658, Pt. 6
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR
2017 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
S. 2943
TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017 FOR MILITARY
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, AND
FOR DEFENSE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, TO PRESCRIBE
MILITARY PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
----------
PART 6
PERSONNEL
----------
MARCH 8, 2016
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR
2017 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM--Part 6 PERSONNEL
S. Hrg. 114-658, Pt. 6
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR
2017 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
S. 2943
TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017 FOR MILITARY
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, AND
FOR DEFENSE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, TO PRESCRIBE
MILITARY PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
__________
PART 6
PERSONNEL
__________
MARCH 8, 2016
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov/
________
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COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, Chairman JACK REED, Rhode Island
JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma BILL NELSON, Florida
JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia
KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
TOM COTTON, Arkansas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
JONI ERNST, Iowa MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
THOM TILLIS, North Carolina TIM KAINE, Virginia
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska ANGUS S. KING, JR., Maine
MIKE LEE, Utah MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico
LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
TED CRUZ, Texas
Christian D. Brose, Staff Director
Elizabeth L. King, Minority Staff Director
____________
Subcommittee on Personnel
LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
TOM COTTON, Arkansas CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
THOM TILLIS, North Carolina RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska ANGUS S. KING, JR., Maine
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
__________
March 3, 2016
Page
Military Personnel Posture....................................... 1
McConville, Lieutenant General James C., USA, Deputy Chief of 3
Staff for Personnel, United States Army.
Moran, Vice Admiral William F., USN, Deputy Chief of Naval 8
Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education,
United States Navy.
Brilakis, Lieutenant General Mark A., USMC, Deputy Commandant for 15
Manpower and Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps.
Grosso, Lieutenant General Gina M., USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff 23
for Manpower, Personnel, and Services, United States Air Force.
Roth-Douquet, Kathy, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Star Families. 49
Raezer, Joyce W., Executive Director, National Military Family 57
Association.
Bousum, Scott, Legislative Director, The Enlisted Association of 80
the National Guard of the United States.
Davis, Joseph E., Public Affairs Director, Veterans of Foreign 112
Wars.
Questions for the Record......................................... 130
(iii)
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR
2017 AND THE FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
----------
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Personnel,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC.
MILITARY PERSONNEL POSTURE
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:40 p.m. in
Room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building, Senator Lindsey O.
Graham (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Subcommittee members present: Senators Graham, Wicker,
Tillis, Sullivan, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, and King.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM
Senator Graham. The committee meets this afternoon to
review the military personnel defense authorization request for
fiscal year 2017 and future years defense programs.
We are fortunate to have two panels of distinguished
witnesses joining us today. On the first panel, we have
Lieutenant General McConville, Vice Admiral Moran, Lieutenant
General Brilakis, and Lieutenant General Grasso. On the second
panel, we have Ms. Kathy Douquet, Chief Executive Officer of
Blue Star Families; Ms. Joyce Raezer, Executive Director of the
National Military Family Association; Mr. Scott Bousum,
Legislative Director of The Enlisted Association of the Nation
Guard of the United States; Mr. Joseph Davis, Public Affairs
Director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
As we consider this year's military personnel defense
authorization request, we must continue to ask ourselves what
impact these authorizations and requested changes in policy
will have on our servicemembers and their families. We must
also balance that with the reality of sequestration and the
need to preserve the readiness of our Armed Forces.
This subcommittee is primarily concerned with modernizing
the military health care system this year. As I have stated
publicly many times, our goal is to reform the health care
system to deliver higher-quality care, to improve access to
high-quality providers, and to ensure a strong focus on combat
casualty care. I hope that both panels of witnesses today will
address military health care reform.
In the last year's NDAA [National Defense Authorization
Act], this committee, along with our House colleagues, acted
upon recommendations of the Independent Military Compensation
and Retirement Modernization Commission. The reforms made will
vastly expand the military retirement benefits to reach more of
those who served. We owe it to those members to reward them for
their service to this Nation.
To this point, I find it particularly concerning that the
Department of Defense has proposed legislation that would
dramatically decrease the number of servicemembers who are
eligible for the thrift savings plan contributions from the
Government. It was an intentional choice by this committee to
set eligibility to 2 years and 1 day of service. The Department
came over last year and asked us to modify that by pushing the
eligibility date further into a servicemember's career. We
unanimously rejected that call last year, and we will continue
to reject requests from the Department of Defense that would
delay Government contributions until 5 years of service. We
believe that the new retirement system should benefit more
servicemembers. Let me be clear. It is our commitment to the
many servicemembers who go out on deployment before reaching
their fifth year of service that they too have earned some
retirement.
I am also concerned that the Department's proposal that
would continue to suppress military pay raises misses the mark.
For the last 3 years, this administration has failed to allow
servicemembers' pay to keep up with the private sector wage
growth. This is the fourth year in a row where the Department
is shortchanging servicemembers. The personnel budget came over
to us as neutral. This means that savings the Department took
from giving a lower pay raise and delaying Government
retirement contributions went to other benefits within the
personnel budget. This money did not go to readiness. Instead,
this money went to pay the costly fringe benefits as part of
the focus of the future.
To all the witnesses, I hope today you will tell us what we
can do to make your job more efficient, better serve those
under your care, and find a way to make health care not only of
a higher quality but sustainable in terms of cost.
With that, I will turn it over to the ranking member,
Senator Gillibrand.
STATEMENT OF SENATOR KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I join with
you today in welcoming our witnesses to review the Department's
fiscal year 2017 budget request.
As we begin our review of DOD's [Department of Defense's]
budget and programs, I applaud the Department's progress in
opening all service positions, including combat positions, to
women. I believe this change will strengthen our military over
time because it will provide access to the full spectrum of
talent available for military service by allowing anyone, man
or woman, who can meet the standard for service to compete for
those positions.
It is important that we now turn our full attention to
successful implementation of this change, and I look forward to
hearing from our witnesses about their plans to achieve success
in this area.
I am also committed to making our military justice system
the best in the world, and I would be interested to hear
specifically from the Navy regarding the changes that have been
made to create a specialized career track for litigators.
Specifically, how has this specialized training improved
litigation on sexual assault cases?
I continue to be concerned about how we support families
with children and other dependents with special needs such as
children with autism and other developmental difficulties. I am
concerned about the availability of support services for these
families, how they are assigned, what happens to the family
when the member deploys, and whether these programs are fully
funded in the budget. I would like to hear more about each
service handles this very vulnerable population and in what
ways this subcommittee might be helpful.
Finally, I understand the Department will again propose
measures to slow growth of personnel costs, including health
care, within the Department. I remain concerned, as I was the
last 2 years, about the cumulative impact these proposals have
on the most vulnerable servicemembers, our junior enlisted and
their families. I would like to hear the witnesses' views as to
whether the services can continue to recruit and retain
America's very best for military service with the benefits
package they would provide under this budget, especially in
light of an ever-improving civilian economy. Recruiting
talented individuals for service and retaining them and their
families is the ultimate test of the fairness and adequacy of
our military compensation system. I believe that policies that
support military families will ensure we are able to attract
and retain the best individuals for our Armed Forces.
Again, I thank our witnesses, and I look forward to your
testimony.
Thank you, Senator Graham.
Senator Graham. Thank you very much.
General McConville?
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES C. McCONVILLE, USA,
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PERSONNEL, UNITED STATES ARMY
General McConville. Thank you, sir. Chairman Graham,
Ranking Member Gillibrand, distinguished members of this
committee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
on behalf of the United States Army. I have submitted a
statement for the record and would like to highlight a few
points from it, if I could, now.
The Army's people and our soldiers, civilians, families,
retirees, and veterans are our greatest asset. We are the most
formidable ground combat force on earth, and we must stay that
way.
Readiness is our number one priority, and manning the Army
is the key component of readiness. As the Army draws down from
2010 wartime high of 1.13 million soldiers to 980,000 soldiers
by 2018, we will have the smallest Active Army end strength
since before World War II.
Commensurate with the military drawdown, we are also
drawing down our civilian workforce. With an Active force this
size, we must sustain the highest quality force possible. The
drawdown we are executing is performance-based, and we have
done everything we can to deal with our soldiers with the
utmost compassion and care and remain committed to our
soldiers, give them the benefits they have earned and the
respect they deserve as soldiers for life.
As the G1 of the Army and the father of three soldiers, I
take this responsibility very seriously. It breaks my heart
that we have to involuntarily separate soldiers who have served
so honorably during this time of conflict.
While we are doing the drawdown, we also need to shape the
future force. We still need to recruit resilient and fit
soldiers of character. We must also continue to retain the most
talented soldiers and noncommissioned officers who have the
experience and skills that we need to meet our future needs.
To build this high quality Army that is trained and ready,
we must leverage all the available talent to ensure every
individual can get on the field and play their position both
home and away.
To accomplish this, we are moving from an industrial age
personnel management system to a modern talent management
system that will fundamentally change the way we manage all
three components called IPPS-A [Integrated Personnel and Pay
System-Army].
Diversity is important to our Army. Through our outreach
and marketing efforts, we have focused on increasing diversity
of the force in under-represented branches and occupations. We
are committed to giving all soldiers who can meet the standards
of military occupation specialty the opportunity to serve in
that specialty. Opening all the military occupations provides
increased opportunities for our women and increases the talent
pool for the Army.
We are focused on personal resiliency, sexual harassment
and assault response and prevention, and suicide prevention,
and we remain fully committed in all these areas.
Additionally, we are helping our soldiers who are
transitioning out of the military find quality employment. We
consider all soldiers soldiers for life, and we believe they
deserve our sincere gratitude for their enduring recognition of
their service. Today's soldiers will not only influence the
next generation of young people to join the Army but will
connect communities across the Nation with this Army.
So at the end of the day, the Army is people. The men and
women who serve our Nation today, along with their families,
and all those who have served in the past are our most
important asset. As a Nation, we must ensure they have the
required resources they need so they are ready when we ask them
to fight and win our Nation's wars.
I thank you all for your continued support of our all-
volunteer Army. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General McConville follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General James C. McConville
Chairman Graham, Senator Gillibrand, Distinguished Members of this
Committee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you on
behalf of the United States Army.
The Army is people and our soldiers, civilians, retirees, veterans,
and families are our greatest asset. We are the most formidable ground
combat force on earth, and our missions today include fighting
terrorists around the world; training Afghan and Iraqi Army Forces;
peacekeeping in the Sinai Peninsula and Kosovo; missile defense in the
Persian Gulf; security assistance in Africa and South America;
deterrence in Europe, the Republic of Korea, and Kuwait; rapid
deployment global contingency Forces; and response Forces for the
Homeland. The Army currently has approximately 190,000 soldiers in
support of U.S. Geographic Combatant Command missions and deployed to
140 countries.
Readiness is our number one priority and manning the Army is one of
the key components of readiness. As the Army draws down from the fiscal
year 2010 wartime high of 1,133,000 to 980,000 by fiscal year 2018, we
will have the smallest Active Component Army end strength since before
WWII. Our Total Army end strength currently stands at approximately
1.03 million with the Active Component (AC) currently at approximately
483,000, the Army Reserve (USAR) at approximately 200,000, and the Army
National Guard (ARNG) at approximately 348,000. We forecast our Total
Army end strength to be approximately 990,000 by the end of fiscal year
2017 with 460,000 AC, 195,000 USAR and 335,000 ARNG. With an Active
force this size, we must sustain the highest quality force possible.
Achieving an AC 450,000 end strength by fiscal year 2018 requires a
40,000 reduction, of which approximately 14,000 will be involuntary.
The Army has already involuntarily separated of approximately 4,400
soldiers (1,100 enlisted and 3,300 officer) from Active Duty since the
start of the drawdown. This drawdown is performance based, and we have
strived to conduct separations with the utmost compassion and care, and
remain committed to giving soldiers the benefits they've earned and the
dignity and respect they deserve. The separating soldier's chain of
command is actively involved in the transition process and Transition
Assistance Programs are available to ensure a smooth takeoff.
A primary difference between this drawdown and the drawdown after
the first Gulf War is our use of involuntary separation boards. Our
involuntary reduction programs focus on quantity by grade and skill and
on quality by assessing a soldier's potential for future service. We
only use involuntary separations when necessary because we recognize
there are qualified and committed soldiers who will be asked to
separate from Active Duty. We are encouraging qualified soldiers who
must transition from Active Duty to continue to use their skills in the
USAR or the ARNG.
Simultaneous to the drawdown and to shape the future force, we
still need to recruit resilient and fit soldiers of character who can
become competent, committed, agile and adaptable leaders in the
Profession of Arms. This effort starts with comprehensive, focused
national and local marketing strategies. Marketing efforts this year
alone have resulted in increases in the number of prospects who are
willing to consider Army service. Despite a challenging recruiting
environment, where fewer than one in three U.S. youths are qualified to
serve and only one in eight have a propensity to enlist, the Army
achieved its fiscal year 2015 AC recruiting mission of 59,000 with more
than 95 percent of enlistees holding high school diplomas. The ARNG
successfully recruited to meet end strength and the USAR was in
striking distance of its fiscal year 2015 recruiting mission. We are
aggressively working to achieve fiscal year 2016 Active and Reserve
component recruiting goals, and we are focused on bringing in high
quality recruits to reduce first-term attrition.
The Army must continue to retain the most talented soldiers and
non-commissioned officers with the experience and skills necessary to
meet our future needs. Even with current challenges, persistent
conflict, continued drawdowns and budgetary uncertainty, the AC, USAR
and ARNG each achieved their fiscal year 2015 retention missions and
are on track to successfully meet their respective fiscal year 2016
retention missions.
Commensurate with the military drawdown, we have drawn down our
Civilian Workforce from a wartime high in fiscal year 2011 of 284,000
(238,000 Army appropriations) to 247,000 (206,000 Army appropriations)
in fiscal year 2015, with a projected workforce of 240,000 (196,000
Army appropriations) by fiscal year 2017. As the Army evolves, and the
Civilian Workforce is reduced, we are continuing to make improvements
in how we recruit, manage, develop and evaluate our Civilians. Ongoing
initiatives are designed to institutionalize career programs,
leadership training, individual development and senior leader talent
management, which ensures civilian leaders are developed on par with
their military counterparts.
The Army Civilian Training and Education Development System Intern
Program provides for a strategic succession plan to replenish the
Civilian workforce while maintaining the requisite skills required for
functional proficiency. Program re-engineering efforts have resulted in
improved hiring execution, with program goals to hire 1,000 interns
annually. Fifty percent of the intern hires are within science,
technology, engineering and mathematic fields, and about half of our
intern hires are veterans.
Diversity is important to the Army. Through our outreach and
marketing efforts, we are focused on increasing diversity of the force
in underrepresented branches and occupations. We've seen improvements
in representing the diversity of America's talent in our officer corps.
The United States Military Academy (USMA) increased the number of
female cadets from 16 percent in the class of 2016 to 22 percent in the
class of 2019. The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) experienced
similar growth in female enrollments from 21 percent in 2016 to more
than 27 percent women in class of 2019. Further, the officer corps has
had an increase in African American Accessions--15 percent in USMA
class of 2019 are African American versus 8 percent of the class of
2016, and 13 percent will commission through ROTC in 2019, versus an
average of 11 percent from 2012-2016. Through marketing and targeted
recruiting and retention efforts, we remain committed to sustaining a
high-quality All-Volunteer Force of the future that represents the
diversity of America.
The Army is committed to giving all soldiers who can meet the
standards of a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) the opportunity to
serve in that MOS. From May 2012 to October 2015, we opened more than
95,000 positions to women. Pending approval of our implementation plan,
we will open approximately 125,000 additional positions to women in
Infantry, Armor and Field Artillery as well as approximately 13,000
positions in Special Forces. Opening all military occupations provides
increased opportunities for women and more talent for the Army.
To build a Total Army of Active, Reserve and National Guard Forces,
as well as Civilians, who are trained and ready to take on the
challenges of the future, we must leverage and manage all available
talent and ensure every individual is able to get on the field and play
his or her position. Our goal, is complete visibility of all of our
knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors to ensure the right person
is in the right job at the right time. To accomplish this, we must move
from a personnel management system to a talent management system. We
are actively pursuing the Integrated Personnel and Pay System--Army
(IPPS-A). IPPS-A is a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) that
for the first time, will allow the Army to manage the AC, USAR, and
ARNG on one HRIS, providing visibility of the knowledge, skills,
abilities and behaviors of the Total Force. Next, it will allow us to
manage talents and match them to Army requirements. Finally, it will
provide us an audit capability to ensure personnel and pay are
compliant with the law.
The Army's prioritization on readiness and taking care of soldiers
has resulted in reducing our non-deployable soldier population from a
high of 17 percent Active Component Brigade Combat Team non-deployables
in April 2011 to approximately 10 percent of the Total Army in December
2015. To ensure soldiers get the benefits they have earned, the Army
continues to reduce the time it takes for a soldier to process through
the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). Active component
averages approximately 220 days and Reserve component approximately 269
days. Similarly, we've reduced the IDES inventory from about 17,000
soldiers in December 2014 to just under 13,000 soldiers in December
2015. We've also reduced the Temporary Disabled Retired List from
approximately 17,000 in December 2014 to 8,816 soldiers in December
2015.
Personal resiliency is fundamental to readiness. At our 25
Resilience/Performance Training Centers, we've certified 35,000 Master
Resiliency Trainers who are resident in company level formations to
help train on 14 resiliency skills. Every trainee receives two hours of
resiliency training in Basic Combat Training. This year, we've also
piloted a teen resiliency program for seventh to twelfth-graders that
develops self-awareness, self-regulation, and helps to build character
and social connections. We continue to field the Commander's Risk
Reduction Dashboard to help unit commanders better see the level of
resiliency in their formations. We continue to use the Global
Assessment Tool (GAT), a self-awareness tool for soldiers to measure
their personal resilience by assessing their own physical,
psychological, social and spiritual readiness. In fiscal year 2015
alone, more than 781,000 soldiers completed the GAT.
Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) remains a
top priority for our Army. Sexual violence goes against everything we
stand for as soldiers. The ``Not In My Squad'' Campaign, led by the
Sergeant Major of the Army, stresses the importance of trust at squad
level and the basic leadership traits of competence, character and
commitment. Through this effort and continued leader emphasis, we will
improve command climates to ensure every soldier is treated with
dignity and respect.
While reports of sexual harassment and assaults have increased in
the past year, prevalence has decreased. Prevalence is the percentage
of Active Duty servicemembers who have indicated they experienced
unwanted sexual contact within the past 12 months. In fiscal year 2014
the Army received 2,606 reports (2,072 were reported by soldiers). This
marks a 12 percent increase from fiscal year 2013 and is 60 percent
higher than fiscal year 2012 (1,572). Prevalence is down from 8,800 in
fiscal year 2012 to 7,300 in fiscal year 2014. An increase in reporting
reflects increased trust in the chain of command. Our Sexual Assault
Response Coordinators, Victim Advocates, Program Managers and Special
Victim Counsels continue to provide support to victims through more
than 12 resource centers. This concerted effort and emphasis on the
victim--now fully instituted on our installations--has allowed us to
programmatically shift to prevention from reaction in the coming year.
The SHARP Academy is a best practice in this prevention effort, having
trained 230 personnel in fiscal year 2014 and 395 in fiscal year 2015.
Suicide remains a serious concern for our Army. With the number of
deaths by suicide in the AC at the lowest in the last six years, and
suicide rates in the USAR and ARNG, within historical norms, the Army
remains committed to combating suicide with a multi-disciplinary,
holistic approach to suicide prevention. Key to this approach is
getting the soldiers' family, squad leader and buddies sensitized to
the indicators, difficult life transitions and high risk behaviors that
could lead to a suicide, and then having the required behavioral health
care at the point of need.
Key to suicide prevention is decreasing the stigma associated with
seeking behavioral health care. Behavioral health encounters for the
Total Army grew from approximately 700,000 in fiscal year 2003 to
approximately 1.6 million in fiscal year 2014, indicating greater trust
in the system. Active Duty soldiers using behavior health services
increased from 5.7 percent in fiscal year 2003 to 15.6 percent in
fiscal year 2014. Reserve component soldiers using behavioral health
care increased from 2.5 percent in fiscal year 2003 to 7.2 percent in
fiscal year 2014. Family members using behavior health services
likewise increased from approximately 300,000 in fiscal year 2003 to
1,300,000 in fiscal year 2014. In addition to reducing the stigma
associated with seeking help, the Army has provided more timely care.
In 2014 more than 90 percent of soldiers were seen by a privileged
mental health provider within thirty days--this is an increase from 25
percent in fiscal year 2011. Embedding services with brigade combat
teams is a proven best practice--one that we've recently leveraged for
the Army Substance Abuse Program, by aligning services under MEDCOM.
In addition to taking care of soldiers and their families while
they are in the Army, we are committed to helping them transition into
the civilian world. We know that only 10 percent of enlisted soldiers
and 30 percent of officers stay in the service for 20 years, the point
where they are eligible for retirement. It is clear that we must focus
on preparing our soldiers for life after their service. Every year
about 120,000 soldiers transition from the Army and we must ensure they
have a smooth transition to civilian life with quality employment.
VOW Act compliance across the Army was 88 percent--the Active
Component at 90 percent, ARNG at 85 percent and USAR at 75 percent.
Compliance numbers increased sharply over last year with an 18 percent
increase across the Total Army. The compliance rate in the Active
Component was up 7 percent; ARNG produced the largest increase of 39
percent; and USAR recorded a 24 percent improvement.
We consider all soldiers to be ``Soldiers for Life'' who deserve
our enduring gratitude and recognition of their service. Today's
soldiers will not only influence the next generation of young people to
join the Army but will connect communities across the Nation with its
Army.
In addition to building strong relationships with Government, non-
Government and private sector entities, we have synchronized our
efforts to provide post military service career opportunities by
enabling collaborative efforts with the Departments of Veterans Affairs
and Labor to bring Transition Summits to installations worldwide.
Soldier for Life continues to leverage our interagency partners, the
private sector and non-profit philanthropic organizations connecting
soldiers and their Families with opportunities across the country
assisting their reintegration into civilian society.
At the end of the day, the Army is people. The men and women who
serve our Nation, along with their families, are our most important
asset. As a Nation, we must ensure they have the required resources so
they are ready when called upon to fight and win our Nation's wars. I
thank all of you for your continued support of our All-Volunteer Army.
Senator Graham. Admiral?
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM F. MORAN, USN, DEPUTY CHIEF
OF NAVAL OPERATIONS FOR MANPOWER, PERSONNEL, TRAINING, AND
EDUCATION, UNITED STATES NAVY
Admiral Moran. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Gillibrand, Senator King. It is great to be here this
afternoon, and I am honored to represent the over 600,000 men
and women of our U.S. Navy, Active, Reserve, and Navy
civilians.
Over the years, your stalwart support on behalf of them and
their families has had a profound effect on the health of our
force today. It is a diverse, strong force, blessed with
unparalleled talent and selfless commitment to serve.
But there are reasons to pay very close attention to
potential challenges and risks ahead for all of us. An
unpredictable economy, a declining veteran population, a legacy
personnel system, and growing competition for high-tech schools
threaten our future. So we need to consider every dimension of
our operating environment in order to reduce the risk to
replenishing our workforce with very high-quality people.
Fortunately, our current healthy manning in the fleet has
given us an opportunity to boldly look to transform our
personnel system and set the table for the next 30 years in the
Navy. Its policies, analytic tools, and supporting
infrastructure will hold us back unless we upgrade this system.
Our workforce is anxious for this change. They expect greater
transparency and responsiveness, and they expect a system that
speaks to them.
So we are on a path to modernize and have begun setting the
conditions to match their expectations. Sailors who are driven
by tenacity, consumed with passion for excellence and the will
to win, who understand and appreciate that there is no better
place to be and no more rewarding life to live than to serve--
that is who builds a great Navy. That is the Navy we have and
the Navy we intend to keep. As military professionals, we have
a covenant with our sailors and the American people to do
nothing less.
I really appreciate the opportunity to be here, Mr.
Chairman. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Moran follows:]
Prepared Statement by Vice Admiral William F. Moran
i. introduction
Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and distinguished
members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before you to review
Navy manpower, personnel, training, education and family support
programs and priorities for fiscal year 2017.
ii. a ready and capable global navy
From providing kinetic strike options to commanders leading the
fight against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), to
monitoring developments in the South China Sea, worldwide naval
presence matters now more than ever. With 40 percent of our ships
underway, and forward deployed Forces all around the globe, your Navy
is truly America's away team. Our ability to perform our mission
depends first and foremost on our Navy Team--sailors, both Active and
Reserve, Navy Civilians, and their families.
Strengthening the Navy Team is a key element of Navy's A Design for
Maintaining Maritime Superiority. Some of the biggest impacts that we
can make on our warfighting capability do not involve a lot of money,
but instead are changes to how we do business. Recent results from the
Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP) have reinforced the value of
properly manning our ships, submarines and aviation squadrons, both in
terms of numbers and with the right skill sets. As our platforms
continue to become more technologically advanced, and the missions
become more complex, the demand will grow for recruits with a high
aptitude who can learn faster on the job, innovate naturally, and
master new, complex skills over a career. At the same time, competition
for skilled labor will intensify, which requires an agile personnel
organization that can recognize challenges and opportunities and
quickly respond with effective solutions. My organization is in need of
an upgrade, akin to modernizing any weapons system. Our sailors operate
at the speed of warfare at sea and in the air, and expect that same
opportunity for involvement, for frank dialogue and for choices when it
comes to their career decisions. Our sailor 2025 program, funded in
this budget, is a dynamic set of initiatives, process improvements and
management tools that address many of the challenges we face in
building a more competitive personnel management system. The three
pillars of this program are Personnel System Modernization, to better
identify and reward talent while expanding career choice and
flexibility; Ready, Relevant Learning, to deliver tailored learning
solutions along a sailor's career continuum; and Enriched Culture, to
enhance empowerment and trust at all levels by improving sailor and
family resilience and health.
To move forward on ``Strengthening our Navy Team for the Future'',
the Navy Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education (MPT&E) enterprise
has focused on three complimentary lines-of-effort--Force Readiness and
Manning, Force Management, and Force Resiliency. My guiding principles
are to maintain trust, balance our limited force to meet future
challenges, and provide stability for the lives of sailors, Navy
civilians, and families. There are limits to even our most thoughtful
investments in platforms and technologies--but unbounded potential when
we design for and make smart investments in our people.
We must maintain a ready and capable naval force comprised of
ships, submarines, squadrons and units, appropriately manned and
trained to carry out their warfighting missions. To accomplish this, we
will continue to develop and implement policies that facilitate
delivery of highly trained and fully qualified personnel to fill
billets at sea. Since December of 2012, we have filled nearly 11,000
gapped at-sea billets. We must balance filling deploying units'
critical billets with qualified personnel while maintaining healthy
ship-to-shore cycles for our sailors. To help in this effort, Navy has
expanded the O-FRP from its inception in 2014 to provide more capacity
and predictability in maintenance and training, while providing
stability for our deploying Forces and their families.
Healthy warfighting communities, with an understanding of
tomorrow's force structure and battle plans, are the underpinning of a
ready force. Manning our units with the right number and type of
properly trained and experienced sailors is a critical element of
readiness. In the proposed fiscal year 2017 budget request, Navy end
strength is properly aligned with force structure in support of mission
requirements. While we project a reduction in end strength as a result
of a decrease in military personnel requirements--primarily driven by
one less Air Wing and the efficiencies associated with the start of a
more modern and efficient training effort--those reductions will be
achieved through natural attrition. Navy continues to attract the best-
qualified candidates to serve, who often present creative solutions to
our most vexing operational and even foreign policy challenges--and we
want to keep it that way. Our success in retaining and developing
talent and our high quality work force depends on our ability to
provide excellent quality of service for our sailors, civilian
employees and families.
We ask an incredible amount of our sailors and their families. In
return, we are inherently responsible for providing them with the level
of support, positive working environments, and care commensurate with
their personal sacrifices. Navy has implemented a continuum of harm
prevention strategy to provide coordinated and complementary efforts to
improve sailor resilience and readiness--including sexual assault
prevention and suicide prevention. This strategy recognizes the common
factors in destructive behaviors, such as alcohol abuse. It recognizes
the value of fostering a positive command climate, the need for peer-
to-peer intervention training, and the importance of addressing all
wrong behaviors, even those that seem relatively minor. Navy's 21st
Century sailor Office integrates, under one umbrella, the programs that
sustain and instill resilience and fitness in sailors. The 21st Century
Sailor Office provides a focusing lens and overarching policy support
to these critical programs and is embarked on a comprehensive campaign
to engage the fleet and expand resiliency programs. We are continuing
our efforts to promote a healthy, efficient, and professional work
environment, continuing outstanding support of families, and fulfilling
our promise to aid servicemembers that transition to civilian life.
iii. force readiness and manning:
We continue our efforts to maintain required manning and readiness
levels by attracting highly qualified men and women to serve in the
most effective and technologically advanced naval force in history. We
will develop, train and educate a ready force to deliver the right
person with the right skills in the right job at the right time--a
metric we call ``fit.'' We are also taking deliberate steps to forecast
future operating environments and ensure we are prepared to meet
emerging challenges. These plans support our goals to retain our most
talented sailors and maintain readiness to meet fleet requirements. To
remain operationally effective, we will deliver technical training and
advanced education throughout a career.
Fleet Manning: We continue to make considerable progress in
improving fleet-manning and warfighting readiness. In fiscal year 2015,
we reduced the number of gaps at sea to approximately 1,800, a
reduction of 3,900 gaps. We filled 98.7 percent of all enlisted sea
duty billets; Sailors in the proper seniority and possessing the
appropriate skill level filled 91 percent of those same billets. In
support of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, we will man deploying
units earlier in the training cycle to ensure a more cohesive team upon
deployment. We are meeting these objectives by modernizing our enlisted
distribution systems with a Billet-Based Distribution (BBD) capability
that will modernize our legacy distribution programs, and which will
provide a more detailed enlisted demand signal to more efficiently, and
accurately, meet enlisted manning requirements.
Retention: We continue to monitor retention behavior closely across
the Navy. End of fiscal year 2015 enlisted retention was 98 percent of
goal for sailors with up to six years of service, 99 percent of goal
for sailors with 6-10 years of service, and 105 percent of goal for
sailors with 10-14 years of service. While we anticipate meeting
aggregate enlisted retention goals in fiscal year 2016, we continue to
experience retention challenges and inventory shortfalls within some
communities, such as Information Warfare, Nuclear Field, Special
Warfare, and Advanced Electronics. Targeting junior enlisted personnel
possessing these unique skills with increased incentives will remain
critical for achieving required retention and sustaining a healthy
force into the future. After experiencing strong retention in fiscal
year 2014 and fiscal year 2015, current economic indicators suggest a
greater pull from the civilian workforce for our top talent over the
next couple of years. Getting ahead of this impending change requires
focused targeting of bonus programs, particularly Selective
Reenlistment Bonuses among high-demand critical skill sets and less
technical skill sets that an improving economy may adversely affect. We
must focus on retaining sailors in the right mix of ratings and pay
grades to position Navy to meet future mission requirements.
Continuum of Service initiatives permit us to retain valuable
skills and experience of sailors transitioning from Active Duty to the
Reserve Component, while also providing opportunities for Reserve
Component personnel with certain skills to reduce shortfalls in the
Active component. We offer some qualified Reserve Component sailors the
opportunity to convert to permanent Active Duty careers and compete for
advancement while on Active Duty, and we continue to grant High-Year
Tenure waiver requests for sailors who fill critical gaps at sea.
Officer continuation remains at historically high levels due, in
large part, to targeted incentive pays and bonuses, improved mentoring,
recent efforts to add flexible career options, and increased emphasis
on life-work integration initiatives. However, specific Active Duty
control-grade officer inventory shortfalls remain in select
Unrestricted Line, Restricted Line and Staff Corps communities,
including Aviation and nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officers. We are
actively attacking these shortfalls through targeted incentives and
other retention tools.
Recruiting (Enlisted): The sailors we have in the Navy today are
the best we have ever seen. Our success is largely due to inclusive
diversity recruiting practices and Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM) outreach. Strategic partnerships with STEM-
related affinity groups, and engagements with high school and college
students, have heightened awareness of Navy service as a highly
desirable career option, inspired the next generation of technically
capable sailors, developed centers of influence that contribute to
recruiting efforts, and further diversified the Navy. We remain
vigilant as the unemployment rate drops below six percent, mindful of
our limited marketing and advertising resources, and with an eye toward
our ability to continue meeting all goals in an improving economy.
Recruiting (Officer): In fiscal year 2015, we achieved our Active
component general officer recruiting goal. We continue to face
challenges in achieving Reserve component general and medical officer
recruiting goals, in part, due to strong Active Duty retention that
significantly reduced the prior service pool--the source of most
Reserve component accessions. In addition to the medical community, we
face Reserve component challenges in aviation, Naval Special Warfare,
Intelligence, and the Judge Advocate General Corps.
We continue to see significant interest in opportunities to serve
through the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and Navy Reserve Officer
Training Corps (NROTC), with the number of highly qualified applicants
vastly exceeding the number of available appointments. All our officer
accession sources continue to attract the finest applicants and
graduate technically competent leaders for commissioned naval service.
Training: A pillar of our sailor 2025 initiative, which we call
``Ready Relevant Learning'', transforms our legacy training
architecture into an agile continuum of learning that supports an
increasingly complex Fleet and our future sailors. While our current
training is working, we see changes that will stress its continued
effectiveness. First, the combination of emerging threats, complex
missions and new technologies demand a growing number of recruits with
high aptitude who can learn faster on the job and master new skills
over a career. Second, in order to attract a diverse and educated work
force, we must provide training opportunities delivered at the point of
need, when and where a sailor is ready to learn. Finally, we must be
more efficient with a sailor's time by delivering training when they
have the context and experience to apply the learned skills. Ready
Relevant Learning delivers the right training at the right time--
continual training in a mobile, modular environment to help ensure that
knowledge is refreshed, renewed, and relevant to changing platforms or
technologies. This provides Navy with the best-qualified and skilled
personnel through resourcing efficiency and at a reduced time-to-train.
Education: Education offers an asymmetric advantage in developing
leaders and instilling in them attributes necessary to innovate, adapt,
and succeed today and in the future. As a strategic investment that
enhances force effectiveness and supports fleet global operational
excellence and dominance, education provides sailors with relevant
knowledge, skills, and abilities; ties educational opportunities to
leader development; and supports a career continuum framework of
technical experts, joint warfighters and strategic leaders. Our
education strategy explicitly links resource allocation to education
investments in the highest priorities supporting operational primacy,
and encompasses both on-duty and voluntary off-duty education
opportunities. The development of critical thinking skills and problem-
solving in complex environments are key components in achieving our
education goals.
Professional Military Education: U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
(NPS) and U.S. Naval War College (NWC) are designed to develop a
resilient, knowledgeable and adaptable force. Both institutions develop
members to meet future intellectual demands, and the diverse mix of
Navy, other service, civilian and international students help build
long-term relationships. NPS offers resident and non-resident degree
and non-degree programs that develop a range of critical skills
essential to winning in combat, engaging in peace and building the Navy
of the future. NWC provides resident and non-resident Navy-specific
Professional Military Education (PME) with embedded Joint Professional
Military Education (JPME) that produces strategically-minded,
critically thinking leaders who are skilled in maritime and joint
planning and operations, and who are prepared to meet the demands of
the uncertain and dynamic contemporary international security
environment. Both institutions develop members of the force for the
intellectual demands they will encounter, and assist in building key
relationships through a diverse mix of students. The Navy Leadership
and Ethics Center (NLEC), established at NWC in 2014, maintains
responsibility for Leadership and Ethics development across the Navy.
By charting the course for Navy leader development, NLEC sets the
standard within the naval profession of arms. We demand our leaders to
have self-reliance and independence, humility and integrity, discipline
and resourcefulness, and trust and confidence. Leaders at all levels of
our Navy must set the example by providing the purpose, direction, and
motivation essential for successful mission accomplishment.
Voluntary Education/Tuition Assistance: Navy voluntary education
provides excellent opportunities for academic, technical, intellectual,
personal, and professional development of sailors and contributes to
their overall readiness as well as to the quality of life for sailors
and their families. The Tuition Assistance (TA) Program remains a top
priority in support of Navy's overarching Education Strategy, funding
100 percent of demand in fiscal year 2015 for sailors pursuing
education while serving on Active Duty. Participants are encouraged to
pursue education with a clear path to a degree or credential, and are
expected to complete in-rate qualifications, exhibit Navy core values,
maintain physical fitness, while achieving their education goals.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
education benefit for qualifying veterans, Active Duty, and Selected
Reservists. Members may transfer this benefit to eligible family
members in exchange for a service obligation. The ability to transfer
unused portions of the Post-9/11 GI Bill to dependents is a highly
recognized benefit and contributes to the morale of our force.
Credentialing and Licensure: The Navy Credentialing Program and
Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) website integrate
closely with other Navy, Department of Defense, and Department of Labor
(DoL) programs, including Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Education (DANTES) credentialing program, United Services Military
Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
GI Bill, to help sailors meet license and credentialing requirements.
The Navy and Marine Corps Credentialing Opportunities On-Line
programs recently merged to form the Department of the Navy (DON) COOL
website, which averages 4.2 million hits per month and benefits both
sailors and marines. DON COOL offers the opportunity to earn civilian
certifications and licenses corresponding to their Navy ratings,
designators, collateral duties, and out-of-rating assignments. Earning
credentials assists sailors in successfully transitioning into the
civilian workforce. Every Navy occupation has at least one professional
credential available and we currently pay for over 14,000 credentials
per year awarded to about 7,000 sailors.
iv. force management
We will shape the force to ensure we excel in the operational
environment of today and tomorrow and remain within fiscal bounds. We
want to retain our best and brightest--the Personnel System
Modernization pillar of the sailor 2025 initiative will enable us to
expand career choice and flexibility and better recognize sustained
superior performance. While independent of the Department of Defense's
Force of the Future initiatives, both create policies and career
opportunities to attract and retain a highly talented workforce. The
Enriched Culture pillar of sailor 2025 also seeks to create an
inclusive culture to attract a force that reflects the society we
serve, and builds toward a more family-friendly life-work balance, with
the enablers to allow sailors to stay Navy. Effective force management
includes continued growth of efforts to leverage diversity and support
our women in service for a mission ready fleet.
End Strength: The President's fiscal year 2017 budget request
supports Active end strength of 322,900 and selected Reserve end
strength of 58,000. We have maximized efficiencies within the military
billet base and seek to stabilize Active component end strength at
approximately 323,100 Active, and 58,900 Selected Reserve by 2021, as
the appropriate end strength for Navy's projected force structure. We
are carefully monitoring force management efforts to ensure that we
meet end strength requirements within fiscal constraints, as we
continue to fine tune the health of the force.
In the current environment, the demand for Navy operating Forces
and Navy Active component manpower, capability and capacity are not
abating. In many cases, there have been significant increases in demand
for Naval Forces. We strive to continue to meet fleet demand, while
delivering proper force balance/mix, and improving Sea/Shore balance.
Ready Reserve sailors are Navy's primary source of mobilization
manpower and surge operational support. Maintaining the appropriate
levels and types of sailors in the Reserve Force allows for the needed
operational capacities and strategic depth to meet Total Force
requirements. Our flexibility, responsiveness, and ability to serve
across a wide spectrum of operations enhance the Navy Total Force.
Compensation: We demand much of our sailors, and in return, they
receive appropriate compensation. Over the past 13 years, pay raises,
elimination of out-of-pocket housing expenses, TRICARE for Life and
enactment of the post-9/11 GI Bill, have yielded the most generous
total military compensation package in history and compares favorably
with the private sector. This has allowed the Navy to continue to
succeed in recruiting and retaining the high quality, All-Volunteer
Force, despite over a decade at war.
However, in the current fiscally constrained environment, reducing
personnel costs is essential to achieve a proper balance of
compensating the force, with costs for training and equipping them. We
expect to meet recruiting and retention requirements, despite slowed
growth in regular military compensation, as we continue judiciously
applying targeted special and incentive pays.
Women in Service: America's All-Volunteer Force requires that the
U.S. military have access to every talented American who can add
strength to the force. To be effective in our mission against today's
and tomorrow's threats, we have to be postured to benefit from the best
people our nation has to offer. For that reason, the Navy did not
request any exemptions to the Department of Defense policy on opening
combat positions to women; all Navy occupations, including previously
closed Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft
Crewmen (SWCC), are open to women.
We believe that everyone should be offered the chance to serve in
any occupation in the Navy--regardless of gender--as long as they are
able to meet the standard. With women representing 18 percent of our
Navy force, they will become an even more critical part of our
warfighting team, serving side-by-side in the most challenging combat
roles. The Navy has successfully integrated women into aviation,
surface ships, submarines, and riverine Forces, as well as other small,
high-risk operations teams like Explosive Ordinance Disposal and Navy
Divers. We know how to integrate--it starts on day one of training with
leadership reinforcement of team building behaviors. Our goal is to
ensure that the best-qualified and most capable sailors carry out our
mission. The Navy is the best we have ever seen. We aim to make it even
better.
Leveraging Diversity: As the world becomes increasingly globalized
and our nation more diverse, our ability to attract, recruit, develop,
employ, and retain talent and experience from the entire population is
essential to mission success. The 2010 U.S. Census projects that by
2020, racial/ethnic groups, other than white non-Hispanics, will
comprise over 40 percent of the recruiting market, with increasing
minority representation over time. Navy's ability to access and retain
the talents of every component group in our society has a direct impact
on mission success at home and abroad. We want men and women who are
right for the right job, regardless of race, gender, sexual
orientation, creed, or hometown. It is important that we not think,
act, and look the same. The strength of our service is our diversity--
it is our asymmetric advantage.
v. force resiliency
Under the Enriched Culture pillar of sailor 2025, we continue to
focus efforts on improving sailor toughness while promoting a culture
of respect and total fitness to prevent destructive behaviors. Our 21st
Century sailor initiatives make clear the value we place on the well-
being, safety, and health of sailors. We will create and maintain a
positive command climate where sailors have access to the services they
need from the Navy. Most importantly, we will continue to care for our
sailors and their families--the foundation on which our Navy is built.
This year, we launched our ``Chart the Course'' training campaign
to emphasize and reinforce positive behaviors, personal responsibility
and peer support. This training uses scenario-based videos and
facilitator led discussions to provide engaging, interactive discussion
among peer groups. Among many topics included in the training are
sexual assault and harassment, alcohol awareness, and retaliation
against sailors who report or are victims of destructive behaviors. Our
best sailors want to be held accountable, and this training reinforces
that.
Suicide Prevention and Operational Stress Control: Combating
suicide is an all hands evolution, all the time. Suicide Prevention
efforts empower sailors to be psychologically healthy, adaptive, and
mission ready by providing information, training, tools, and policies
to reduce suicide risk. A comprehensive four-prong approach envelopes
training, intervention, response, and reporting, to ensure a support
network and skills needed to thrive, not just survive. Navy Operational
Stress Control is the foundation of our suicide prevention initiatives,
supporting the fleet with resources to navigate the stressors and
challenges commonly associated with Navy life, to help sailors build
resilience and maintain personal readiness. We are currently managing
six Operational Stress Control mobile training teams, which deliver
resiliency lessons to ships, squadrons, and submarines before overseas
deployment. We also hired resiliency counselors to deploy with our
largest concentration of sailors onboard `big deck' ships. These
counselors are civilian, credentialed, clinical professionals who go to
sea alongside extant teams of chaplains, behavioral psychologists and
other medical professionals who proactively assist sailors each day. In
addition, we have another program of credentialed, clinical, civilian
counselors that make up the Psychological Health Outreach Program
(PHOP) that ensures our Navy Reserve sailors have full access to
appropriate psychological health care services, to increase resilience,
and to facilitate recovery, which is essential to maintaining a ready
military force. We want to create a Navy culture that rewards
preventative actions, recognizes seeking help as a sign of strength,
and reintegrates those treated for stress-related issues back into the
command.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR): We are committed to
reducing, with the goal of eliminating, sexual assault from within our
ranks. In fiscal year 2015, we continued efforts at creating a
culturally aware and educated sailor in an environment intolerant of
sexual assault, supported by a well-defined prevention, reporting,
investigation, military justice, and victim advocacy program. This
year, the Chief of Naval Operations announced five new initiatives to
advance our efforts of eradicating sexual assault in the Navy. They
include:
1. A Shipmate is not a ``bystander.'' If you see something wrong,
do something right.
2. Establish Counselors within the Fleet and Family Support
Centers as a resource for victim support.
3. Improve our personnel management practices and procedures,
following a sexual assault experience.
4. Continue our efforts to educate sailors and reduce alcohol
abuse in the Navy, particularly binge drinking.
5. Better utilize technology to remove cultural barriers and
stigma associated with reporting a sexual assault or seeking advice and
counsel.
In addition to these initiatives, Navy is part of a team effort
that includes the other Services to attack retaliation by better
understanding the prevalence of the types of retaliatory behavior,
including reprisal, ostracism, and maltreatment.
Command Climate: Every sailor deserves to work in an environment
free of discrimination, sexual harassment, fraternization, and hazing.
Sustaining a good commend climate is vital to achieving and maintaining
mission readiness and is an essential element of commander
accountability. Yet providing a positive command climate in the Navy is
not only the commander's responsibility, but also the responsibility of
every sailor within that command. Sailors are trained and encouraged to
intervene where good order and discipline is breaking down, giving them
ownership of the type of environment in which they want to work.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention: Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Prevention (NADAP) programs support enhanced Fleet, Family, and
Personal Readiness through aggressive alcohol abuse and drug abuse
prevention. Substance abuse puts lives and missions at risk, undercuts
unit readiness and morale, and is inconsistent with Navy's ethos and
core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment.
The ``Keep What You've Earned'' campaign seeks to encourage
responsible drinking among sailors by celebrating the achievements in
their Navy careers. Through recognition of their hard work and
dedication, sailors see their accomplishments and how much they have to
lose if they make poor choices.
Navy's policy on drug abuse is ``zero tolerance.'' Detection,
deterrence, and prevention are key elements in combating drug abuse. We
recently expanded our urinalysis program to detect prescription drugs
and synthetic drugs. As a result, detections of wrongful prescription
drug use have climbed, while positive synthetic drug results have
declined. In response, Navy launched the ``Prescription for Discharge''
campaign to educate sailors on the proper use of prescription drugs.
Our goal is to provide sailors with the support network, health care,
and skills needed to overcome adversity and make responsible decisions.
Fleet and Family Support: Fleet and Family Support programs are a
critical component in enhancing mission readiness and Navy's 21st
Century Sailor initiative. Family support programs assist commanding
officers, sailors and their families to manage the unique demands of
the military lifestyle, balancing military commitment with family life.
Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers ensure military families are
informed, healthy, and resilient through robust programs to include
relocation assistance, non-medical and family counseling, personal and
family life education, personal financial management services,
information and referral services, deployment assistance, domestic
violence prevention and response services, exceptional family member
liaison, emergency family assistance and transition assistance. Navy
child and youth programs provide the highest quality childcare, ranked
number one in the nation for quality standards and oversight. Navy
morale, welfare, and recreation programs provide core fitness and
recreation for sailors and their families to enhance quality of life
and encourage life-long positive and healthy leisure pursuits. As part
of the Navy Talent Management Initiative, we are extending our hours of
operation at fitness centers and child development centers to retain
our most talented sailors and maintain readiness to meet fleet
requirements.
Transition Goals, Plans Success (Transition GPS): Transition GPS
replaced the 20-year-old Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The
development and implementation of this initiative to extend the
continuum of care to retirement, and well beyond, was a collective
effort involving all military services. Created by the Office of the
Secretary of Defense, with full participation by the Department of
Veteran's Affairs, Department of Labor, and the Small Business
Administration, Transition GPS increases sailors' abilities to overcome
challenges they may face in pursuit of their chosen civilian career
path. Participation is mandatory for all Active and most Reserve
component members separating after having served 180 days or more of
continuous Active Duty. Commands are required to document participation
and completion of core elements via the Defense Manpower Data Center
on-line tool.
vi. conclusion
Our mission remains to attract, recruit, develop, assign, and
retain a highly-skilled workforce for the Navy. The President's fiscal
year 2017 budget request supports the critical programs that will
continue to support Navy MPT&E programs, and support programs that
bolster sailors and their families and increase their resilience. I
look forward to working with you as we continue to shape the Navy to
meet current and emerging requirements. On behalf of the men and women
of the United States Navy, and their families, thank you for your
sustained commitment and unwavering support.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK A. BRILAKIS, USMC, DEPUTY
COMMANDANT FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES
MARINE CORPS
General Brilakis. Chairman King--excuse me--Chairman
Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Senator King--sir, I just
did not want to leave you out.
[Laughter.]
General Brilakis. It is my privilege to appear before you
today to discuss your marines. Marines are the foundation of
the Marine Corps. They are the Corps' most sacred resource and
always will be. Marines are recruited, educated, trained, and
retained in order to answer the Nation's call to fight and to
win. Everything we do in the Marine Corps must contribute to
their readiness and combat effectiveness.
The Marine Corps is in the final year of our drawdown. We
have accomplished this drawdown primarily using voluntary
separation authorities, and we appreciate the support of
Congress and especially this subcommittee for those
flexibilities that you have given us.
Overall, recruiting and retention are strong. We are
bringing in and keeping young men and women of character whose
past service and future potential makes the Corps stronger.
These marines are supported by our civilian workforce,
approximately 95 percent of whom do not work in Washington.
They work on our bases, stations, depots, and installations.
They serve alongside our marines throughout the world in every
occupation and at every level. Our civilians have truly showed
themselves to be semper fidelis as they keep our marines and
their families forefront in their actions and efforts. For that
they have my personal admiration.
It is imperative that we continue to keep faith with our
military and civilian workforce, else we risk losing enormously
talented and dedicated professionals. By ensuring that we take
care of all marines and their families and our civilian
personnel, we fulfill our responsibility to keep faith with the
honor, courage, and commitment they have given to this Nation.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to present this
testimony. I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Brilakis follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Mark A. Brilakis
introduction
Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you
today to provide an overview on Marine Corps personnel.
Since our founding in 1775, Marines have answered our Nation's
call, faithfully serving the American people and maintaining a world
class standard of military excellence. Your Marine Corps is, and will
continue to be, our Nation's expeditionary force in readiness. We will
be ready to rapidly respond to crises around the Globe to ensure the
continued security of the American people and to protect the interests
that underpin our Nation. Marines will be always faithful to the trust
which the American people have vested in them.
our people
Marines are the foundation of the Marine Corps. They are the Corps'
most sacred resource, and always will be. Your marines are recruited,
educated, trained, and retained to win our Nation's battles. They are
smart, resilient, fit, disciplined, and able to overcome adversity.
Recruiting high quality youth and retaining those whose past service
and future potential makes the Corps stronger is our highest priority.
Everything we do in the Marine Corps must contribute to their combat
readiness and combat effectiveness.
end strength
Your Marine Corps is in its final year of drawing down Active
component end strength from a high of 202,000 in 2010 to a steady-state
strength of 182,000. We have accomplished this drawdown using primarily
the voluntary separation authorities you have granted us. We appreciate
the support of Congress, especially this Subcommittee, for those
flexibilities. They have been instrumental in enabling us to ``keep
faith'' with our marines. We have used only a few targeted involuntary
measures and only for individuals who were eligible for early
retirement. We do not foresee needing any additional force shaping
authorities.
Even though our end strength goals plan for a steady-state 182,000
force, most of the force shaping authorities you have given us will
remain relevant and utilized. These measures will continue to help us
right-size MOSs (Military Occupational Specialities), reduce promotion
pin-on times, and eliminate grade stagnation.
marine corps reserves
The Marine Corps Reserve is nearing completion of its drawdown. The
plan is to reduce Reserve end strength to 38,500 marines by fiscal year
2017; we foresee no challenges in meeting this fiscal year 2017 goal.
In fact, the Marine Corps Reserve has grown stronger despite the end
strength reduction.
Our Reserve unit personnel readiness stands at its highest level in
a generation. Higher enlisted retention rates have been integral to our
success. Retention has increased by 3-percentage points over the past
five years--that equates to approximately 250 more marines per year.
Better retention has helped fix many of our staffing shortages across
Marine Forces Reserve. For example, our Staff NCO (non-comissioned
officers) manning has increased from 66 percent in September 2013 to 82
percent as of January 2016.
While these are welcome and positive trends, we always look for
ways to improve personnel readiness. We have implemented a
comprehensive manpower management plan to provide full service support
to our Reserve officers and Staff NCOs for their career management.
Beginning in fiscal year 2017, we will expand this plan to provide
full-service manpower management support for the entire Selected
Reserve. This is a talent management initiative that will help our
NCOs, Staff NCOs and officers transition between commands and provide
our Active and Reserve units with the ``right marine, at the right
place, at the right time.''
Our Reserve officer staffing is healthy as well. In fact, it
reached a record high of 88 percent in February 2016. This increased
staffing has been driven by two major sources: officers transitioning
from the Active Component and the Reserve Officer Commissioning
Program. Bonuses and incentives have been effective in attracting more
marines from the Active Component. For instance, our Aviator Retention
Pay incentive has had a direct and positive impact on our squadron
staffing rates, which have increased by 14 percent since 2013.
Additionally, the Reserve Officer Commissioning Program has produced a
total of 1,107 lieutenants for the Marine Corps since its creation in
2006. As a result, our ground company grade officer strength has
increased from 21 percent in 2013, to 90 percent today.
recruiting
All recruiting efforts for the Marine Corps (officer, enlisted,
regular, Reserve, and prior-service) fall under the purview of the
Marine Corps Recruiting Command. Operationally, this provides us with
tremendous flexibility and unity of command, facilitating all efforts
to meet accession requirements. The Marine Corps applies, evaluates,
and refines proven, time-tested officer and enlisted recruiting
policies and procedures that enforce and maintain high mental, moral,
and physical standards of our applicants, such as SAT (Scholastic
Aptitude Test), ACT (American College Testing), and ASVAB (Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) testing; pre-enlistment physical
screening and fitness tests; and background checks and pre-enlistment
screening.
Last fiscal year, we successfully achieved all enlisted and officer
recruiting goals for both the Active and Reserve Components, and
completed the year with a fiscal year 2016 start pool of nearly 55
percent.
For fiscal year 2016, our enlisted mission is 30,500 regulars
(active component) and 5,105 reservists. We expect to achieve our
annual recruiting `shipping' mission (i.e. new accessions sent to
recruit training) and quality goals. The Department of Defense requires
90 percent of enlistees to have a high school diploma or equivalent;
last year, the Marine Corps achieved 99.9 percent and expects to be at
or near this level for fiscal year 2016.
Our officer accession mission for fiscal year 2016 is 1,500 Active
Duty and 90 Reserve officers. We are well on our way toward these goals
and foresee no issues meeting them.
Incentives, such as our enlistment bonuses, allow us to ship new
recruits at critical times to balance recruit loads at the depots and
meet school seat requirements. It is important to note that only eight
percent of new Marine Corps recruits receive an enlistment bonus. We
appreciate Congress' support for these priority programs that assist
our keeping high quality marines.
To meet future challenges in the current recruiting environment, it
is imperative that we maintain our high standards both for our
recruiters and those who volunteer to serve in our Corps. Recruiting
quality youth ultimately translates into higher performance, reduced
attrition, increased retention, and improved readiness for the
operating Forces. Our actions, commitment, and investments today in
recruiting ensure a high state of readiness in our Corps tomorrow.
retention
As the Marine Corps draws down to a steady-state 182,000 force,
competition for retention will continue. We will retain the very best
marines capable of fulfilling our leadership and operational needs.
This is accomplished through a competitive career designation process
for officers and a thorough evaluation process for enlisted marines,
both of which are designed to measure, analyze, and compare our
marines' performance and accomplishments.
Marine Corps retention models, systems, policies, and processes
emphasize consistency of leadership, personnel stability, and sustained
readiness across the force. Officer career designation incorporates a
board system that enables leadership to examine officer records and
accomplishments. After designation, the promotion process continues the
evaluation of marine officers. It is a primary tool by which retention
of only the best and most qualified is achieved.
Tiered rating system for enlisted marines takes into account a
number of quantifiable performance factors and includes both immediate
and higher leadership input. It helps to set achievable goals for
marines as they compete for retention. After initial reenlistment, the
evaluation and continued retention of high quality enlisted marines is
supported by a detailed and continual performance evaluation system
which is fully integrated with the promotion process. Those marines
with the best proven records are promoted and retained.
Incentive pays remain critical to our retention effort, allowing
the Marine Corps to fill hard to recruit positions, such as cyber
security technicians and counter intelligence specialists. Similarly,
Selective Reenlistment Bonuses (SRBs) allow us to shape our career
force. SRBs target critical MOSs and supports lateral movement of
marines to these MOSs.
marine corps integration
As our Commandant recently testified, executing a successful gender
integration plan will be a key to sustaining readiness, as well as
ensuring we give all marines the greatest opportunity to succeed as
valued members of the Corps. The issue of gender integration is not
about ``women in combat,'' since women in our Corps have clearly
demonstrated their outstanding service in combat, most recently in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Our current efforts are about placing the best and
most fully qualified marines where they can succeed and make the
strongest contribution to the missions the Marine Corps executes as the
Nation's expeditionary force-in-readiness.
During the last two years, the Marine Corps undertook a
comprehensive research effort to better understand the impacts of
gender integration on combat effectiveness and health of the force. Our
research analyzed the performance of individual marines in our formal
MOS-producing ground combat arms courses. As a result, we developed,
refined, and implemented improved occupation-specific physical
standards and the associated screening tools for obtaining these MOSs.
But the individual is only one aspect. The Marine Corps fights in
teams--as units--in an arena where strength and speed win and second
place is truly an unforgiving prize. Therefore, we studied both gender
integrated and non-integrated units, operating as squads, teams, and
crews; and we did this under live-fire conditions that most closely
replicate actual ground combat conditions. This is the first time this
level of research has been conducted. Our study was peer-reviewed by
three well-respected, independent organizations to ensure diversity and
depth of feedback regarding the research methodology. The female
volunteers for this study were quality marines in every respect;
physically, they were well above the average female marine in the
fleet. The most significant findings were the large disparity in
performance during movement under load--both marching and firing
weapons.
Currently, the Marine Corps is stepping out smartly to facilitate
the integration of all qualified marines into previously closed ground
combat MOSs and units. Integration will be executed in a well-planned
and responsible manner. The framework of our research was--and
continues to be--viewed through three interrelated lenses: first and
foremost, the combat effectiveness of our marine units; second, the
health and welfare of our individual marines; and finally, with an eye
toward the best talent management of our total force--both today and
into the future. I continue to have concerns in all three areas, but am
confident that our assessment and subsequent adjustments during
implementation will help us find the best way forward. Our readiness
and combat effectiveness will remain the guiding focus as we implement
our plan.
civilian marines
Our civilian marines support the mission and daily functions of the
Marine Corps and are an integral part of our Total Force. They
exemplify our core values; they embrace esprit de corps, teamwork, and
pride in belonging to our Nation's Corps of Marines. Serving alongside
our marines throughout the world, in every occupation and at every
level, our civilian appropriated funded workforce remains by far the
leanest of all services, with a ratio of one civilian to every ten
Active Duty marines.
Approximately 95 percent of our civilians do not work in the
Washington, DC, region. The vast majority reside at our bases,
stations, depots, and installations. Sixty-eight percent are veterans
who have chosen to continue to serve our Nation; of those, thirteen
percent are disabled veterans. Our civilian non-appropriated funded
workforce steadfastly continues to provide vital support to our
marines, Reserve marines, their families, and our wounded, ill and
injured.
Already lean, we are in the midst of reducing our 17,500 civilian
marine appropriated fund workforce to 15,800 by fiscal year 2017, and
are working to implement the Management Headquarters Activities
provision in the fiscal year 2016 NDAA. We are actively seeking ways to
achieve these goals through attrition and various voluntary workforce-
shaping flexibilities; our intent is not to implement any service-wide
reduction in force (RIF).
The last few years have not been easy on our civilian marines, with
limited pay raises and furloughs or threat of furloughs several times.
Throughout all of this uncertainty, our civilians have truly showed
themselves as Semper Fidelis as they kept our marines and their
families in the forefront. For that, they have my personal admiration.
During these challenging times, it is imperative that we continue to
keep faith with our workforce, else we risk losing enormously talented
and dedicated professionals. Our civilian labor represents less than
five percent of the Marine Corps' total O&M budget, demonstrating that
our ``best value'' for the defense dollar applies to our civilians as
well as our marines.
force of the future initiative
The Marine Corps is in the midst of the Department of Defense Force
of the Future Initiative. The initiative touches on nearly all aspects
of military and civilian personnel systems. In many cases, the changes
driven by this initiative codifies what has been existing service
practices. In all cases, we continue to advocate for service
flexibility which enables the Marine Corps to enhance our human
resource processes without impacting our ability to execute title 10
responsibilities.
taking care of marines and their families
Taking care of marines and their families is a key element of
overall readiness and combat effectiveness. The adage ``we recruit
marines, we retain families'' remains as true today as ever. Our
comprehensive package of services seeks the holistic fitness and
readiness of our marines and families--body, mind, spirit, and social.
casualty assistance
The most solemn care we can provide to our marine families is to
care for our fallen marines and assist families at every step. We
strive to do just that. Despite the drawdown from combat operations,
casualties are still occurring daily. Even while not in a combat
theater, the mass casualty incidents in Nepal, the Chattanooga
shooting, and training incidents in Florida and Hawaii prove over and
over again that being our Nation's expeditionary force in readiness has
its share of risks.
Our casualty assistance program is committed to ensuring the
families of our fallen are always treated with the utmost compassion,
dignity, and honor. Our uniformed Casualty Assistance Calls Officers
(CACO) make in-person notifications to the Next-Of-Kin (NOK), often
with a Chaplain, for all deceased marines; telephone notifications are
made for the wounded, ill, and injured. When warranted, family members
may travel to bedside via Invitational Travel Orders. Following
notification, CACOs assist the NOK with burial arrangements,
applications for benefits and entitlements, contact with benevolent and
philanthropic organizations, obtaining reports of investigation, and
other pertinent issues.
The Marine Corps Long Term Assistance Program (LTAP) is a permanent
resource of the NOK, ensuring they receive sustained, quality
assistance from the Marine Corps. This includes NOK being contacted
from a representative from LTAP approximately 60 days and at one year
mark following the death to identify and resolve any persistent issues
and to assist and attend to the needs of Marine Corps Survivors
indefinitely. LTAP representatives also routinely attend quarterly DOD/
VA Survivor Forums and TAPS National Survivor and Good Grief Camps.
wounded warrior care
The Marine Corps' Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) continues to
function as a central pillar of our pledge to ``keep faith'' with those
who have served. The WWR will be an enduring need because marines
supporting operations in or near combat zones will continue to need
care management; instances of PTS (post-traumatic stress disorder) and
TBI (traumatic brain injury) continue to increase due to delayed onset
and as marines often delay seeking help; and severe non-combat
illnesses, such as cancer, do not end with combat.
Our WWR remains committed to providing comprehensive recovery care.
For the Marine Corps, recovery care is not a process. Care coordinated
through the WWR is soundly based upon an authentic relationship between
care providers and the marine and his or her family members. This bond
allows all parties to be vested in a common purpose: to provide our
Nation's wounded, ill and injured (WII) marines the care and support
needed for successful recovery and to ensure they and their families
transition to meaningful, productive new roles.
Since our WWR was established in 2007, thousands of WII marines and
family members have benefitted from its care coordination capabilities.
These capabilities include Recovery Care Coordinators to help WII
marines develop and execute Comprehensive Recovery Plans, District
Injured Support Coordinators, the Marine Corps' representatives for WII
marines in their civilian communities, who can be at a WII marines
doorstep in a matter of hours, a liaison to the Department of Veterans
Affairs to enhance coordination between the organizations, and the
Sergeant Merlin German Wounded Warrior Call Center to conduct outreach
to WII marines and receive calls for assistance. Our call center
conducts an average of 10,500 outreach calls per month and receives an
average of 1,100 incoming calls for assistance per month. The call
center can also connect a marine directly to a medical professional who
may direct or advocate for behavioral health/medical care.
In sum, WII marines and their family members receive customized,
caring support, based upon their assessed needs, from the point of
injury or illness, through rehabilitation, and finally as they return
to duty or reintegrate to their hometowns. The Marine Corps does not
utilize a ``fire and forget'' mentality. marines and their families,
the Congress, and the public at large can be reassured that the Marine
Corps, through the WWR, will continue recovery care in times of war and
in peacetime.
behavioral health
The Marine Corps Behavioral Health Program acts as an integrated
community based service model focused on the prevention and
intervention of suicide, substance abuse, combat operational stress,
and family advocacy. When addressing behavioral health care, we
typically see marines, family members, and others, with multiple
stressors or conditions. Even as the Marine Corps moves into a post
OIF/OEF (Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom)
environment, continued support ensures the readiness of our marines and
their families, especially for those with delayed onset of symptoms.
Because behavioral health issues are complex and contain many
common stressors and factors, the Marine Corps has incorporated a
holistic view of prevention. For example, the Marine Corps introduced
``Protect What You've Earned'' which reinforces the Marine Corps
culture of leadership through personal action and accountability.
Through it, we seek to reduce high-risk decision-making thereby
reducing sexual assault, domestic violence, suicide, alcohol and other
substance misuse-related incidents.
To support our marines, attached sailors, and families, the Marine
Corps offer world-class prevention and counseling services at each
installation. All behavioral health programs provide free confidential
services offered by licensed, credentialed professionals. Professionals
conduct comprehensive assessments and individually-tailor counseling
sessions to address substance abuse, relationship difficulties,
domestic violence, child neglect and other stress related concerns
before more serious conditions develop. These services are available to
individuals, couples, families and children.
suicide prevention
One of the highest priorities of our behavioral health program is
suicide prevention. Preventing suicide has proven to be a very
challenging task given the complex nature of the problem. We are
constantly evolving and assessing our programs to coincide with best
practices.
A main focus of our suicide prevention efforts is the Marine
Intercept Program (MIP). It is a combined effort between HQMC
(headquarters Marine Corps), installation Community Counseling
Programs, and commanders. MIP provides care coordination, regular
telephone check-ins and suicide assessment for marines with a reported
suicidal ideation or suicide attempt. MIP is a ``super safety net'' for
marines identified at increased risk for suicide. Services include
continuous assessment and safety planning as well as a series of caring
contacts for a minimum of 90 days.
In 2015, 1,247 reports of suicide ideations or attempts were
reported and assigned to MIP. Of the total marines offered MIP, 77
percent accepted services. Based on a preliminary review of early MIP
data in 2014, Marines receiving MIP services accessed care 2.5 times
sooner, miss fewer appointments and engaged specialty care more often.
The Marine Corps DSTRESS line provides anonymous, 24/7/365 phone,
chat and Skype support with a duty to warn if danger is imminent. Since
its inception in 2010, DSTRESS has helped save 36 lives; it also helps
to increase the total fitness of our Marine Corps families by providing
live support for effectively coping with the wide spectrum of
challenges of life in the Corps. Marines contact DSTRESS for varying
reasons including relationship issues, stress management, post-
traumatic stress, depression-suicidal ideation, and sexual assault.
In order to leverage the power of social media, the Marine Corps
recently launched a marketing awareness campaign addressing suicide
prevention. The main message is to highlight the trend of individuals
expressing suicidal thoughts on social media and detail what steps to
take if someone is in emotional distress. The social media posts
highlight the DSTRESS Line, and instruct individuals to use Facebook's
Suicide Prevention Tool to report concerns. To date, almost 300,000
individuals viewed and shared these posts, resulting in an 800 percent
increase in traffic to the DSTRESS website in a 2 day period beginning
on 12 January 2016. More such social media posts are being planned.
One of the newer initiatives we are introducing is Conquering
Stress with Strength. It is workshop that focuses on family members
under stress. This is the first available, family-focused training to
develop family skills for appropriately responding to high-stress
situations.
sexual assault prevention & response
We will not be satisfied until sexual assault is eliminated in the
Marine Corps. We are encouraged by fiscal year 14 survey data
indicating a 30 percent decrease in the prevalence of unwanted sexual
contact since fiscal year 12. In that same time period, there was a 94
percent increase in the number of victims coming forward to report.
While the next prevalence survey will not be fielded until the end of
fiscal year 2016, preliminary fiscal year 15 data show that we have
sustained our levels of reporting. In addition, from fiscal year 14 to
fiscal year 15, we saw an increase in the number of victims filing
unrestricted reports, which demonstrates increased confidence in our
response system and in commander support. Another positive trend is
that more victims of sexual assault are reporting the crime within
three days of the incident, placing the Marine Corps in a better
position to hold offenders appropriately accountable by facilitating
more timely investigations.
Male victims are an extremely underreported population. The Marine
Corps is developing a more in-depth knowledge of the factors that
influence the reporting decision among male marines who experience
sexual assault. We are integrating specific information on male victims
in our prevention education and training. Significantly, we have posted
five products addressing male victimization on official Marine Corps
social media pages, reaching a combined total of more than one million
people. SAPR (Sexual Assault Prevention Response) is also hosting a
subject matter expert panel on male victims of sexual assault in April
2016 to inform our prevention practices and program development. From
fiscal year 14 to fiscal year 15, the number of male victims filing
reports increased slightly, a positive indication for this population
that has been reluctant to report.
The Marine Corps takes allegations and acts of retaliation very
seriously. Retaliatory behavior--whether on duty, on liberty, or
online--is unconscionable and should never be tolerated. We are taking
a number of actions to address this problem. For example, our Sexual
Assault Response Coordinators and SAPR Victim Advocates are trained to
ask victims about experiences of retaliation during their monthly
safety check-ins. In addition, our case management group chairs are
required to assess all reports of retaliation in their monthly
meetings, ensuring that they are properly referred for resolution. We
have also posted social media products that specifically address
retaliation which have reached more than 341,000 people. In addition,
steps are underway to integrate retaliation into SAPR training products
for all marines. The message is clear: If a marine reports misconduct
or a crime like sexual assault, they deserve--as a fellow marine--to be
treated with dignity and respect.
transition readiness
As the Marine Corps has reduced its end strength over the last few
years, more of our marines and their families have made the transition
to civilian life. It is imperative that we ensure they have the right
preparation to reach personal goals and effectively translate their
military experiences to a successful civilian life.
Our Marine For Life Cycle is a holistic process, not an event.
Beginning at the point of recruiting, the Marine Corps strives to
provide a continuum of tangible learning or experienced-based
opportunities to ensure that every marine is transition-ready
throughout their career.
At their first permanent duty station, marines complete the
personal readiness seminar. It provides an overview of personal and
professional development services, such as family member employment,
voluntary education, personal financial management, and servicemembers'
rights.
Approximately a year prior to separation, marines complete our
transition readiness seminar. It is a week-long program that includes
mandatory standardized core curriculum followed by the choice of one of
three additional two-day tracks that are in line with their individual
future goals and objectives--higher education, career and technical
training, or entrepreneurship.
No later than 90 days prior separation, marines will meet with
their commanding officer for Capstone review. At this time, the
commanding officer will validate whether the marine has met their
career readiness standards. If a marine does not meet their career
readiness standards or have a viable transition plan, we provide a warm
handover to Department of Labor or Veteran Affairs partner agencies for
additional post-transition assistance.
After separation, our nationwide network of Marine For Life
representatives reach back to provide support to marines. In order to
build a robust virtual community, we are currently expanding our
network to include an online presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and
Twitter. Our goal is to have an online community and network of marines
and friends of marines to help transitioning marines identify
opportunities in the civilian marketplace.
One way to ensure that marines will be successful in transitioning
is to ensure that their military skills and work experience can be
transferred into a civilian job. The 2014 National Defense
Authorization Act charged the Services to make credentialing
information available to all members upon their initial training and at
every stage of training in their MOSs. The Marine Corps Credentialing
Opportunities On-Line (COOL) is part of that initiative. It links
marines with certifications and licenses related to their Military
Occupational Specialties across the continuum of the Marine For Life
Cycle.
COOL is an open public website that is available and accessible to
those currently serving, veterans, spouses, potential employers across
all industries, enterprises, credentialing agencies, and associations.
A credential translates Marine Corps technical skills into marketable
language recognized by employers and may make the post service job
search easier. Marines are able to choose from 943 certifications
depending on their MOS or by the name of a specific credential or
agency. Marines can also find general information on a myriad of
resources to support their personal and professional development plans.
As of July 2015, the Marine Corps is paying for examination fees
and annual maintenance for enlisted marines to earn civilian/industry
credentials, which are closely aligned with the marine's MOS.
marine corps exchange services
The Marine Corps delivers a myriad quality of life programs via an
integrated Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) construct that
combines Morale, Welfare and Recreation; Marine Corps Exchange (MCX);
Warfighter and Family Services; and Child Development Programs. This
integrated model is unique within DOD and provides many operating
efficiencies, including consolidated non-appropriated fund back-office
support, e.g. human resources, finance and accounting, procurement,
construction and information technology.
Our MCX is an integral business component of MCCS delivering
products and services in garrison and expeditionary environments.
Marines and families can count on real savings when they shop at the
MCX; the most recent market basket survey showed an average savings of
over 24 percent, while maintaining a consistent gross margin. The
military resale system is one of the largest employers of military
family members, about 30 percent of the Marine Corps Exchange workforce
is a veteran or a military family member. The MCX revenue contributions
to MCCS remain an essential and mission critical asset to the Marine
Corps.
Transformation and innovation is the fabric of MCCS as we continue
to investigate new program and service delivery models by leveraging
technology, partnerships, and sponsorships. The Marine Corps is also an
active participant in the newly established Defense Resale Business
Optimization Board chartered to seek efficiencies, while preserving the
valued quality of life benefits provided by both commissaries and
exchanges.
conclusion
The marines of our Corps represent the American people who have
stepped forward and sworn to defend and protect our Nation. Through
recruiting, training, education, and retention of men and women of
character who take up our challenge to become one of ``the Few and the
Proud,'' we will enhance the quality of our Corps and our overall
combat effectiveness. By ensuring that we take care of all marines and
their families, we fulfill our responsibility to keep faith with the
honor, courage, and commitment they have so freely given.
Our individual marines are our most precious asset. They are proud
of what they do. They are proud of the ``Eagle, Globe, and Anchor'' and
what it represents to our Nation. With your support, a vibrant Marine
Corps will continue to meet our Nation's call.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL GINA M. GROSSO, USAF, DEPUTY
CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER, PERSONNEL, AND SERVICES, UNITED
STATES AIR FORCE
General Grosso. Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand,
Senator King, it is my honor as well to appear before you today
representing our total force airmen and their families.
As airmen, our purpose is to ensure the Air Force can
always provide America with global reach, global vigilance, and
global power. However, 25 years of continuous combat
operations, coupled with budget instability, and lower-than-
planned top lines have made the Air Force one of the smallest,
oldest, and least ready Forces in its history.
Despite all of this, our Air Force is powered by airmen
with more talent and education than ever before. Today the
660,000 Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian airmen are a
highly trained, experienced, and battle-tested force, standing
as vanguards of freedom around the world.
As you are aware, our Secretary and Chief's top priority is
taking care of airmen and their families. Airmen and their
families are without question our most important resource, and
our budget reflects this truth.
You are also aware that we have been downsizing in our Air
Force for years, but this budget stops that decline and begins
to upsize our total force to address a number of key areas,
including critical career fields like nuclear, intelligence,
cyber, maintenance, remotely piloted aircraft, and support
officers.
We want to thank this committee for supporting our Active
Duty plus-up, which is going to go roughly from 311,000 to
317,000 airmen by the end of this fiscal year. Given our
current operations tempo, we certainly cannot sink below this
number, and we believe that the mission demands will indicate
that we need even more growth in fiscal year 2017.
The Air Force is committed to improving readiness by
growing the force, and as such, the fiscal year 2017 budget
funds increased accessions and expanded retention programs,
invests in the student training pipeline and adds technical
training resources, incentivizes retention of critical skills
in undermanned specialties, maximizes total force airmen to
meet mission demands, and most importantly, takes care of
airmen and their families.
As we continue to rely on the all-volunteer force, we will
make every effort to leverage the diverse talent from across
our Nation. We want the men and women of this Nation to see the
Air Force as an employer of choice where there are no
artificial barriers to their success.
This is best illustrated in opening all of the remaining
closed career fields to women, reinforcing our values that if
you meet the requirements, you will have the opportunity to
serve in any position.
In closing, thank you for your time today and your
tremendous support and concern for our Nation's airmen. I look
forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Grosso follows:]
Prepared Statement by
LIEUTENANT GENERAL GINA M. GROSSO
introduction
Despite the last two decades of sustained conflict, the men and
women of your Air Force are as dedicated as ever before. We have
witnessed changes in the geopolitical environment that demand increased
efforts from the Department of Defense in general and specifically the
Air Force. Our airmen are fully engaged in every region of the world,
in every mission area, and across the full spectrum of military
operations.
Today the Air Force is as busy as it has ever been while also being
its smallest. We have been downsizing for years but now we must upsize
modestly in fiscal year 2016 our Total Force to address a number of key
areas, including critical career fields such as intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, cyber, maintenance and battlefield
airmen (e.g., Special Tactics Officer, Combat Controller, Combat Rescue
Officer, Pararescue, Special Operations Weather and Tactical Air
Control Party). Recognizing the strength we have yielded from our Total
Force team, we continue our efforts to integrate our Guard and Reserve
partners further.
Our airmen provide a strategic advantage over America's competitors
and as an Air Force, we remain committed to supporting our airmen and
their families to ensure they remain resilient and motivated. Our
personnel programs are geared to attract the airmen of the future and
retain our talented airmen, and their families.
diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are national security imperatives and
critical force multipliers for a military tackling complex challenges
of geopolitical significance. Air Force senior leaders realize the
importance of a diverse and inclusive force and we must ensure our
airmen are representative of the diverse populace from which we draw
our considerable strength. By ensuring the most talented, culturally
competent, and operationally relevant force possible, we will be more
agile, and able to meet nascent requirements quickly and decisively.
The Air Force is conducting very deliberate planning for its diversity
and inclusion efforts in 2016.
A transformational change must start with the Air Force's senior
leaders. As such, we will establish standard unconscious bias training
to help initiate a deeper understanding of potential barriers to
success and as a bridge to operationalizing diversity and inclusion. In
addition, to help engrain the importance and value of leveraging a
diverse and inclusive force, the service is codifying and funding our
Chief Diversity Officer positions at the major commands and direct
reporting units. Further, we are establishing baseline education and
training for our diversity and inclusion leaders across the Air Force
to provide them with a sufficient foundation to chart a clear path for
our diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Along with these efforts, we must also make certain we have access
to the best and brightest our Nation has to offer. Subsequently, we are
writing a National and Total Force recruiting strategy and
implementation plan that leverages key strategic partnerships to create
more effective access to diverse talent pipelines.
The diversity and inclusion mission is an ongoing, enduring
requirement, incorporating self-awareness, organizational change and
constant learning. Human beings are biased by nature, but using
education, training and deliberate planning can provide an organization
such as the Air Force with the tools necessary to combat bias and to
create an equitable and inclusive working environment and culture. The
Air Force's key diversity governance documents are being rewritten to
reflect current Air Force strategy as well as to incorporate the Air
Force imperative of inclusiveness.
end strength
The demand for airpower in today's military conflicts continues to
increase. The fiscal year 2016 President's Budget (PB) resized Active
Duty end-strength from approximately 313,000 to 317,000, and we have a
deliberate plan to grow from our current inventory of 311,000 to
317,000 personnel by the end of fiscal year 2016. This growth addresses
key capability gaps in the nuclear, maintenance, cyber, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, remotely piloted aircraft and support
career fields, ensuring the Air Force increases its ability to meet
mission demands. Our fiscal year 2017 PB is strategy-driven and
consistent with the previous year's proposal. The fiscal year 2017
budget cycle carried forward fiscal year 2016 end strength levels fully
funding 317,000 across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP),
continuing our concerted effort to ``right size'' the force. Moreover,
it offers the best balance for America's current and future air, space,
and cyberspace requirements at Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA)-level
funding ($43.4 billion) for military ($28.4 billion) and civilian
personnel costs ($14.5 billion to include working capital fund and
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation). The fiscal year 2017
budget submission also leveraged PB16 Total Force increases in both the
Guard and the Reserve thus maintaining warfighting capacity while
minimizing increases to Active Duty end strength. Subsequently, our
request outlined a total military force of 491,700 comprised of 317,000
Active Duty, 105,700 Guard and 69,000 Reserve airmen.
Our civilian airmen are an integral part of the Air Force team and
serve in almost every position imaginable, to include critical areas
such as depot maintenance, science and technology, engineering, fire
fighters and Air Reserve Technicians. Since 9-11 there have been many
fluctuations in the civilian workforce size. Over the past 3-years, the
Air Force civilian workforce increased approximately 14,000 positions
in key areas including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,
cyber and nuclear.
However, we made significant progress with civilian reductions as
well. Since fiscal year 2012, the Air Force has taken approximately
24,000 civilian reductions in response to Congressional actions. During
this time period, we reduced 10,000 positions. Further, we will
continue to drive civilian reductions moving forward, fully complying
with the fiscal year 2016 NDAA 25 percent directed HQ reductions.
military force management
The Air Force has shifted force management from a reduction focus
to a growth posture. To meet this increased end strength, we are
focusing our force management efforts on bolstering accessions and
increasing retention of our skilled workforce.
We are using multiple lines of effort to grow the force. We have
increased accessions of enlisted airmen entering Basic Military
Training and the numbers of officers being commissioned. In addition,
we are retaining experience through robust and expanded special and
incentive pays; bringing on prior service accessions; using Reserve
Active Duty tour opportunities; and implementing High-Year-of-Tenure
extensions.
Recruiting
Accessions are the building blocks of the Air Force. Subsequently,
it is imperative that we maintain a strong focus on recruiting with a
solid and proficient recruiter force, capable of responding to the
ever-changing recruiting environment. Air Force brand recognition is an
enduring requirement to ensure we have the opportunity to increase
propensity to serve in the Air Force among the eligible youth
population. Findings suggest that maintaining an all-volunteer force
requires recruiting efforts to focus on reaching both youth with a
long-term interest to serve as well as those that were not previously
propensed. To affect both market segments, we must use advertising to
change propensity, particularly among tougher segments of the
population to recruit.
The recruiting budget includes funding for day-to-day operations,
personnel costs and advertising activities necessary to the successful
accomplishment of the recruiting mission. Budget actions, such as
sequestration in fiscal year 2013, slowed or completely shut down key
advertising and marketing events, which included the Air Force
Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team, and delayed our national
television campaign for fiscal year 2014, leading to missed ``key
spots'' and diminished purchasing power.
Initial Enlistment Bonuses are critical to our recruiting efforts
and are funded at $16.1 million in the fiscal year 2017 PB; this
program greatly assists in producing sufficient recruits to meet
requirements for high-demand, chronically low manned career fields such
as battlefield airmen and linguists. We successfully use this program
to recruit youth into career fields that historically are hard to
recruit and/or qualify for by awarding a monetary bonus as an
incentive. The ability to recruit the right requirements at the right
time for these unique demands without the Initial Enlistment Program
would be threatened.
Retention
We are increasing our accessions and training pipeline to support
the increased growth, but these new enlistees won't be seasoned for
some time, thus retaining the experience we have is critical to our
success in reaching target end strength. To address retention concerns,
we are using robust and expanded special and incentive pays to retain
experience; bringing on prior service accessions; using Reserve Active
Duty tour opportunities; and implementing High Year of Tenure
extensions. The Air Force weighed under manning, experience levels,
retention trends and training costs across all Air Force specialty
codes in determining which career fields to target. Officer retention
challenges exist for pilots, including remote piloted aircraft pilots,
combat systems officers, special operators, intelligence, contracting,
and select health professionals. For the enlisted force, specialties
facing retention challenges include cyber defense, battlefield airmen,
intelligence, explosive ordnance disposal, aircraft maintenance, and
select nuclear enterprise specialties. The quick growth the Air Force
is planning over the next two fiscal years requires a greatly expanded
Selective Reenlistment Bonus program, increasing from 40 specialties in
fiscal year 2015 to 117 in fiscal year 2016. This three-fold increase
focused on retaining key experience while continuing our deliberate
plan to grow our force, and we expect a similar size program in fiscal
year 2017. Additionally similar to fiscal year 2016, the fiscal year
2017 Selective Reenlistment Bonus program further incentivises airmen
by providing more money up front to reenlist and thus retains more
experience during this time of growth. Our budgeted amount to execute
this program is $226 million.
Further, we are using High Year of Tenure extensions to retain key
experience while growing the Air Force by 6,000 in fiscal year 2016.
The High Year of Tenure program expanded from 38 Air Force Specialties
in fiscal year 2015 to 122 in fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017.
This expansion, except where the specialties were fully manned, mirrors
the Selective Reenlistment Bonus program. Additionally, High Year of
Tenure expansion included specialties where the training pipeline was
insufficient for the accession requirement; where specialties were
undermanned in certain grades; and in areas needed to support the
expansion of the aircraft maintenance enterprise.
Bonus and Pay Incentives
With national security threats increasing around the globe and
emerging requirements continuing to evolve, it is critical that we
invest in our current force to retain the experience to maintain and
expand the Air Force's current capabilities. Special and Incentive pays
are one of our most flexible and responsive force management tools.
Accordingly, our fiscal year 2017 budget includes approximately $927.4
million in Special and Incentive pays, which includes $226 million in
Selective Reenlistment Bonuses, $12.3 million in Critical Skills
Retention Bonus and $87.5 million in Aviator Retention Pay. The Air
Force will use these retention bonuses, along with the full suite of
Special and Incentive pays, to surgically shape the force in low-
retaining skills with a focus on maintaining the correct number of
airmen by specialty and year group. The Air Force is offering Officer
Critical Skills Retention Bonus programs for Special Tactics, Combat
Rescue, Contracting, Intelligence officers and remote piloted aircraft
pilots. Additionally, our Enlisted Critical Skills Retention Bonus
programs are for the Tactical Air Control Party, Combat Controller,
Pararescue and Explosive Ordnance Disposal career fields.
We appreciate the assistance in providing increased bonus and
aviation pay for our remote piloted aircraft pilot force. With our get-
well plan for our remotely piloted aircraft team underway, we are
pleased to be able to compensate these aviators under the same
authority as all rated career fields. The ability to use monthly
Aviation Incentive Pay (flight pay) and Aviation Retention Pay, as
authorized in the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act,
for remotely piloted aircraft pilots will surely bolster retention in
this field. The Air Force is currently working with the Office of the
Secretary of Defense to craft a policy allowing a full transition to
these new authorities.
We ask for that same assistance with our manned rated force. The
Air Force is experiencing the lowest pilot retention since 2002. In
2002, major airline hiring drove the retention rates to 47 percent,
causing much concern for our service. Since then, we have maintained
rated retention levels at or above 65 percent with our Aviator
Retention Pay program. However, in fiscal year 2015 only 55 percent of
the eligible pilots entered into a bonus agreement. With pilot
retention decreasing, constrained pilot training pipelines are
insufficient to train the required number of pilots to replace those
not retained by the bonus. Of particular concern for the Air Force is
the status of our fighter pilot inventory, currently undermanned at
about 520 fighter pilots with the trend continuing downward. We
continue to monitor closely and will request additional authorities and
increases as are necessary.
Compensation Reform
The Air Force supports the Department's current posture on
compensation, which is to continue to slow the growth of military
compensation (other than retirement) pay and benefit costs in order to
permit a balance in defense spending. Compensation reform is a fiscal
necessity as compensation represents nearly half of the Department's
budget. Although adequate compensation is a vital component of an
airman's quality-of-life, it must remain in balance with readiness,
capacity, and strategic capabilities necessary for the Air Force's
future.
The Air Force must ensure that we maintain readiness and
modernization. We are working closely with the Department to implement
the direction in the 2016 NDAA on the blended retirement provisions
while exploring other possibilities for strategic compensation reform.
While we support the incremental out of pocket expense in housing
allowances, we are concerned that any additional reductions in housing
allowances will have negative effects in sustaining our current force
and their families.
civilian workforce management
During fiscal year 2015, the Air Force was successful in
aggressively using pre-Reduction In Force tools to help posture the
civilian workforce for minimal disruption from workforce management
initiatives. We continue to manage the delicate balance of right sizing
in accordance with Congressional and Department guidance and filling
our allocated civilian vacancies. A round of Voluntary Early Retirement
Actions and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay was offered in Fall 2015
with an effective date of December 31, 2015. Of the 1,400 civilian
overages identified, at the conclusion of the process, only 89
individuals were involuntarily separated. At the beginning of fiscal
year 2016, a needs assessment identified 1,100 civilians as overages
needing to be placed on funded authorizations. At the end of January
31, 2016, approximately 300 civilians still require placement and we
expect that number to continue to decrease as we work the Reduction in
Force process, which culminates on April 4, 2016. Another needs
assessment for an additional round of Reduction in Force with an
effective date of September 30, 2016 will be administered in March. We
remain optimistic that pre-Reduction In Force efforts will ensure we
minimize any involuntary separations. Additionally, we do not
anticipate or expect any furlough adverse impact on our invaluable
civilian workforce. This stability bodes well with our continued
efforts to pursue executing our allocated civilian dollars and work
years and to provide stability among all our civilian airmen looking
into fiscal year 2017.
New Beginnings
The Air Force will transition approximately 131K employees to the
New Beginnings Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program in
April 2017. We welcome this comprehensive and transparent multi-level
performance management system that links performance expectations with
organizational goals, provides for regular on-going feedback and allows
meaningful distinctions in performance. It will move the majority of
Air Force civilians from a 2-level pass/fail rating pattern to a 3-
level rating pattern with the ability to rate performance elements as
``Outstanding'' and thus provide civilians meaningful distinctions in
their performance. This shift in focus on communication and
distinctions in performance allows the Air Force to realize fully a
culture that embraces and supports a high-performing workforce.
Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of employee engagement and
places increased emphasis on leadership behaviors and supervisory
responsibilities in an effective performance management system. The Air
Force will be actively engaged over the next year in providing training
to all impacted civilians as well as their military supervisors.
New Beginnings also includes initiatives focused on streamlining
the hiring process, training for supervisors and managers, implementing
effective means of recruiting, compensating, and incentivizing the
civilian workforce with a focus on strategic workforce planning to
shape an effective workforce for today and into the future.
one air force
Total Force Integration and Continuum of Service
The Air Force is implementing a number of Continuum of Service
programs and initiatives consistent with the National Commission on the
Structure of the Air Force recommendations and aligned under the Air
Force's Strategic Master Plan and Human Capital Annex governance
structure. We continue to develop the structure and policies that allow
for deliberate and purposeful transitions between the Regular Air
Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.
Continuum of Service allows the enterprise to retain and preserve
highly skilled personnel for a longer period by reducing transition
barriers, incentivizing affiliation with Reserve components as well as
lengthening the officer career trajectory for selected airmen. Along
those lines, we have instituted and implemented policy changes and
programs such as the Career Intermission Program and the Voluntary
Limited Period of Active Duty Program. Additionally, a number of
Continuum of Service initiatives are underway within the Human Resource
Management enterprise to include aviation retention pay options for
part-time Reserve aircrew members and addressing Air Reserve Component
retirement concerns in converting Active retirement for those that meet
time and grade requirements.
The Air Force will continue to increase the integration and
holistic management of the total force components; however, a true
Continuum of Service will require legislative change to enable the
seamless transition between Air Force components.
One Air Force A1
The Air Force's ultimate goal is to provide total force personnel
policy to lower echelon headquarters and serve any airman, at any
location, regardless of component or status. The Air Force's initial
effort under the National Commission on the Structure of the Air
Force's recommendation regarding integrated force management was to
focus on establishing a single, integrated manpower, personnel and
services organization.
The Air Force began co-locating Air Force Reserve and Air National
Guard staff members within the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower,
Personnel and Services organization on 1 October 2014 by phasing in
three Active Guard Reserve officers as division chiefs. Transfer of
personnel is ongoing using a phased approach with full operational
capability in fiscal year 2017. Since initial operational capability in
fiscal year 2015, two Memorandums of Agreements between the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, the Chief of the
Air Force Reserve and the Director of the Air National Guard have been
written to outline and codify the implementation strategy. Twenty-eight
specific positions have been attached or assigned across the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services organization to
address personnel management processes to include, but not limited to,
recruiting, assignments, force development, and force management.
Air Force Integrated Personnel and Pay System (AFIPPS)
An integrated Personnel and Pay capability is fundamentally
required for the Air Force to operationally integrate into One Air
Force. In May 2015, the Air Force communicated the decision to reassess
our path toward integrated personnel and pay by looking at two
alternatives--a new acquisition or optimization of our current
capability. From that notification through December 2015, the Air Force
employed a cross-functional team to refine a problem statement, garner
Service lessons learned along with industry benchmarks, and
comparatively analyzed differences between the two alternatives. Our
conclusion is that upgrading our modern existing platform in agile
delivery cycles is the best use of resources and delivers capability to
our airmen sooner.
The Air Force initiated an upgrade to our current human resource
system of record, fielding enhancements and performing data cleansing
activities to ready our system for the integration of payroll beginning
in fiscal year 2018. These efforts simultaneously modernize and
transform our systems, deliver additional airmen-enabling self-service
capabilities, and refine the foundation for the complete end-to-end pay
integration.
The Air Force remains committed to migrating our human resource
portfolio to a solution that minimizes future cost and ensures the
human resource community is postured to deliver capability to the Total
Force. By focusing actions to deliver state-of-the art commercial
capabilities and leveraging self-service with upgraded web and mobile
support to improve human resource access and action, we will reduce our
operational costs while drastically improving how we support and pay
our world-class airmen.
women in service review
On December 3, 2015, the Secretary of Defense notified Congress of
his intent to open all remaining positions and occupations across the
Department of Defense. On January 4, 2016, the Air Force began
executing the final Implementation Plan for Full Integration of Women
in the Air Force and opened 6 previously closed career fields that
include 4,000 positions across the Total Force. Women now have the
opportunity to serve in the Air Force as a Special Tactics Officer,
Combat Controller (Enlisted), Combat Rescue Officer, Pararescue
(Enlisted), Special Operations Weather (Enlisted) and Tactical Air
Control Party (TACP) (Enlisted).
Air Force actions will be guided and informed by our studies, as
well as the research and analysis conducted by our Sister Services and
USSOCOM under the Women in Service Review. The implementation plan also
provides for periodic review and continuous assessments to allow
incorporation of lessons learned as we go forward. Successful gender
integration will take time and requires a focus on standards, policy,
education and engaged leadership across the Total Force.
These direct ground combat career fields present a challenge to
find qualified volunteers who have the physical and mental fortitude
and can persevere through lengthy training pipeline that could span two
years. Opening these positions to women allow the Air Force to reach
into the female population to find qualified skill sets.
support to familes
Child and Youth Programs
Air Force Child and Youth Programs are critical to our airmen, and
Air Force's goal is to ensure quality, affordable child development
spaces are available to our airmen and their families. To accomplish
this, we use a combination of child development centers, family
childcare homes, and school age programs to support children from birth
to 12 years of age. These vital programs provided full time childcare
for more than 64,000 children in 2015. Our community-based programs are
also crucial in supporting families not located near an Active Duty
installation. We provided 8,800 children of Total Force families with
160,000 hours of childcare necessary for Air Force Reserve and Air
National Guard members to attend unit drill activities.
Additionally, our Expanded Child Care programs, operated primarily
through our Family Child Care programs, continue to grow and adapt to
meet the varied and unique childcare needs of our airmen. Expanded
Child Care programs offer a more developmentally appropriate home-based
childcare arrangement in a manner that is much more flexible and
economical for accommodating the fluctuating numbers of users. In 2015,
we provided more than 53,000 hours of childcare for more than 2,600
children of first responders, missile operators, wounded warriors,
deployed personnel, and parents required to work extended hours or
dealing with emergency medical care issues. We added two new programs,
24/7 Child Care to support members working 24 hour shifts and Missile
Care 2 Program to assist spouses with non-traditional childcare
requirements during times the Active Duty member is working off the
installation in the missile field. Our Expanded Child Care program also
includes skilled care to exceptional family members allowing parents a
break from the stressors of continuously caring for a child with
special needs. Geographically separated airmen across the Total Force
now have access to exceptional family member respite childcare. The
program has consistently grown with an increase in usage more than 35
percent from last year serving more than 1,360 children with 101,000
hours of care.
In 2016, our priority is to meet the needs of our members and their
families. We are currently developing implementation plans to extend
child development center and school age care hours to overlap the
normal working shifts of Service members by at least two hours. At the
same time, we are developing a strategic plan to expand capacity in
critical areas where wait times for enrollment exceed 90 days, which
goes hand-in-hand with the Military Compensation and Retirement
Modernization Commission recommendation to improve access to childcare
on military installations. The continued rollout of the
MilitaryChildCare.Com initiative, a website for military families
seeking childcare, will assist in identifying and validating the areas
with the greatest need. MilitaryChildCare.com expedites childcare
placement through a standardized Department of Defense request process
and waitlist management tool and is currently operational at 30 Air
Force locations with the remaining 44 locations to be operational by
the end of this calendar year.
Wounded Warriors
The Air Force Warrior and Survivor Care office is the Air Force's
lead in orchestrating a comprehensive, continuum of care that
synergizes Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs programs to meet
the medical and non-medical care of wounded, ill, and injured airmen.
Over the past year, and through the efforts of our Air Force Wounded
Warrior program, we expanded enrollment in our warrior program by
improving marketing to our Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve
units. We continue to work with units to identify airmen who return
from deployment and are beginning to cope with the effects of post-
traumatic stress. When symptoms manifest, affected airmen may not
recognize the need for help immediately and it is our goal to ensure
they are aware of the assistance avenues that are available.
We are committed to a lifetime relationship with all airmen and
their families. To strengthen this commitment, we are in the initial
stages of developing an Airman for Life program. In addition to
leveraging existing programs that support an airman's lifecycle, such
as the Transition Assistance Program and Air Force Families Forever,
the Airman for Life program will seek to build relationships with non-
profits, state and local governments, and employment centers to bridge
potential gaps in support.
While we are committed to providing world-class treatment for our
airmen's wound, illness or injury, we are also dedicated to treating
the whole person and, as an extension of our airmen, their families and
caregivers as well. We have developed Caregiver Peer Support Forums, as
a collaborative effort with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and
the other Service Wounded Warrior programs. These meetings, being
conducted at all Air Force installations, provide caregivers an
opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with others that
best understand what they are going through.
Transition Assistance
Approximately 42,000 Total Force Airmen per year leave the Air
Force. The Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, and
Veterans Employment Initiative, direct many Transition Assistance
Program requirements which provide a variety of opportunities for
transitioning Veterans to engage with civilian employers using their
training and employment experiences. The Air Force Airman & Family
Readiness Centers engage with National and Federal partners to ensure
transitioning servicemembers and their spouses are career ready for
transitioning back to the private sector.
One of our newest efforts to help our airmen successfully
transition to the civilian workforce is the Air Force Credentialing
Opportunities On-Line Program. The program currently offers 182
certifications in fields such as Project Management, Information
Systems Security and Human Resources and provides two distinct
benefits: first, it continues to professionalize the enlisted force by
providing up-to-date industry-recognized credentials in an airman's Air
Force job; second, it provides a way for airmen to prepare for civilian
life by ensuring that they are ready for work in the civilian sector.
conclusion
Recent global developments remind us that America's Air Force must
have the capability to engage anytime, anywhere, and across the full
spectrum of conflict. To do this we must be able to attract, recruit
and retain the best our Nation has to offer. Our airmen, a combined
team of Total Force officers, enlisted, and civilians, are educated,
innovative, and motivated. When properly trained, effectively equipped,
and instilled with the trust of their leadership, they will ensure our
Air Force remains the most powerful in the world. However, our airmen
do not serve alone. Our Air Force families are a critical component of
our success and enable this dedicated force to focus on mission
accomplishment. Maintaining an all-volunteer Air Force is a significant
undertaking and requires a continuous and significant investment of
time and national resources. We realized long ago if we do not focus
and invest towards producing, supporting and retaining the highest
quality airmen continuously, we as an institution fail. As the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, I am committed to
making the Air Force a success.
Senator Graham. Well, thank you all for your service.
I will start with the Army. What percentage of the Army's
budget is personnel?
General McConville. Senator, it is about 60 percent with
military and civilian personnel.
Senator Graham. Admiral?
Admiral Moran. Senator, it is roughly the same when you
include all the personnel, the whole team.
Senator Graham. The Marines?
General Brilakis. Sir, it is 69 percent. That is civilian
and military.
Senator Graham. Air Force?
General Grosso. Approximately 50 percent.
Senator Graham. So if we are going to do other things, you
know, half your budget plus is going to personnel costs.
There is a debate going on about whether women should be
subject to the draft now that we have opened up military
occupations to women. Could you please very briefly share your
view as to whether or not you think that is a good idea?
General McConville. Well, I think, as you know, we have
opened up all combat positions to women, and I think they
should have the opportunity to serve in whatever position they
want. The fact that they can serve in combat, they ought to be
eligible for the draft.
Senator Graham. We will just let everybody know that
because you are drafted does not mean you go into combat. You
got to meet the standards.
General McConville. Yes, sir, absolutely.
Admiral Moran. I would agree, Senator, to be consistent in
a message to everyone in America that wants to serve, Selective
Service in my personal opinion is appropriate.
Senator Graham. General?
General Brilakis. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the question.
You know, it has been interesting--this discussion that has
been going on. So the question really is the Selective Service
Act I think in terms of threats to the Nation, threats to the
republic and what it does and what it represents, and whether
or not this is an issue about women and whether we add women
now that we made this decision to include them in combat roles,
or whether it is a larger discussion about the Selective
Service Act and what it means to the Nation.
I am a planner by nature, and if I have a plan, is that
plan holistic enough to survive first contact to provide the
Nation the talent it needs in time of crisis without an
extended debate. The Selective Service Act should help to allow
us to act quickly.
Senator Gillibrand. So yes or no?
Senator Graham. Yes. Yes or no.
General Brilakis. I believe in that discussion, all
Americans have the responsibility to serve the Nation.
Senator Gillibrand. Good.
General Grosso. Yes. Women should be included in the
Selective Service Act.
Senator Graham. There you go.
If you are going to change TRICARE, one, does it need to be
changed, and what would be the biggest recommendation you could
give us?
General McConville. Senator, I think everything should be
on the table as you talked about with the costs going up.
Having commanded the 101st Airborne Division in combat, I
understand what it takes to have a highly trained unit that has
got to be manned, it has got to be equipped, and it has got to
be trained. We have to spend money on that, and there is not
enough money to go around. So we need to look at every place,
and TRICARE is one of those to see where we can more
efficiently effective so we can continue to man our force,
equipped and training our force.
Senator Graham. Does anybody know off the top of their head
what percentage of DOD's budget in the next decade will go to
TRICARE or health care?
General McConville. Not off the top of my head.
Senator Graham. Admiral?
Admiral Moran. Sir, I would say that we need to simplify,
and that is part of the proposal that we are seeing, to
simplify the plan and reduce the administrative----
Senator Graham. How about expand the number of people
servicemembers can go to and their families? Expand the
network.
Admiral Moran. Expand the network. We are trying to drive
more business back into the MTFs [Military Treatment
Facilities] so that we can keep our readiness of our
professionals. I think that is the direction we need to
continue, and that will help reduce costs because we are not
paying outside the network.
Senator Graham. Got you.
General Brilakis. Sir, I agree with Admiral Moran that
leveraging the existing infrastructure that we have to the
maximum extent to drive down costs is going to be fundamental
to the overall TRICARE solution set. But we want to make sure
that we continue to provide our families and our marines,
soldiers, sailors, and airmen high-quality health care around
the globe and in the many different areas in the country where
they serve.
General Grosso. I too agree that we need to get as many
beneficiaries into the traditional military treatment
facilities as we can and to use the traditional pharmacy that
the military provides to better leverage that capacity.
Senator Graham. When it comes to combating sexual assault
and putting an emphasis on preventing this, how would you rate
the efforts in each service?
General McConville. Well, Senator, I would like to answer
this as a parent. I am a parent of three children. I expect and
my wife demands that we provide a safe and secure environment
for our children. I would say we put a tremendous amount of
resources into getting at this is something we----
Senator Graham. Do you think people are getting the
message?
General McConville. I do. I really do. I think people are
getting it, but I think we need to continue to work. One of the
things we have put in place and we got feedback from our
surveys is a ``not in my squad'' program. Every year we have
120,000 soldiers come in the Army. Those 120,000 soldiers come
with the values they brought out and they live in things called
squads. I think it is extremely important, not just from the
top down, but from the bottom up to get after this and change
culture because it is something we just cannot have in our
military.
Senator Graham. Briefly, does anybody--does everyone kind
of agree with that assessment?
Admiral Moran. Yes, sir.
Senator Graham. Is it going in the right direction in the
Navy?
Admiral Moran. I think our response is better than our
prevention, and we are getting better at prevention and we are
really focused on it this year. The CNO [Chief of Naval
Operations] has added some new initiatives that I would be
happy to talk about. But, yes, sir, I believe we are.
General Brilakis. Sir, we cannot ever be satisfied with
where we are at with respect to sexual assault and response to
it, but I do believe that we have included all marines into the
final solution and we are understanding the problem much better
than we did before.
General Grosso. I would agree with that. I think we really
turned our focus now to what is primary prevention and what can
we learn from the people who do that best. We have funded
positions at every installation that are primary prevention
experts, and we are developing a strategy that deals with
interpersonal violence because when you look at the risk
factors, the protected factors and the risk factors for
suicide, sexual assault, family violence, and actually
workplace violence, they overlap. So we are trying to leverage
all of these separate programs to better address these
negative, destructive behaviors.
Senator Graham. Senator Gillibrand?
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. I am going to continue where
Senator Graham left off.
So I want to talk a little bit about implementation for
sexual assault, specifically the Navy. You have done some
interesting work in terms of creating a complex litigation
track for counselors to specialize in litigating serious
offenses, including cases of sexual assault. Could you talk a
little bit about that? Because I think it is probably one of
the best strategies I have heard in terms of getting
performance in actually prosecuting these cases, getting more
cases to conviction, more cases to have an appropriate penalty,
not just non-judicial punishment, but something that fits the
crime of rape. Could you talk a little bit about that?
Admiral Moran. Senator, I can talk a little bit about it. I
am a little bit out of my league in terms of being not a
lawyer.
However, you are correct in that our AJAG [Assistant Judge
Advocate Generally] put together a course to help make our
prosecutors better, to your point, to make they understood how
to apply the law and really keep the pressure on the system to
hold people accountable. It is called the military justice
litigation career track, and we have also assigned
qualifications to that, so official quals, so that we can
identify which JAG [Judge Advocate General] members at any
point in their career who have that qual can be appropriately
distributed around the fleet, fleet concentration areas, so
that they can be assigned to those cases. It will kind of
solidify around those expert prosecutors so that we are
consistent in how we deal with each case.
Senator Gillibrand. Do you apply this just for general
court martials if you also apply it for special court martials?
Do you know?
Admiral Moran. I do not know. I can get that answer for
you.
[The information follows:]
Senator Gillibrand, you requested additional information about the
Navy's creation of a career track for military justice litigation and
whether these judge advocates practiced in special and general courts-
martial.
In 2007, the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps implemented
the Military Justice Litigation Career Track (MJLCT), in recognition
that litigation skills are perishable and that the growing complexity
of military justice litigation requires officers to remain in the
courtroom for successive assignments to maintain proficiency and
develop expertise. Our MJLCT judge advocates are leading litigation
throughout the enterprise, most notably as Senior Trial Counsel and
Senior Defense Counsel at all Naval Legal Service Commands, as
officers-in-charge at defense office detachments, as directors of Trial
and Defense Counsel Assistance Programs (TCAP/DCAP), and as Victim's
Legal Counsel. These judge advocates also serve as trial judges on the
Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary and as appellate judges on the Navy-
Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. There are 63 MJLCT billets and
77 MJLCT judge advocates. At any given time, there are some MJLCT judge
advocates assigned outside a career track billet on a disassociated
tour to ensure they remain knowledgeable on Navy matters and enable
their overall proficiency.
The mission of the MJLCT is to identify and cultivate judge
advocates with the requisite education, training, experience, and
aptitude to maintain the highest quality of representation in complex
criminal litigation. The MJLCT has three levels of proficiency, which
career track judge advocates earn based upon their skill development
and experience in military justice litigation. Before applying for each
level of proficiency, candidates are expected to meet the applicable
experience level guidelines for each stage as set forth in the Navy's
MJLCT policy and must obtain recommendations from senior members of the
community that are MJLCT judge advocates.
MJLCT judge advocates litigate cases in both special and general
courts-martial.
Senator Gillibrand. For the other services, I would
recommend you to look into this because one of the challenges
we have is that our services have generally looked at lawyers
as generalists, that we want you to be good at everything so
that when you are advising a general, you know a little bit
about everything.
But we have seen, when I have delved into how are these
cases actually prosecuted, how many convictions do you get as a
percentage of convictions in the civilian world, and what are
the penalties, we do not actually look very good compared to
the best prosecution offices in the country. A lot of the DA's
[District Attorney] offices do not do very well at this either,
but some do. The ones that do it is because they
professionalize. So the Manhattan DA's office, for example, is
a perfect place to look for how do you professionalize
prosecution of tough felonies. Sexual assault are some of the
hardest cases in the world to prosecute effectively. They are
tough because you have to weigh evidence in a way that is very
difficult, and it is just hard to prove. So when they do it
well, it is because they professionalize and they have career
track people who are focused on how do you prosecute tough
felonies. So I think every one of the services should work on
this as a way to get better results in the cases that do go
forward.
But I would like you each to answer one question. I
understand you all think we are making progress. Why is the
retaliation rate unchanged? It is still at 62 percent.
Retaliation as perceived by the victim are three kinds of
retaliation: 30 percent peer-to-peer, 30 percent
administrative, 30 percent professional. So do not say it all
seems to be peer-to-peer because that is not the case. In a
third and a third, and if you combine that, that is 60, it is
from the commander. It is either administrative or
professional.
So I want you to talk about why is retaliation where it is.
Have you personally seen any prosecution of retaliation in your
services at all this year? If not, why do you think that is?
Give me an answer on how we fix this retaliation problem.
I liked the fact that one of you said ``not in my squad''
because the perception of these survivors is sexual harassment
60 percent of the time is from their direct commander, not
sexual assault, but sexual harassment. So women are perceiving
their unit commander to be one who is creating a poor climate
for them to be successful. So that is a huge problem with,
again, not pushing back on retaliation peer-to-peer or ones
coming from a commander through administrative or professional.
I would like your comments on those.
General McConville. Senator, I agree with you. As we looked
at the report that came out, the last report, we saw reporting
going up, which we thought was a good thing, we saw propensity
coming down, but the retaliation at 62 percent is what we went
after.
Really, that is why we put together a retaliation strategy.
We have got to get that down to the lowest levels, and we have
got to get it into the squads. We have got to get it into the
command. We have got to hold commanders responsible. We have
had cases of retaliation reported. Commanders have taken
appropriate action. I can come back to you on the record for
what those actual actions were taken.
[The information referred to follows:]
The Army has collected data for the Department of Defense (DOD)
Sexual Assault Response Prevention Office (SAPRO) as part of its
department-wide review of retaliation in the Armed Forces. DOD SAPRO
has provided guidance on how to collect this information and will give
the Army further guidance on its distribution. If approved by DOD, the
Army anticipates releasing this information in May 2016, coinciding
with the release of Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.
For the way forward, the Army is exploring ways to improve data
collection that will allow for easier collection of retaliation data
using existing databases. Additionally, the DOD Comprehensive Plan will
formalize data collection with a single point of contact and
standardize definitions of retaliation across the Services.
But I can tell you that is our biggest concern right now.
We thought we had a good path both for reporting and for
propensity, but to us retaliation is the area we still need to
get after.
Admiral Moran. I will just add, Senator, that all of us in
OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] have recognized that
the data on retaliation is not going in the right direction. We
have got a working group. We are defining, we are setting the
baseline definition for retaliation because there is a lot of
misunderstanding about it to many folks, and then throwing that
and adding it into our training, which is becoming more and
more effective, on destructive behaviors. We have put
retaliation into that construct as well. To Jim's point, we
have to do it at the local level. We have to train peer-to-
peer. We have to make sure we are talking to each other and
understanding the misperceptions that go along with this aspect
of sexual assault.
General Brilakis. Thanks for the question, Senator
Gillibrand.
Thanks to this subcommittee and the Congress for actually
bringing this to everybody's attention. There has been a lot of
realization into what is going on. The commands themselves have
taken action to publish policies to identify to make their
servicemembers understand what it is when we talk about
retaliation or reprisal. We are participating, along with the
other services, in the OSD working group to develop an overall
SAPR retaliation set of policies, understanding these
definitions, et cetera. In the Marine Corps, the IG [Inspector
General] and NCIS [Naval Criminal Investigation Station
Headquarters] primarily are the investigative arms in these
cases and advise commanders on the information and the
prosecutorial options that are available to commanders, as far
as this goes. It is a crime. It cannot be tolerated. We are all
taking steps to make this one of those things that is knowledge
in action or prevalent within the services.
General Grosso. Senator Gillibrand, the only thing I would
add to that is that we are educating all leaders that more than
one out of every two victims that come forward experience some
negative outcome that they perceive as negative. I think that
is very surprising when you start sharing that data. So you
have to be cognizant that whatever you are doing--we are not
doing enough so that these victims are getting the care they
need. So we have started doing that.
The other thing we have emphasized is the people that the
victim comes forward who they trust to be much more proactive
and ask how are you doing, can I help you, how is your
experience in the workplace going. So those people that are
primary caregivers and that are SARCs [Sexual Assault/Spouse
Abuse Resource Center] that do more in the case management--we
want them to be more engaged with the individual, knowing that
more than one out of every two has some negative experience, so
be a little bit more involved in soliciting their input and
addressing it at real time.
Senator Gillibrand. Just quickly a yes or no. Do you know
of any cases of retaliation being prosecuted in your service?
Just yes or no.
General McConville. I am not aware.
Admiral Moran. Yes.
General Brilakis. I do not at this time.
General Grosso. No.
Senator Gillibrand. Because I would like to follow up with
you on a case.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Senator Tillis?
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and my compliments to
the staff on cleaning up that spill. I thought they were going
to have to use a shop-vac. It was a big one.
Thank you all for being here.
A quick question on TRICARE. The legislative proposal for
2017 looks like it aims at keeping most of the beneficiaries in
the military hospitals and the clinics. Do you agree with that?
Do you think that that is the right strategy? Can you explain
to me why?
General McConville. Senator, I think, at least from a
military standpoint, we cannot outsource combat care, and so
that should be the number one priority. Having just returned
with the 101st Airborne in combat, we have the incredible
medical providers, and that is going to be the number one thing
to do. So we got to keep that capability within our medical
treatment facilities.
We also have an obligation to take care of our families and
our retirees. That is where we need to take a look at how to do
that best. There are some places, medical treatment facilities,
where we just do not have the work to keep them open. So we
have got to be innovative and maybe we bring them down to
clinics, but we still meet the needs. There are some cost
savings. We can get at those things while we are providing the
right care. But we got to think through how we do that. So some
places we can do it. Other places we cannot. But the overriding
principle for us is are we maintaining the readiness of the
military, do we have the right medical folks ready to go to
combat if we need to do that.
Admiral Moran. Yes, I completely agree with Jim's
assessment, Senator.
Senator Tillis. Thank you.
General Brilakis. I do as well, sir. Our medical treatment
facilities--we have invested huge amounts of money. We have got
great talent in there. They have to be kept up to speed. They
got to learn their job. We do that by ensuring a constant flow
of patients. But we cannot do that at the expense of our
families and our servicemembers. So we have got to make sure we
balance that with the things that are available to those
members that are outside the proximity of a medical treatment
facility. I think ultimately it is a very careful balance,
managing costs, availability, access, and also health care.
General Grosso. We would agree as well. Where there is
availability, we would for every beneficiary go to an MTF.
Senator Tillis. You know, one thing I would like for us to
do is look at as much collaboration as possible. I sit on the
Veterans Affairs Committee, and we are talking about--we
obviously have to invest for a certain amount of capacity. So
in some of our facilities, we may not be at capacity, but we
are prepared, in the event that we need to, to find some
efficient way to make those resources available. At times, you
have other instances where maybe you do not have the capacity.
But I think collaboration and collaboration with the private
sector and the communities you are embedded in--I would like to
see more of that, just get more leverage out of it.
I do not know if Senator Gillibrand brought this up, but I
am kind of curious. There is one thing that we talked about in
a full committee a week or so ago, and it has to do with
cutting the reimbursement rate for treatment for autism,
children with autism. It looks like we are cutting that really
below the national average. That could be at the expense of
providing treatment.
In your experiences, are these kinds of treatments things
that your military families are concerned with, and do you
share the view that maybe we should delay cutting the
reimbursement rate?
General McConville. Well, Senator, I know we have an
exceptional family member program, and a lot of our military
families look to that to take care of their children. I know
some very close to me that have children in that program. So
from a standpoint, I would have to look at the absolute case,
but I think we owe it to these families who are serving in the
military the care they need for their kids.
Senator Tillis. It seems to me there is nothing more we
could do to help our soldiers stay focused on their duties than
to make sure we are taking care of their families back home.
Admiral Moran, do you have a comment?
Admiral Moran. No, sir, not really other than I am sure
that any family--and I have got sailors working for me who have
autistic kids, that if they see the benefit to the treatment
that their children are getting being eroded through rate cuts,
they are concerned. I would have to look at what the exact
proposal is and balance that against all the other----
Senator Tillis. Well, I think the other thing to look at--I
want to ask another question. It is on a different subject. But
I think the thing to look at, increasingly a number of private
sector companies are providing these treatments. Other States
are mandating the care. It could ultimately become a threat to
people who would otherwise like to stay in the military where
the financial burden is such that they will go get a job where
the coverages are out there. It could ultimately represent a
loss of good people who would otherwise stick around if they
had the same alternative under TRICARE.
A completely different subject, and it has to do with
commissaries. Can you talk a little bit about what we can do?
You know, there is some discussion of privatization. We know
there are a lot of concerns expressed with that. Can you talk
about things that we can do that could potentially improve
efficiency and maintain costs? I think that is one of the key
drivers behind people's support of the current plan is because
they do not want to see the costs go up.
We will start in reverse order this time.
General Grosso. Well, we think there a couple things, and
actually I think these are policy issues that they are working
at the OSD level. But one of them is variable pricing so that
they have some flexibility depending on their location to
maximize the price competitive with their local area.
I think the second thing is local branding, so getting a
DeCA [Defense Commissary Agency] brand that has the potential
to save a significant amount of money.
Then I think the third thing would be to leverage the
efficiencies that the exchange services have got in the back
shop and learn from the exchange services to lean out the
business portion of the DeCA process.
Senator Tillis. Thank you.
General Brilakis. Senator Tillis, thank you very much.
I agree with everything that Gina just said. Variable
pricing, branding, et cetera, all those are limitations on what
they can do. We need to take a look at it as a business, and if
we are going to achieve efficiencies in the commissary program,
we need to look at it and execute it that way. One hundred
percent APF-funded [appropriated fund]. The real question is
how do we bring that down. Our exchanges at one point were that
way, and now they are all NAF-funded [nonappropriated fund],
although I do have some concerns about trying to have the
exchange services become combined with the commissary services.
DeCA needs to be brought into a more business-like footing
before we go to consideration about combining both exchange
services and commissary services because each of the services
do their exchanges a little bit different and the result and
the dollars that go to support our marines, soldiers, and
airmen and sailors reside and rest on our ability to run our
exchange services economically and successfully.
Senator Tillis. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Graham. Senator King?
Senator King. I want to move to another subject. All of you
at the beginning of your testimony spoke in terms of working on
drawing down, on reducing force and where you are in that
process. The other hearing that I am supposed to be at right
now--and I am going to have to leave shortly--is with Director
Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, who testified
before this committee that in his 50 years of Government
service, he has never seen a more complex, dangerous, and
growing threat environment than what we are facing today.
It worries me that we are doing these drawdowns based upon
decisions about budgets made in 2011 before ISIS [Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria], before Syria, before North Korea nuclear,
before the South China Sea, before the Ukraine, and we are
embarked on a policy direction that may not comport with the
reality that we face.
General, could you comment on that?
General McConville. Yes, I could, Senator.
As you know, the Army is on a drawdown ramp to 450,000
soldiers. That 450,000 soldiers--980,000 in the total force.
That was based on some conditions and assumptions that were
made around the 2011 to 2012 time frame. Those assumptions and
conditions are changing. We are sitting today at 482,000
soldiers, a little over a million in the force right now. I
think as we move forward, we need to take a look, if the
conditions have changed, what the type of things we want our
Army to do and how much risk we should take.
Senator King. One of the things that worries me is if
conditions do change--and in fact, they are changing before our
eyes--and you need to ramp back up, that is not a spigot you
can turn on. That is an 18-month--to stand up a brigade is, I
am told, 18 months to 2 years at the shortest. Is that correct?
General McConville. That is absolutely true.
Senator King. Other comments on the idea that maybe we have
got the aircraft carrier, Admiral, going in a certain direction
and we need to think about changing direction.
Admiral Moran. Yes, sir. Senator, thanks for the question.
You know, we have spent the last 2 or 3 years now trying to
reset our OPTEMPO [operational tempo] to something sustainable,
both for the equipment that we have and just as importantly for
the people. The crises you talk about--we always counsel our
sailors that as much as we are trying to drawdown our OPTEMPO
so it is more reasonable and sustainable and predictable for
sailors and their families, the world is getting a vote.
Senator King. But if the threats are going up----
Admiral Moran. That is what I mean.
Senator King.--and the people are going down, the OPTEMPO
is going to go up. I worry about burning people out. This
hearing is about personnel, and we are talking about
compensation and retirement. But the OPTEMPO is a big factor.
Is it not?
Admiral Moran. Absolutely.
Senator King. General, do you agree?
General Brilakis. Absolutely, Senator King.
In our reduction from 202,000 down to what was originally
186,800 marines, which was determined to be the optimal number
for the size of the force, the balance of the marine air ground
task force, the capabilities and the sustainment of rotational
deployments, the OPTEMPO and DEPTEMPO [deployment tempo], we
have since--because of the price sensitivity that we have, as I
testified earlier, about 7 cents out of every dime goes to pay
for our people. So when reductions pressures--sequestration
puts pressure on the top line, the only way that we can pay
that is a reduction in the end strength. So we have gone from
186,800, which is the ideal size, to 184,000, now down to
182,000 primarily due to budgetary pressures.
Even in that determination of the 186,800 marines as being
that balanced force, since that time, in the last 4 years,
these issues that you brought up, a rising Russia, South China
Sea concerns, additional forward presence, rotational
requirements, additional actions in the regional areas, has put
even further pressure on that. In the readiness component, our
ability to provide ready Forces today has been--we are under
pressure. We are already above what we believe to be the
sustainable number, the one to----
Senator King. Certainly we cannot avoid--or should we avoid
budgetary considerations? We all have to live within budgets.
The whole country does. But the driver should be the demands
and the threats.
General Brilakis. Absolutely, sir. I think we need to
balance the things we ask of our services to do and especially
in uncertain times like we have today.
Senator King. General, in your opening testimony, you said
something like this is the smallest Air Force we have had in--
--
General Grosso. Yes, Senator King. In fact, you will see in
our budget that is why we are growing end strength. So we are
through the drawdown. We are growing back up to 317,000, and we
absolutely believe we need more for the very reasons you cited.
Senator King. I am running out of time. I would like to ask
a question for the record, if you all could supply us. We made
some changes last year in the retirement program, and I am
interested in sort of mid-course discussion of how that is
working. Should there be some modifications to it? Is it
working in the way it should? I have heard a complaint that
lower-level enlisted people cannot make the payments or have
the financial education necessary to make the payments into the
401(k) that gets them to their 50 percent at the end. I would
just like your thoughts on how that looks now from the field.
[The information referred to follows:]
General Grosso. The new retirement system is scheduled to take
effect on January 1, 2018. The Air Force, in concert with the other
services and the Office of Secretary of Defense, is currently working
on several lines of effort in order to make sure we are ready to
execute on schedule and our Servicemembers receive the proper
education. First, in terms of policy, the Department of Defense is
drafting the implementation policy. Once published, it will be used to
ensure the Services all implement in the same manner.
The education of our airmen is a major focus area and will be an
ongoing process beginning later this year and continuing up to and
beyond the effective implementation date in 2018. In addition to pre-
implementation training, we are developing systematic, reoccurring
training throughout an airman's career. As examples, there will be a
series of courses beginning the latter part of CY2016 to address the
key target audiences for this change: leaders/supervisors,
servicemembers with less than 12 Years of Service, financial managers
or personal financial counselors and finally new accessions. An ``Opt-
in'' course will be targeted at the large group of airmen who will be
making the choice whether to opt into the new system or remain with the
current retirement plan. We are also developing a ``train the trainer''
for financial professionals, counselors and managers who will be
advising our airman as they make these critical decisions.
The decision on how much to contribute to the Thrift Saving Plan
will be different for every airman. As the education mechanism is
matured and each airman understands his or her choices, they will be
able to make the decision that is best for his or her situation. This
contribution decision is not static and will likely change based upon a
member's life events. To aid in an airmen's decision, a retirement
calculator will be created which airmen and their families can access
from work or home to facilitate the choices using their own pay data.
With regard to potential modifications, we continue to believe that
flexibility in execution of the Continuation Pay is a critical aspect
for the Services to be able to shape the force and maintain the right
retention level for each service. As well, TSP matching to the end of a
member's service recognizes the contributions and maintains the pool of
senior leaders (both officers and enlisted) needed to manage our force.
General McConville. The retirement changes go into effect in 2018,
and so far everything is on course for a successful implementation. The
Department of Defense did submit some modifications in the fiscal year
2017 Defense Omnibus. Of these, the most important is the flexibility
in the administration of continuation pay. The program so far is
working the way it should. We are revamping our financial education
plan in 2017 so that the lower-level enlisted force has all the
necessary financial education to make an informed decision about their
retirement selection. All personnel can contribute up to 5 percent of
their pay into their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) retirement account and
get a matching 5 percent added from the Government.
Admiral Moran. We are preparing to implement the Blended Retirement
System (BRS) on January 1, 2018. As we prepare, we believe that
additional flexibility to offer Continuation Pay (CP) earlier, or
later, than 12 years of service, as is currently specified in statute,
would be critical to its efficacy as a force management tool.
I am unaware of sailors expressing concerns over an inability to
make contributions into the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Anecdotally,
sailors appear appreciative of the flexibility and choice BRS will
offer, should they elect to opt in. We will provide financial literacy
training that gives sailors the information necessary to make the best
decisions for their individual situations, including training on the
advantages and risks of enrolling in TSP and the benefit of matching
Government contributions. This is important for the long-term financial
security of all our sailors, including those who serve only a single
term as well as those who remain for a career.
General Brilakis. The modernized retirement system is set to go
into effect 1 January 2018. It is too early to assess it. As we
approach the effective date, we will monitor the changes closely for
impacts to all marines, paying close attention to our young enlisted
population, and assess whether or not they are able to make sufficient
contributions to their Thrift Savings Plan.
The Marine Corps currently employs a financial education strategy
that provides all marines access to financial education topics timed
and targeted with corresponding life events like deployments,
promotions, reenlistments, marriage, and retirement. This strategy
ensures that Marines are aware of their compensation and benefits and
are prepared to make timely decisions necessary to ensure their
personal financial readiness. We are updating our financial education
and counseling curricula to give all Marines the information they need
so that they can make an informed decision about the modernized
retirement system and the Thrift Savings Plan.
Senator King. The other thing I would like for the record--
I had a conversation this morning with the Admiral, that 84
percent of his incoming recruits are from military families. My
question is, is that true of all of you, and is that
sustainable given the smaller size of the military? If that is
where our main recruiting pool is, we are going to have to
think, it seems to me, about broader recruiting.
[The information referred to follows:]
General Grosso. When we review the survey's completed by our new
airmen in the Air Force, approximately 52 percent state they have an
immediate family member (parent) who served in the military. At this
time we feel this number is sustainable with the size of the Air Force
and also a healthy number as it reflects we are actively recruiting
members who have no previous affiliation or family ties to the
military. We continue to expand recruiting efforts beyond traditional
recruiting pools and look to further advancements in the future
expanding our recruitment, seeking greater diversity and continuing to
attract talented youth into the United States Air Force.
General McConville. The Army does not have the ability or data
available to view prospects' family's military backgrounds. The Joint
Advertising Market Research and Studies (JAMRS) surveys provide
insights into recruiting, advertising and marketing trends. The JAMRS
Spring 2014 Department of Defense New Recruit Survey of approximately
8,000 Army recruits surveyed indicated: 26 percent had a father who
served in the military, (16 percent in the Army only); 6 percent had a
mother who served in the military, (4 percent in the Army only); 79
percent had a parent, step parent, grandparent, sibling, cousin &/or
aunt/uncle who served in the military, (59 percent in the Army only).
Admiral Moran. A recent Joint Advertising Market & Research Studies
(JAMRS) report reflects that 82 percent of Navy recruits have a family
member who served in the military. While we have always focused
recruiting efforts and resources across the population of the nation in
search of the highest-quality talent within the eligible market space,
a decline in the overall veteran population will create a tighter
recruiting market in the future. We also expect the recruiting
challenge to grow as the economy continues to improve and competition
for the best and brightest becomes increasingly keen.
General Brilakis. According to the Joint Advertising Market
Research and Studies, 77 percent of new Marine Corps Recruits indicated
that they have a family member who served; 22 percent indicated they
had a parent who served. My own personal story is that I have served
over 34 years in the Marine Corps. My father served two years in the
Air Force at the end of the Korean War and my brother served five years
in the Coast Guard. My wife served three years in the Army after she
graduated college, and my daughter is currently serving as a Navy
Corpsman in Sigonella, Sicily. While my family has a long history of
service to the Nation, only I chose to make military service a career
choice. I'm very proud of our collective service--especially as the son
and grandson of immigrants.
Senator King. So I am out of time, but I hope you could
give me some response to those for the record. Thank you very
much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Senator Wicker?
Senator Wicker. Well, thank you all for your service and
your testimony.
You know, Senator King's question about any changes that
might need to be made early, maybe not mid-course, but early
corrections that need to be made on this major change enacted
last year--I think that is worth talking about. So let me start
down here with Lieutenant General McConville. Has Senator King
uncovered something that is a concern that needs to be worked
out?
General McConville. Well, Senator, I think there is a
concern when I look at the new retirement program. It has great
value in the fact that about 85 percent of our soldiers will
get some type of retirement. What we worry about is our
noncommissioned officers. The way the retirement works is you
get 40 percent at 20 years. The way you make that up is by
going along and saving in the thrift savings program. So for
most folks, the way the math works out, if you max out your
savings and put it in there and do what you want to do and get
your continuation pay, you will probably be ahead at retirement
age if you do that.
But a lot of our young soldiers live paycheck to paycheck,
and if they cannot start saving early, they are going to have a
tough time staying with the force when they get to 20 to 25. We
have some great noncommissioned officers who are serving 30 to
32 years doing hard work, and we want to make sure that they
have a good retirement when they get to that level.
Senator Wicker. We will just go on down the line here.
Admiral Moran. Yes, sir. Senator, there are several
proposals that DOD has put forward that they would like to see
modified. The one that is most important to me is the ability
to force shape at the mid-career. So this continuation pay at
12 years is locked right now at 12 years. I believe in the
Navy, in particular with our growing high-tech skill
requirements and our lower skill requirements, we need
flexibility in that 12 years. Something from 8 to 14 might be
more appropriate. But I can get you more detail on what we
think would be best for the Navy. The other proposals are
interesting, but I think the most important to me and the Navy
is the ability to have flexibility in the 12-year continuation
pay proposal.
[The information referred to follows:]
As we prepare to implement the Blended Retirement System (BRS) on
January 1, 2018, the flexibility to offer Continuation Pay (CP)
earlier, or later, than 12 years of service, as is currently specified
in statute, would be critical to its efficacy as a force management
tool. We would prefer that the statute offer sufficient flexibility for
each Service to implement payment of CP as early as the 8-year point
and, perhaps, as late as the 14-year point, as the force management
needs of the individual Service dictate.
Having the flexibility to adjust the timing of when CP is paid will
provide an important tool for managing the required All-Volunteer Force
profile with the proper mix of personnel in specific enlisted ratings
and officer designators.
Senator Wicker. General Brilakis?
General Brilakis. Senator Wicker, thank you very much.
I agree with Admiral Moran and General McConville. You
know, we have not begun the retirement program. It begins the
beginning of calendar year 2018. So we are still not sure
exactly what we are going to get. We are not sure on the take
rate because our young enlisted marines and officers will have
the option of whether they opt into the TSP [Thrift Savings
Plan]. They will have that 20-year retirement at a lower rate,
but if you are going to come close to what the current 50
percent retirement at 20 years provides, you have to start
doing the savings. I think that goes to Jim's earlier comment
with respect to the NCOs.
On the continuation pay, we believe that we do need the
flexibility because if we are having retention issues earlier,
it would be one of those things that we can use to increase our
retention.
Senator Wicker. General Grasso, do you take serious issue
with anything that has been said, or should we move along to
another topic?
General Grosso. Continuation pay. We would like to see
matching up to 30 years of service, not stopping at 26 because
we have a significant portion of our senior NCOs that serve
that we need to stay in beyond 26 years.
Senator Wicker. Let us see. Admiral Moran, on page 18 of
your testimony, you talk about the drug abuse policy in the
Navy is zero tolerance, detection, deterrence, and prevention.
Then you also mentioned prescription drug abuse, wrongful
prescription drugs. You have increased detections there. We are
dealing with this issue right now on the floor of the Senate
with regard to the general population.
I will start with you and then ask if anybody else has any
thoughts about that. Do you have any suggestions for us as we
grapple with this issue society-wide that we might learn from
what you have learned specifically in the Navy, sir?
Admiral Moran. Senator, I really appreciate this question.
The difficulty with this problem is that it is moving all
the time. Prescription drugs or drugs that develop over time
are moving at a pace that it is not your traditional illicit
drugs that we are worried about so much, but it is some of the
other ones that come along.
On the prescription side, there are policies that we have
had that we continue to have to educate our workforce about,
that when an expiration of a prescription is complete, you are
not allowed to continue to use that once or even a year later.
I see these cases all the time. There is a misunderstanding,
but there is also maybe some character issues with some of the
folks. But most of it is just a lack of understanding on both
the command side and the policy for the young sailors. So we
are trying to educate our force better to make sure we can get
our arms around this.
Senator Wicker. You are working, obviously, with your
medical corps on that.
Admiral Moran. Absolutely. Yes, sir.
Senator Wicker. Anyone else want to jump in in the limited
time we have?
[No response.]
Senator Wicker. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Anything else?
Senator Wicker. Well, okay. Let me make one observation. I
notice, Admiral Moran, you talk about diversity. I am certainly
happy that you are involved in that. Religious diversity within
the services.
We have a concern, many of us, about basically tolerance
for it is okay to be a Christian in the service. We see some
evidence in some of the publications that come forward that
there has been an overreaction on the part of supervisors for
our military personnel simply displaying at their workplace an
indication that they are Christians and that they feel
seriously about that and making that statement from a personal
standpoint.
I will not ask you to respond, but I would just say I hope
that we do not bend over backwards so far in the name of
diversity that we start trampling on the First Amendment rights
of our servicemembers at whatever level to express their belief
in a certain religious doctrine and that we do not, in the name
of diversity, or some opposition to or some concern that we
might offend, that we do not overreact and start trampling on
the rights of Christian service people to express themselves,
just as we allow minority members to express themselves.
Thank you for indulging me on that, Mr. Chair.
Senator Graham. Senator Sullivan?
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to follow up on what Senator King was talking
about earlier, the end strength issues. In particular, General
McConville, if you do not mind, I want to focus a little bit on
the Army end strength.
So the QDR [Quadrennal Defense Review] put an Army end
strength at 450,000, and as you know, General Milley is taking
a hard look at that, given the significant national security
threats that we are seeing globally that certainly were not
really as nearly apparent as Senator King mentioned when that
number was initially put out there as a target.
In the last 2 weeks--just 2 weeks--before this committee,
we have had the PACOM [United States Pacific Command]
commander, EUCOM [United States Europe Command] commander,
CENTCOM [United States Central Command] commander, SOCOM
[United States Special Operations Command] commander, commander
of our Forces in Korea, AFRICOM [United States Africa Command]
commander, all expressing concerns even today, this morning,
three four-star Army generals at the pinnacle of their career
on the 450,000 number as representing too high a risk for the
country's national security. Do you agree with that assessment?
General McConville. I am very concerned about 450,000. I am
the Chief of Personnel, and I am supposed to man the force. I
am manning the force right now at 482,000.
Senator Sullivan. Are you stretched? Do you feel that you
are stretched at 482,000?
General McConville. At 482,000, we are able to meet
requirements but we are stretched.
Senator Sullivan. Do you see any of the threats and
requirements due to those threats lessening in the next 6
months or year or 2 years or maybe even increasing?
General McConville. Well, if I knew, I am not sure, but I
think we need to be ready for the threats to increase. That is
the buffer we provide. You know, I said to the committee I
commanded the 101st Airborne Division. I have been in this job
19 months now. The 101st Airborne Division has deployed twice.
It went to Liberia and they fought Ebola, and now they just
took over in Iraq. So that is the OPTEMPO that our soldiers are
seeing as we bring the force down. Again, we are at 482,000
right now.
Senator Sullivan. So what should we be doing? I believe
there is bipartisan support on this committee to relook at and
increase that number. Is that something this committee should
be looking at, increasing the 450,000?
General McConville. You have had a chance for General
Milley to give you his assessment. He is doing posture hearings
right now. I think the way ahead is for him to take a look at
what we have, what the future looks like, do assessment, see if
the conditions are going to change, then come back with a
recommendation through the Secretary of Defense for where we
should go on that.
Senator Sullivan. How important do you think it is? It is
one thing to have the Chief of Staff of the Army, other members
of the Army talking about this. We know that sometimes services
want to make sure there is significant Forces. But how
important do you think it is that literally every combatant
commander--every single combatant commander--regardless of
branch of service, has come before this committee saying
450,000 is going to be a too substantial risk to the Nation's
security? Do you think that bolsters the case that the 450,000
number is too low
General McConville. Well, I think as we know, the combatant
commanders are the ones who are going to execute the mission.
They are taking a look at their requirements, and they are
coming back and providing their best military advice, and that
best military advice will come in at the Secretary of Defense
level and they will decide how they want to best allocate the
resources that we have.
Senator Sullivan. Let me ask another question that relates.
I know there was a discussion of some of the issues surrounding
the Force of the Future, Mr. Carson's focus on this. This is
just a general question. Do you see sometimes that the
requirements from the Congress or sometimes the civilian
leadership sometimes forget about the focus on warfighting?
I am just mentioning that as someone who served in the
Reserves and on Active Duty for over 2 decades. It always seems
like there are new requirements that are coming from somewhere
for our Forces to undertake in terms of training. In my
experience, they rarely relate to the core focus of what we do
in the military. In the Marine Corps infantry, it is close with
and destroy the enemy.
Do you sometimes worry--and I am just asking all four of
you--that we get that balance out of kilter to the detriment of
our readiness and training, particularly if they are mandates
coming from Congress? Or do you think that right now the focus
on training and the military's core mission, which is to defend
the country, is still the priority that you are hearing from
this committee or other Members of Congress or other civilian
leaders?
General Brilakis. Sir, I think it is a concern for all of
us on a daily basis. I do not think there is any decision we
make or any action that we make that is not focused wholly on
readiness and implications on the force and how it affects us.
The Force of the Future in specific in our interactions with
OSD on the working groups and at the executive level--we have
asked for flexibility.
Senator Sullivan. Were you even consulted on a lot of those
initiatives as the uniformed military leaders?
General Brilakis. Sir, we participated in a set of working
groups at the colonel and general officer level during the
course of the Force of the Future development. We had the
opportunity to make our concerns known. I for one maintained
concerns in the cost, which is not readily apparent, whether it
is cost in terms of opportunity cost, whether is in terms of
cost of dollars, the amount of time that we have had to study
some of these recommendations, et cetera.
But I do believe that we will have the opportunity, having
submitted some implementation plans already on some of the
things the Secretary has already announced. The starting date
for some of these is in the future, and we will have the
opportunity to take a look at these and study them, to learn
the costs.
Most importantly I think to all of us was the flexibility
in the recommendations that the services, based on mission,
service culture, et cetera, had the ability to take a look at
what applied to us, what did not apply based upon what we have
done because, quite frankly, there are things that we do as a
Marine Corps that the Air Force does not do right now. The
Force of the Future wanted everybody to take a look at it.
So there are actions and activities. I do not know the
future costs. I do know the costs are out there, and I do know
in this fiscal environment, those costs may supplant some of
the other things that we are concerned about.
Senator Sullivan. Any other thoughts on that? Thanks,
General.
General Grosso. Sir, I would just add that it is always
about readiness today versus readiness tomorrow. So if you
think about it, the airmen and soldiers and sailors and marines
that we are bringing in today will be fighting more in 20 to 25
years. So the Force of the Future actually synchronized
relatively closely with the Human Capital Annex we wrote as
part of our new master strategic plan in 2015. So I do think it
is important--and General McConville mentioned this--that we
modernize some of our personnel practices. The Force of the
Future has helped us do some of that.
Senator Sullivan. But not at the expense of the serious
mission and training that is required by our military.
General McConville. Yes, sir. What I see is it is a zero
sum game. So we have got to be ready. We have got to be ready
to fight now. In fact, we are fighting now. So it is not a
question, you know, are we going to fight tomorrow. So we are
going to fight now or we are going to fight tomorrow.
But within the Force of the Future, there are some things
that are worth the cost, and I would argue the integrated
personnel and pay system, which is going to fundamentally
change the way we can manage the total force--for the first
time, we will have the total force, all three components, on
one system. We will be able to actually manage the talent
management of 1 million soldiers, and we will be able to meet
the auditability requirements of the Congress all with this
system. So when I look at that, that is something we absolutely
want to do as we go forward.
Admiral Moran. Senator, I agree with Jim--everybody here
really--in terms of the value of the Force of the Future is it
set tension in the system of trying to understand, on one hand,
what should be mandated. On the other hand, where we all kind
of camped out was give us discretionary authorities where we
needed to manage our Forces. We are all different. Some are
getting smaller. Some are getting bigger. We need different
authorities at different points in time. So mandates do not
necessarily help us.
Consider TERA, or the Temporary Early Retirement Authority.
Some of us have used it in the last 5 years. Others have not
seen the need. It is nice to have the discretionary authority
when you are trying to manage these Forces.
To your original question, though, on the burden of
training, I think we all enter that discussion and
consideration that at the end of the day, some of this training
is absolutely necessary so that Americans have confidence in
their military. There are issues that we all deal with every
day that we have to balance fiscally, but if we do not have the
confidence of the American people--and we have tremendous
confidence today. We want to keep it. So that training is
foremost in our mind. Much of it comes from Congress, and there
is a lot of it that we put on ourselves that we have gone back
and looked at to try to reduce that burden on the fleet so we
can get to your very good point about are we training to war-
fight. We have been challenged by that over the last 10 years.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Any other questions of the panel? Yes?
Senator Gillibrand. I am going to submit for the record a
line of questioning about combat integration that I would like
you to answer, and they are specific to each of the services.
Thank you.
Senator Sullivan. Mr. Chairman, I just had one other.
Each of you mentioned in your testimony--and I apologize if
we have already talked about this, but the initiatives that you
are taking particularly with regard to mental health care for
uniformed members transitioning out of the military. We are all
on this panel very concerned, as I know all of you are, on the
issue of suicide. Do you think that we are getting a handle on
that issue? Do you think that we are reducing the stigma that
relates to some of these mental health issues or issues that
are kind of related like PTSD and other issues that can lead to
suicide?
General McConville. Well, Senator, this is something that
is very important for the Army. We have really gone after this
problem. So we have done some studies. We had MIT
[Massachusetts Institute of Technology] do a study because the
key thing about behavioral health issues is, when I look at it,
people do not commit suicide. They die of suicide. People do
not commit heart disease. They die of heart disease. So what we
have to do is we have to make sure they get the care and they
get it early on. If there is a stigma attached to it, they are
not going to do it.
We just had a study done by MIT from 2003 to today.
Basically we have gone from 5 percent to 15 percent of our
soldiers are using behavioral health care. We are also seeing a
number of soldiers that have come into the Army with behavioral
health challenges. That has gone down.
The other thing that was really key for us was putting
embedded behavioral health down at the brigade level. So it is
near the point of need. You know, the stigma was before you had
to go find it. You had to get to it. You had to try to get an
appointment. By pushing it down to where our soldiers can get
it early, that is when we get the best results. So it is early
and it is near. That is what we want to do, and that is were we
are going to get the best results.
So we are starting to see some reductions. One suicide is
still too many, but we are starting to see some trends in the
right direction on that.
Admiral Moran. Senator, this is immensely important to all
of us. I think we are learning from each other as we go down
this path. I am very keenly interested in what the Marine Corps
is doing in their Marine Intercept program. They figured out
that a lot of young men and women who have ideations ultimately
do commit suicide. It has not always been well understood. We
are beginning to see the data now that says we have got to pay
a lot closer attention to those with ideations, in other words,
stay with them much longer through the process, and you may
have to stay with them forever to make sure that they feel like
they are part of the team and not alone and isolated. That
generally is where we are seeing the suicides occur in young
males primarily in our service.
General Brilakis. The issue of stigma, Senator--it is a
great question. It is about talking to marines early and
talking to them often. It is about discussing those elements
and letting them know that any issue that they may have that
comes up, we are dealing with youngsters whose maturity levels
are developing, and their coping mechanisms are not necessarily
fully developed. We put them in a hyper-pressurized
environment. You never want to drive anybody into the shadows.
You want to bring them out. Having that discussion, making them
understand what it is that we can do, all the resources that
are available, making them available in such a way that they
are wearing the same uniform that those individuals are, that
they are not wearing the same uniform, so depending upon who
they feel they can reach out to is important.
Admiral Moran mentioned the Marine Intercept program. One
of those things that we developed with feedback from the
marines, a program that once we identify an individual, whether
it is through an ideation, whether it is through just an
admission that things are rough, we put them into that program.
We offer them the opportunity to involve the Marine Intercept
program. They have the ability to opt out. About 80 percent of
them accept the Marine Intercept program. We have 1,500 marines
currently on it, and for those that are involved, they have
accepted it, we have not to date seen one individual die from
suicide. It is a grassroots effort, but it is a growing effort
and we continue to work those issues hard because a suicide is
a very complex problem, as you well know.
General Grosso. We have just seen our suicide rates go up
the last couple years, which is causing us great concern. We
have taken a pause in how we are addressing it, and we have
actually learned from our sister services on how we can get
better at this. So we are putting a lot of resources back into
understanding why is this happening and what can we do about
it. That is when we decided to, again, put these prevention
specialists at the installation level. We also need, we
believe, just like our sister services, to put more resources
down at the individual level on the installation to help
people--make it easier for them to get help basically.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Graham. Anything else?
[No response.]
Senator Graham. Thank you all for your testimony.
We have received testimony from these witnesses and others
on these important topics in advance of today's hearing. I move
that we include all written statements received by this
subcommittee for today's hearing on the record. Without
objection, so ordered.
Senator Graham. Thank you all very much.
The next panel, please.
[Pause.]
Senator Graham. Thank you to the second panel here. Now we
will go ahead and get started with Ms. Roth-Douquet.
Ms. Roth-Douquet. Douquet.
Senator Graham. Douquet. I am sorry. Thank you.
Ms. Roth-Douquet. Thank you. It is a difficult name.
Senator Graham. No, a nice name.
STATEMENT OF KATHY ROTH-DOUQUET, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BLUE
STAR FAMILIES
Ms. Roth-Douquet. Senator Graham, Senator Gillibrand, I
really appreciate you having us here today.
I am Kathy Roth-Douquet, and I am CEO of Blue Star
Families. Blue Star Families strengthens military families and
our Nation by connecting communities and fostering leadership.
It is the largest chapter-based military families serving
nonprofit in the U.S. We serve 1.5 million military family
members annually. We have 35 chapters at home and overseas. BSF
[Blue Star Families] bridges the gap between our military
family community and the general public. We have strong ties to
all branches of services, including Guard and Reserve,
transitioning veterans, wounded servicemembers and their
families.
We are nationally recognized for our annual Military Family
Lifestyle Survey. It is the largest of its kind, and it
provides both quantitative and qualitative data that reveals a
snapshot of the current military force and their families and
how they are experiencing service life. We conduct it annually.
We release it with the House and Senate Military Family
Caucuses, and it is used broadly by the White House, Congress,
DOD, State and local officials, other nonprofits and
foundations to help understand our current military family.
I appreciate that you are focusing particularly on health
here. We understand health for the military community to be
broadly stated. It is both immediate issues of health care and
those conditions that allow families to be healthy and
resilient.
Military families are central to the security of our
Nation. We are doing something unprecedented. This is the first
time in the history of civilization that such a small number of
free people voluntarily patrol the globe and keep it safe for
everyone. Those people have families and nobody should be made
to choose between serving their country and making sure that
their family is thriving. All of us care about our families,
and we will not do work that hurts our families.
Working to minimize the uncertainty and heightened
lifestyle requirements that are associated with military
service helps our Nation achieve current national priorities,
including stable defense personnel costs, improved recruitment,
retention and readiness, and a sustainable force.
So our research suggests that servicemembers? top concern
is for their family's well-being, and family well-being is the
top consideration for whether a servicemember stays or leaves
the force. While the military has adopted a number of reforms
to support military families in the past few years, there are
still many opportunities to do more.
Since our first Military Family Lifestyle Survey in 2009,
we have seen what it means for military family members to
serve, and we looked at that blueprint for what it takes to
strengthen America by supporting those families. Each year we
emphasize two or three key areas of focus, and today I will
focus on those areas that have been key for us in this 2015
survey.
Military caregivers. Thirty-two percent of the people
taking our survey identified themselves as caregivers, whether
they were serving for an aging parent, a child with special
needs, or a wounded military servicemember. I think importantly
many of those military family members who identified themselves
as caregivers to a wounded servicemember did not necessarily
have a wounded servicemember who identified themselves as
wounded or was seeking treatment that way. I think many times
the servicemember's spouse can identify symptoms of PTSD and
TBI. That becomes a path to serving them that is not something
that gets identified through formal identification from a
servicemember.
Caretaking is fulfilling but stressful. Seventy-five
percent of the caregivers in our survey had no warning that
they were going to become caregivers and therefore no training.
They find that lack of training to be difficult in terms of
allowing them to do their work.
Another challenge is the difficulty in finding alternative
caregivers to take over when they are unable to. More than half
found that they had a very difficult or somewhat difficult time
in finding respite.
Military-connected caregivers not only provide direct care,
including health care and health assistance, they do case
management. They provide psychological support, and they
provide legal and financial support. So they are very important
to the well-being of the wounded.
While care provided by military-connected caregivers
promotes faster recovery for wounded warriors and saves
millions of dollars in health care costs, most of those cost-
savings are absorbed by the caregiver's social, legal, and
economic costs. They are often unable to work, often have to
leave their work in order to provide that caregiving.
They themselves often experience health problems that come
from being a caregiver, both mental health and physical health.
Research indicates that the majority of caregivers report that
their own health worsens due to caregiving, and the problems
related to sleep, stress, pain, depression, and weight changes
are further concerns.
The problems associated with these consequences is that
military-connected caregivers often have little, if any, time
to prepare for becoming a caregiver and few widely and
comprehensive training programs to help them to prepare. These
are all issues that can be addressed and can be solved and can
make things stronger for us.
Military spouse employment is an area that we have
identified as a key concern for military families. The majority
of military families cannot field a two-income household as 75
percent of most American families do. That leads to the
economic insecurity that military families, including
servicemembers, identify as their top concern related to
military life. Although removed from warfighting, jobs for
military spouses do make our military stronger. Many companies
have created successful initiatives to hire veterans. We have
an opportunity to provide this same level of support for hiring
military spouses.
Forty percent of respondents in our survey this past year
identified military spouse unemployment as the top obstacle to
their family's financial security. Only 45 percent of Active
Duty military spouses were employed full- or part-time. Fifty-
eight percent would like to be.
Military lifestyle factors have the greatest impact on
spouses' ability and preference to work. They move frequently,
every 1, 2, and 3 years. They are often in remote locations.
They have heightened caregiver responsibilities. It is
important to note that military families with employed spouses
report greater financial security, greater mental health, and
most importantly for this committee, a higher satisfaction with
the military lifestyle.
Findings indicate that unemployment not only affects
financial security but it also affects the health of military
families. Sixty-eight percent of respondents who were not
employed experienced stress from their financial situations.
Fourty-five percent of unemployed military spouses reported
symptoms of depression, and 7 percent had thought seriously
about committing suicide. So we commend this issue for all of
us to pay attention.
To address these needs, we need to prioritize military
spouse employment and education initiatives. We can increase
coordinating efforts among public, private, and nonprofit
sectors to promote high-quality, portable work-from-home
positions for military spouses, and expand veteran and military
spouse hiring and training initiatives so that both veterans
and military spouses are included.
Finally, the frequent moves and geographic separation from
extended family members makes the need for child care
especially acute within military families. Thirty-five percent
in our last survey said that they did not have child care that
met their needs. That is an enormous number. It is a major
challenge for working spouses, those seeking work, and even
those not in the labor force due to aspects of the military
lifestyle like unpredictable work hours, frequent absences,
deployments, and the inability to equitably share in child care
responsibilities.
Finally, I would like to just touch on behavioral issues.
The unique demands of military service result in exceptional
issues and challenges for servicemembers and their families.
Top stressors for both Active Duty and their spouses included
employment and work stress, deployments, financial and
relocation issues. Fifty-two percent of military spouses say
that isolation from family and friends are a key stressor.
Mental health for Active Duty and veterans have been of
national concern. It is also an issue for our military spouses.
Services are available to Active Duty members and their
families, but 17 percent of respondents did not use a program
or benefit related to mental health care because they had
concern about confidentiality and treatment.
In addition, a major study by Eaton, et al. found that
military spouses have similar rates of mental health problems
to the soldiers themselves, and often display greater symptoms
of depression and anxiety following separation from their
spouses due to deployment. This study found that 12 percent of
military spouses screen positive for major depression, and 17
percent screen positive for generalized anxiety.
As mentioned previously, military spouse unemployment
raises stress levels for military spouses and their
servicemember.
We also found that mental health was a factor with
caregivers. Fourty-four percent of caregivers responded they
found caregiving somewhat stressful. Sixteen percent found it
extremely stressful.
Blue Star Families believes that military families are
assets to both our national defense and local communities. They
are central to the health and capability of the All-Volunteer
Force and are good neighbors who actively engage in making
their civilian communities great places to live.
Service members may be employed by their respective
services, but they work for all Americans. Thus, the
responsibility for supporting military families is certainly
the duty of the Department of Defense. However, a healthy
Nation also shares in this responsibility. We believe there are
many programs that would have no impact on the national budget
that would greatly affect military families and DOD by allowing
us to more actively partner. Nonprofit, private sector, and
Government can help address many of these concerns.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Roth-Douquet follows:]
Prepared Statement by Ms. Kathy Roth-Douquet
blue star families
Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand and other distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear
before you today.
I am Kathy Roth-Douquet and I am the CEO of Blue Star Families.
Blue Star Families (BSF) strengthens military families and our nation
by connecting communities and fostering leadership to millions of
people. As the largest chapter--based nonprofit organization in the US,
serving 1.5 million military family members annually, and with 35
chapters at home and overseas, BSF bridges the gap between our military
family community and the general public. With strong ties to all
branches of service, Active Duty, veterans, and their families, BSF is
nationally recognized for its annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey.
The largest of its kind, the survey provides both quantitative and
qualitative data that reveals a snapshot of the current state of the
servicemembers and their families. Conducted annually, the Military
Family Lifestyle Survey is used at all levels of Government to help
inform and educate those tasked with making policy decisions that
impact servicemembers and their families--who also serve.
the importance of healthy & resilient military communities
Military families are central to the security of our nation.
Including military families as a level of analysis in defense
considerations is not just the right thing to do--it's also the smart
thing. Put another way, prioritizing quality of life for servicemembers
and their families' benefits recruitment, retention, overall readiness,
and will be crucial to shaping successful future force planning
initiatives.
Working to minimize the uncertainty and heightened lifestyle
requirements that are associated with military service will also help
our nation to achieve many current national priorities including:
stable defense personnel costs; improved recruitment, retention and
readiness; and a sustainable All-Volunteer Force.
Research suggests that servicemembers' top concern is for their
family's well-being and family well-being is top consideration in
whether a service member stays or leaves the force. While the military
has adopted a number of reforms to support military families in the
past few years, there is still much more to be done.
key priorities for military families
Since 2009, Blue Star families has conducted the annual Military
Family Lifestyle Survey which provides a comprehensive understanding of
what it means to serve as a military family and is the blueprint for
strengthening America by supporting military families. Each year, we
emphasize two to three key areas of focus, based upon the current needs
identified in that year's survey.
Our key priorities for the coming year are based on areas of need
identified in our 2015 survey. We feel improvement in these areas also
has the greatest potential to reduce the trend of increasing
uncertainty with the military lifestyle that was a top trend in our
2015 survey.
The areas we will be focusing on are:
the caregiver population--whether that care is to wounded
warriors, military kids with special needs, an aging parent of an
Active Duty service member, or an Active Duty service member struggling
with depression or another mental health issue
unemployed or underemployed military spouses--military
spouse unemployment sits around 25 percent and is a top obstacle to the
financial security and successful retirement or transition planning for
military families
concerning rates of behavioral health issues among
military spouses, for example a recent study found that 12 percent of
military spouses screen positive for major depression and 17 percent
screened positive for generalized anxiety, much greater than the rates
in the general US population of around 6.7 percent and 3.1 percent
respectively
military caregivers
Our 2015 survey found that 32 percent of military family members
identified themselves as a caregiver. A caregiver can be someone caring
for an aging parent, a child with special needs, and/or a wounded
military service member. While we recognize that caregiving can be
fulfilling, it can be stressful, particularly if the caregiver lacks
formal training, as was the case for 75 percent of caregivers who
responded to our survey. Another challenge is difficulty finding an
alternate caregiver to take over when they are unable to take on their
caregiver duties --27 percent of caregivers found it very difficult and
another 27 percent found it somewhat difficult.
Military-connected caregivers perform a number of roles, including
health and health care assistance, case management, psychological
support, and legal/financial roles.
While care provided by military-connected caregivers promotes
faster recovery for wounded warriors and helps save millions of dollars
in health care costs, much of the cost-savings are absorbed by the
caregivers' social, legal, and economic costs, as well as costs
associated with the health problems that they report from being a
caregiver.
Research indicates that the majority of caregivers have reported
that their own health has worsened due to caregiving, with the problems
related to sleep, stress, pain, depression, and weight changes.
A big problem associated with these consequences is that military-
connected caregivers often have very little, if any, time to prepare to
become a caregiver AND few widely accessible and comprehensive training
programs exist to help them prepare.
military spouse employment
Many companies have created initiatives to hire veterans due to
raised awareness about the employment and mental health challenges
facing military personnel after their service. While we applaud these
efforts, many fail to address the military family as a whole, often
omitting military spouses, a major component of the military family.
Military spouse employment remains a top concern for Active Duty
military spouses. Forty percent of respondents to our 2015 annual
Military Family Lifestyle Survey identified military spouse employment
as a top obstacle to their family's financial security. Only 45 percent
of Active Duty military spouses responded that they were employed full
or part-time and of those who were not employed, 58 percent would like
to be.
Military lifestyle factors have greatest impact on military
spouses' ability and preference to work. Seventy-five percent of Active
Duty military spouses reported being a military spouse had a negative
impact on their ability to pursue a career. The top three factors
impacting military spouse employment included service member's job
demands, frequent moves, and family obligations.
It is important to note that military families with employed
spouses reported greater financial security, better mental health, and
higher satisfaction with the military lifestyle. Findings indicate that
unemployment not only affects the financial security of military
families, but their health as well. Sixty-eight percent of respondents
who were not employed experienced stress from their current personal
financial situation. Forty-five percent of unemployed military spouses
reported symptoms of depression and seven percent had thought seriously
about committing suicide.
To address these military spouse employment needs, we need to
prioritize military spouse employment and education initiatives.
Increase coordinated efforts among the public, private, and nonprofit
sectors to promote high-quality, portable or work-from-home positions
for military spouses and expand veteran hiring and training initiatives
to include military spouses.
Another solution would be to explore the possibility reducing
permanent changes of station for servicemembers and their families.
Many of the challenges associated with spouse employment would be
mitigated with less frequent moves.
Finally, the frequent moves and geographic separation from extended
family members also makes the need for childcare especially acute
within military families. Childcare is a major challenge for working
spouses, those seeking work, and even spouses not in the labor market
whose spouses, due to aspects of the military lifestyle like
unpredictable work hours, frequent absences, and deployments, are often
unable to equitably share in childcare responsibilities. Increasing
access to affordable, flexible, and high quality childcare will remain
a top challenge and presents a substantial opportunity to provide
additional military family support.
behavioral health issues
The unique demands of military service result in exceptional issues
and challenges for servicemembers and their families. The top stressors
for both Active Duty and their spouses included employment/work stress;
deployments, financial and relocation issues. In addition, 52 percent
of military spouses found isolation from family and friends to be a key
stressor.
Mental health of our Active military and veterans has been of
national concern. It is also an issue for our military spouses with
seven percent of Active Duty spouses indicating they had seriously
thought about committing suicide during their time associated with the
military. Though services are available to Active military and their
families, 17 percent of respondent did not use a program or benefit
because they had concerns about confidentiality of treatment.
In addition, Eaton, et al found that military spouses have similar
rates of mental health problems to the soldiers themselves and often
display greater symptoms of depression and anxiety following separation
from their spouse due to deployment Their study found that 12 percent
of military spouses screen positive for major depression and 17 percent
screened positive for generalized anxiety.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eaton, et al. Prevalence of Mental Health Problems, Treatment Need,
and Barriers to Care among Primary Care-Seeking Spouses of Military
Service Members Involved in Iraq and Afghanistan Deployments. Military
Medicine. 2008.
AEaton, et al. Prevalence of Mental Health Problems, Treatment
Need, and Barriers to Care among Primary Care-Seeking Spouses of
Military Service Members Involved in Iraq and Afghanistan Deployments.
Military Medicine. 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As mentioned previously, military spouse unemployment raises stress
levels for military spouses and their service member. We also found
that mental health was a factors with caregivers. Forty-four percent of
caregivers responded that they found caregiving somewhat stressful
while 16 percent found it extremely stressful.
conclusion
Blue Star Families believes that military families are assets to
both our national defense and local communities. They are central to
the health and capability of the All-Volunteer Force and are good
neighbors actively engaged in making their civilian communities great
places to live. Service members may be employed by their respective
services--but they work for all Americans. Thus the responsibility for
supporting military families is certainly a duty of the Department of
Defense; however, a healthy nation also shares in this responsibility.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Graham. Ms. Raezer?
STATEMENT OF JOYCE W. RAEZER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
MILITARY FAMILY ASSOCIATION
Ms. Raezer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Gillibrand, Senator Blumenthal. I appreciate the opportunity to
speak today on behalf of the National Military Family
Association and the military families we serve about the fiscal
year 2017 Defense Department budget proposals.
Our statement submitted for the record addresses many of
the issues covered by the budget proposals and others that we
wish had been covered. I will confine my remarks right now, in
the interest of time, to just two of those issues: pay and
TRICARE reform.
DOD officials like to highlight that their proposed 2017
pay raise of 1.6 percent is the largest basic pay raise in 4
years. But as you have noted, if this raise goes through, 2017
will mark the fourth year in a row military pay raises have
lagged behind the Employment Cost Index, the standard currently
in law.
In recent testimony before the House Military Construction
and VA [Veterans Affairs] Appropriations Subcommittee, the
military services senior enlisted advisors spoke of the damage
to morale that is being done by budget-driven compensation
cuts. These lower pay raises head the list of morale concerns
for the enlisted advisors. We are very happy to hear that you
also share their concerns.
Although its primary mission is to ensure medical providers
have the training and tools they need to keep our troops strong
when in harm's way, the military health system also has an
obligation to deliver high-quality care to military families,
retirees, and their families and survivors. Too often families
tell us DOD fails to meet this obligation.
We surveyed more than 6,100 military spouses in December
and January. Nearly 30 percent of those who use military
treatment facilities reported they rarely or never get an acute
care appointment within the 24-hour access standard.
Any discussion of TRICARE reform must start with how DOD
can fix the problems it knows exist regarding access, quality,
and patient satisfaction. Unfortunately, DOD provides few
details in its budget proposal on actual improvements to the
value of TRICARE or how it will enhance medical readiness.
Instead, it focuses first on how much military families should
pay for their health care. What is presented as a comprehensive
restructure is really just a repackaging of the current system
at a higher cost to many families and with no expansion of
networks or improved benefits. Continuing to recapture care in
military hospitals already failing to provide timely
appropriate access for current enrollees will neither improve
patient satisfaction nor comprehensively address readiness
needs. I look forward to the opportunity during the question
and answer to share some of our recommendations about things we
would like you to consider.
To echo Ms. Roth-Douquet's comment about behavioral health
needs, this is one area that the Department has not addressed
in their budget, that increasing demand for behavioral health
services. In that same survey of 6,100 military spouses, 40
percent reported that they had looked for behavioral health
care for themselves or someone in their family. The demand is
outstripping the supply.
So as you evaluate the Department's proposed budget, please
consider how it will meet the needs of military families and
add value to their quality of life and to the servicemembers'
quality of service. Does this budget make a servicemember more
ready to perform the mission? Does it make a mom feel that her
sick child's health is a priority? Does it ease uncertainty?
Does it ensure support will be available for a family during a
deployment? Does it support a spouse eager for a career? Bottom
line, does this budget keep our military families strong?
Thank you for your support of military families.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Raezer follows:]
Prepared Statement by Joyce W. Raezer
The National Military Family Association (NMFA) is the leading
nonprofit dedicated to serving the families who stand behind the
uniform. Since 1969, NMFA has worked to strengthen and protect millions
of families through its advocacy and programs. We provide spouse
scholarships, camps for military kids, and retreats for families
reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill,
or injured. NMFA serves the families of the currently serving, retired,
wounded or fallen members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force,
Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS [United States Public
Health Service] and NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration].
Association Volunteers in military communities worldwide provide a
direct link between military families and the Association staff in the
Nation's capital. These volunteers are our ``eyes and ears,'' bringing
shared local concerns to national attention.
The Association does not have or receive federal grants or
contracts.
Our website is: www.MilitaryFamily.org.
Joyce Wessel Raezer, Executive Director
Joyce became the Executive Director of the National Military Family
Association in 2007. In that position, she leads the Association's
programs and initiatives to meet the needs of the families of the seven
uniformed services and promote improvements in their quality of life.
She is frequently called on by Government officials, other
organizations, and the press to share her expertise on the issues
facing military families. She began her work with the Association in
1995 as a Volunteer in the Government Relations Department and
subsequently served in various staff positions, including Government
Relations Director.
Joyce has represented military families on several committees and
task Forces for offices and agencies of the Department of Defense (DOD)
and military services. Joyce has served on several committees of The
Military Coalition, an organization of 32 military-related
associations. She was co-chair of the Coalition's Personnel,
Compensation, and Commissaries Committee from 2000 to 2007. In 1999 and
2000, she served on a Congressionally-mandated Federal Advisory Panel
on DOD Health Care Quality Initiatives. From June 1999 to June 2001,
Joyce served on the first national Board of Directors for the Military
Child Education Coalition. In 2004, she authored a chapter on
``Transforming Support to Military Families and Communities'' in a book
published by the MIT Press, Filling the Ranks: Transforming the U.S.
Military Personnel System.
In 2006, Joyce received the Gettysburg College Distinguished Alumni
Award. She was the 1997 recipient of the Association's Margaret Vinson
Hallgren Award for her advocacy on behalf of military families. She
also received the ``Champion for Children'' award from the Military
Impacted Schools Association in 1998. In 2007, Military Spouse Magazine
listed her on its Who's Who of Military Spouses. In 2012, she was
honored as a Daily Point of Light by the Points of Light Foundation.
A Maryland native, Joyce earned a B.A. [Bachelor of Arts] in
History from Gettysburg College, and a M.A. [Master of Arts] in History
from the University of Virginia. The spouse of an Army retiree, she is
the mother of two adult children. She is a former teacher and served on
the Fort Knox Community Schools Board of Education from 1993 to 1995.
She was an active volunteer parent in her children's schools. She plays
hand bells and sings in her church choir, the Northern Virginia
Chorale, and the Ron Freeman Chorale.
executive summary
The United States military is the most capable fighting force in
the world. For more than a decade of war, servicemembers and their
families never failed to answer the call, steadfastly sacrificing in
order to protect our Nation. They made these sacrifices trusting that
our Government would provide them with resources to keep them ready.
Recent national fiscal challenges have left military families confused
and concerned about whether the programs, resources, and benefits
contributing to their strength, resilience, and readiness will remain
available to support them and be flexible enough to address emerging
needs. The Department of Defense (DOD) must provide the level of
programs and resources to meet this standard. Sequestration weakens its
ability to do so. Service members and their families have kept trust
with America through 15 years of war with multiple deployments and
separations. Unfortunately, that trust continues to be tested.
The Administration's fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget proposal will
undermine military family readiness in fundamental ways, by cutting
families' purchasing power and forcing them to bear more of their
health care costs. At the same time, looming cuts mandated by
sequestration threaten the programs and services they rely on for
support. The National Military Family Association (NMFA) makes the
recommendations in this statement in the name of supporting the
readiness of military families and maintaining the effectiveness of the
All-Volunteer Force. We ask the Nation to keep the trust with military
families and not balance budget shortfalls from the pockets of those
who serve.
We ask Congress:
As you evaluate the proposals submitted by DOD, consider the
cumulative impact on military families' purchasing power and financial
well-being, as well as the effects on the morale and readiness of the
All-Volunteer Force now and in the future.
Please:
Reject budget proposals that threaten military family
financial well-being as a way to save money for the Government.
Keep military pay commensurate with service and aligned
with private sector wages.
Reject the fiscal year 2017 DOD health care proposal. It
imposes higher fees without enhancing value to beneficiaries and puts
more pressure on the direct care system--a system that frequently fails
to fulfill the needs of its current users.
Preserve the savings military families receive by
shopping at the commissary and oppose any reform measures that would
reduce the value of the benefit.
We especially ask Congress to end sequestration, which places a
disproportionate burden on our Nation's military to reduce the deficit.
We also ask Congress to make improving and sustaining the programs
and resources necessary to keep military families ready a national
priority.
We ask Congress to:
Provide oversight to ensure DOD and the individual
Services are supporting families of all components by meeting the
standards for deployment support, reintegration, financial readiness,
and family health. Fund appropriately at all levels.
Expand paternity leave to 14 days and allow two weeks of
adoption leave to both parents in dual-service families.
Expand the opportunity for spouses to access transition
information including face-to-face training and on-line training.
Expand service member and family access to Military OneSource
counseling and other assistance to one year post-separation.
Facilitate easier paths to both licensure and employment
for military spouses and veterans who are in the mental health field
when they work with our servicemembers and their families. Include
military spouses who enter the mental health profession in federal
loan-forgiveness programs.
Ensure adequate funding for military child care programs,
including child care fee assistance programs. Improve access to
installation-based child care and increase availability of part-time
and hourly care.
Ensure appropriate and timely funding of Impact Aid
through the Department of Education (DoEd) and restore funds to the
Impact Aid federal properties program.
Continue to authorize DOD Impact Aid for schools
educating large numbers of military children and restore full funding
to Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools and the
DODEA Grant Program.
Bring the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) benefits on
par with State Medicaid waiver programs and extend ECHO eligibility for
one year following separation.
Ensure Family Advocacy programs are funded and resources
appropriately to help families heal and aid in the prevention of child
and domestic abuse.
Correct inequities in Survivor benefits by eliminating
the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset to the Survivor
Benefit Plan (SBP). Extend the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance
(SSIA) and ensure SBP annuities for reservists who die while performing
inactive duty training are calculated using the same criteria as for
members who die while on Active Duty.
Exempt Special Compensation for Assistance with
Activities of Daily Living (SCAADL) payments from income taxes and
maintain the program, particularly the outreach to wounded warrior
families.
After 15 years of war, we continue to see the impact of repeated
deployments and separations on our servicemembers and their families.
We appreciate Congress' recognition of the service and sacrifice of
these families. Your response through legislation to the ever-changing
need for support has resulted in programs and policies that have helped
sustain our families through these difficult times.
keeping the trust of military families
After more than a decade of war, servicemembers and their families
have heroically answered our nation's call to serve. Their sacrifice--
of life, limb, and family--is offered selflessly, trusting in the
steadfastness of our Government to provide for their readiness and the
needs of their families.
Many military families feel their sacrifices go unnoticed by a
civilian society preoccupied with domestic concerns such as the economy
and unemployment. Military families share those concerns. But they also
feel the Nation is forgetting the price they alone have paid in 15 long
years of war.
Trust in Government is essential to the long term viability of the
All-Volunteer Force. That trust is reinforced through the
predictability, efficiency, and fairness of compensation and benefits.
Since 2006, throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
Administration has proposed various benefit ``reforms,'' mostly in
health care, which would have increased the financial burden of those
who have served. The changes proposed in the fiscal year 2017 (FY17)
budget, coupled with the arbitrary reductions forced by sequestration,
undermine the trust military families have in the Government's
commitment to support the All-Volunteer Force over the long term. This
is a price the Nation cannot afford to pay.
Moreover, the Administration's proposals to cut pay increases,
eliminate commissary savings, and increase health care costs pose
significant risk to the financial well-being of military families.
Congress must resist these changes.
The Administration Budget Proposal: A Disaster for Military Family
Pocketbooks
The Administration's budget proposal has only added to the growing
sense of frustration in the military community. Military families are
financially savvy. They are doing the math and feel they are
shouldering the burden for balancing the budget when they've shouldered
the entire burden of the last 15 years of war.
pay raise
For the fourth year in a row, the Administration is proposing a pay
increase (1.6 percent) below the level of private sector wage
increases. Congress chose the Employment Cost Index (ECI) as the
standard for Active Duty pay raises in order to recruit and retain the
quality of servicemembers needed to sustain the All-Volunteer Force.
What's changed?
We ask Congress to keep military pay commensurate with service and
aligned with private sector wage increases.
military health system reform
We appreciate Congress has listened to beneficiary concerns
regarding the Military Health System (MHS) and are gratified you want
to make the MHS work better for all beneficiaries via military health
care reform. We hope the changes Congress enacts will truly make a
difference in military families' ability to access the right care, at
the right time, and in the right place. Our families deserve no less.
Given the widespread and clearly-stated interest in Congress for
MHS Reform this year, our Association had hoped the Department of
Defense (DOD) budget proposal would outline plans to improve
beneficiary access, quality, safety, and the patient experience in
addition to addressing fiscal sustainability and protecting the medical
readiness of the force. Instead, DOD has once again rebranded the same
old system, incorporated numerous fee increases, and deemed it new and
improved.
While we appreciate DOD's budget proposal has finally acknowledged
several areas of deficiency within the MHS, simply cataloging the
problems does not constitute institutional reform.
We are also concerned the new fee structure is designed to drive
more care into Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), but there are no
additional resources identified in the budget proposal to increase MTF
capacity, improve access, enhance quality, ensure provider and service
member medical readiness, or accurately measure DOD progress in meeting
these goals. We fear this scenario will exacerbate current access and
quality problems.
On behalf of the military families we serve, we urge you to reject
the fiscal year 2017 DOD health care proposal. It imposes higher fees
without enhancing value to beneficiaries and we believe it will put
more pressure on the direct care system_a system that frequently fails
to fulfill the needs of its current users.
Why MHS Reform is Essential
Although its primary mission is military medical readiness, the MHS
has an obligation to deliver a high quality health care benefit to
military families, retirees and their families, and survivors. In too
many instances, the MHS fails to fulfill this obligation.
In our testimony submitted for the record for this Subcommittee's
February 23, 2016 hearing on military health care reform, we outlined
our concerns the MHS would continue to nibble around the edges with the
idea of reform: raising fees, but failing to deliver meaningful
improvements to the system. \1\ DOD's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal
brings those fears to life by focusing on significant fee increases,
particularly for retirees, while doing nothing substantive to improve
health care delivery for military families.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ National Military Family Association Statement for the record,
Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, February
23, 2017: http://www.militaryfamily.org/assets/pdfs/testimony/sasc-
hearing-2-23-16.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The status quo is unacceptable. Raising out-of-pocket costs for
care that is too often substandard or simply inaccessible is
unthinkable.
As you consider our feedback on DOD's health care proposal, please
keep in mind the hurdles our military families regularly face when
trying to obtain necessary health care:
On January 6, 2016, I called for an appointment with my PCM for
a routine well-woman exam and to discuss throat pain that had
been plaguing me. No appointments were available for 30 days
with my provider, so they scheduled me for January 19 with
another provider.
On the day of my appointment, I waited 90 minutes past my
appointment time to see the doctor. It took 45 minutes for the
nurse to take my history and vitals because she was interrupted
no less than 12 times (I counted) by phone calls and leaving
the room to find someone to screen her next patient.
During my routine exam, the doctor found a lump and recommended
an early diagnostic mammogram. I called the next day and
scheduled my appointment for Tuesday, February 9, three weeks
away. On Feb 9, I had the mammogram, which confirmed the mass
and identified other areas of concern. I had an ultrasound that
day and was told by the radiologist that I would need a biopsy.
My referral for the biopsy was processed three days later on a
Thursday evening. Since Friday was a training holiday and
Monday was a federal holiday, I had to wait until Tuesday
morning to call for my appointment. The PCM had suggested the
biopsy should be done that week, but an appointment was not
available until the first week of March and results would take
another 5-10 days. I objected to this timeframe but, since the
appointment was technically within 30 days from the date of the
referral, it was considered acceptable--despite the fact that
the issue had been identified a month prior and results would
potentially take another two weeks. I requested a referral to a
facility off-post to have the procedure done sooner and they
declined to authorize that but offered me an appointment for
four days earlier. So, now I wait.
I consider myself aggressively informed and an outspoken
advocate. My PCM has sacrificed his personal time for my care,
calling me twice from the office after 8pm to discuss my
results and follow up referrals. Yet, here I am, at the mercy
of an over-worked and inefficient system. The care I need was
available this week in a local civilian facility, but won't be
authorized due to procedures and rules. Two months to identify
a potentially life threatening condition is too long, but it's
the best I have been able to do. (Military Spouse)
This story illustrates the maddening inconsistency within the
direct care system and the negative impact of TRICARE policy and MTF
interpretations of that policy. On the one hand, this spouse has a
dedicated medical provider and received immediate turnaround when her
mammogram indicated an ultrasound was needed. On the other hand, office
closures and inefficiencies created frustration and delay. Most
significantly, TRICARE referral policy and the goal of recapturing care
trumped the opinion of her medical provider and delayed her biopsy.
Military families need a reliable patient centered health care system
that consistently meets their needs.
In late 2015, our Association fielded a survey of 6,148 military
spouse scholarship applicants, a population that has consistently
matched the overall demographics of currently-serving families. Nearly
30 percent of respondents who use an MTF for primary care indicated
they rarely or never get an acute appointment within the 24-hour access
standard. This is consistent with findings from a health care survey
fielded by the Military Officer Association of America (MOAA) in
December 2015 in which 29 percent of Active Duty spouses reported they
rarely or never get an acute care appointment within access standards.
We ask Congress to consider the access, consistency of care, and
quality issues our families face across the entire MHS--direct care and
purchased care segments--when seeking care as you evaluate TRICARE
reform proposals. We would also invite anyone proposing reform to
detail how their proposals would correct the areas of concern addressed
by the Department's own Military Health System Review conducted in
2014. \2\ How does the fiscal year 2017 budget proposal address the
challenge areas identified in the MHS Review? How will this proposal
drive progress in meeting the action items identified by then-Secretary
of Defense Chuck Hagel in his October 1, 2014 memorandum?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Secretary of Defense Military Health System Review Final
Report: http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Access-Cost-
Quality-and-Safety/MHS-Review
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We appreciate Congress has made TRICARE Reform a priority and trust
reform efforts will focus on ensuring both the benefit and the system
charged with delivering the benefit work better for military families.
TRICARE Select/Choice: Nothing More than Rebranded TRICARE Prime/
Standard
At a time when there is widespread agreement the MHS must be
reformed to better meet beneficiary needs, DOD has proposed nothing
more than a rebranding of TRICARE Prime and Standard. The new TRICARE
Select and TRICARE Choice options do nothing to improve the MHS for
beneficiaries.
In the budget overview, DOD contends TRICARE Select/Choice offers
greater choice at a modestly higher cost. Building on that, in a
February 21, 2016 DefenseNews interview \3\, Dr. Jonathan Woodson,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, stated:
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\3\ DefenseNews interview with Vago Muradian, 2/21/16: http://
www.defensenews.com/videos/defense-news/tv/2016/02/21/80700472/
``In revising the plan, we listened to the beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries want more choice. The preferred provider plan
actually gives them the choice. They can go see the physicians
they want when they want and it gives them much more latitude
in self-managing their care. We also heard from beneficiaries
that some wanted to be in this HMO-like managed care product.
So that's what we did. We simplified all the varieties of
programs we had into two. One, a preferred provider product
which gives you self-managed abilities and great choice and the
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other is a managed care choice.''
Although DOD and Dr. Woodson assert the new proposal provides
beneficiaries with more choice, we fail to see how this is the case.
Beneficiaries currently have a self-managed option called TRICARE
Standard, which contains a PPO option called TRICARE Extra. Renaming
TRICARE Standard as TRICARE Choice does nothing to increase options for
beneficiaries.
DOD's references to TRICARE Choice as a modern Preferred Provider
Option (PPO) led us to hope expanded network coverage might be part of
the proposal. However, when asked about expanded networks to ensure all
beneficiaries have access to the PPO option, DOD stated networks will
cover 85 percent of the population similar to current network
coverage--yet again, no additional value to beneficiaries. Therefore,
TRICARE Choice maintains the current options available under TRICARE
Extra and TRICARE Standard. The only difference? Patients using a
network provider under the PPO option of TRICARE Choice will pay a
fixed co-payment instead of a reduced cost-share. Many patients will
still have no option other than non-network providers, but will pay
more for the privilege of using them because of the proposed
``participation fee'' for TRICARE Choice and the higher deductibles and
catastrophic cap.
Our Association is concerned that even though the proposed plan
outlines no discernible benefit to military families in terms of access
to care or quality, it will result in implementation costs to DOD. In
fact, DOD estimates Managed Care Support Contractor contract changes
and other start-up costs will be $57 million in fiscal year 2017.
Acknowledging Problems 0 Fixing Problems
We appreciate that DOD has reached out to beneficiary organizations
and listened to our concerns, as evidenced by Dr. Woodson's numerous
public statements and are gratified the fiscal year 2017 budget
acknowledges the Department must commit to institutional health care
reform and implement targeted solutions to solve the variety of issues
facing beneficiaries. Unfortunately, the budget proposal does little
more than list some MHS problem areas including:
Direct Care access problems
Lack of first call resolution
Cumbersome referral process resulting in administrative
burdens and delayed access to care
Lack of seamless mobility for beneficiaries who move
around the globe
Failure to properly address pediatric care issues
The proposal does not even acknowledge several additional areas
where the MHS fails to meet beneficiary needs, including:
Problems with Reserve Component coverage
Failure to consistently issue referrals to TRICARE
network providers when access standards cannot be met within the direct
system
Demand for behavioral health care that continues to
outstrip supply in both direct and purchased care
Variable quality and safety within the direct care system
Inadequate medical case management services and Extended
Care Health Option (ECHO) benefits for special needs families
TRICARE coverage gaps, such as refusal to cover numerous
lab developed tests, including noninvasive prenatal testing
Customer service issues
Inconsistent policy implementation at the MTF level
We believe MHS Reform demands credible and detailed plans to
address deficiencies within the system. These plans must be accompanied
by robust and reliable metrics to monitor progress.
New Fees and Fee Increases: The Primary Element of DOD Health Care
``Reform''
We appreciate some elements of DOD's proposal adhere to key
principles of military health care, including:
Zero out-of-pocket costs for Active Duty Service Members
(ADSMs)--nothing changes for ADSMs with DOD's proposal
Minimal out-of-pocket cost option for Active Duty Family
Members (ADFMs)
Minimal out-of-pocket cost option for medically retired
and their families and survivors--they are treated the same as ADFMs
We also appreciate DOD has removed the ER misuse fee included in
the fiscal year 2016 proposal. Given acute care appointment shortages
at some MTFs, together with inconsistently applied referral policies
for civilian urgent care, many TRICARE Prime families face situations
where the ER is their only option for care. It would be inappropriate
to penalize military families for seeking care in the ER given direct
care access challenges.
Active Duty Families_Fee Increase Specifics
Given the extraordinary risks, sacrifices and stressors associated
with military service, it is critical any MHS Reform efforts maintain a
minimal out-of-pocket cost option for Active Duty families. No/low out-
of-pocket costs facilitate access to health care and contribute to
overall family readiness. They also serve to recognize the value of
military service.
We are gratified DOD's proposal offers a minimal out-of-pocket cost
option for all Active Duty families. Past proposals have imposed out-
of-pocket costs on families without access to an MTF. We appreciate DOD
listened to our feedback and will allow remotely located Active Duty
families to self-manage their care without incurring copays or
deductibles.
While we are pleased TRICARE Select maintains a no/low cost option
for Active Duty families, we do have some concerns regarding fee
changes for ADFMs.
TRICARE Select vs. TRICARE Prime_Out-of-Network Care:
With TRICARE Prime, families who must use out-of-network care do not
incur out-of-pocket costs if they follow Prime's referral and
authorization process. With TRICARE Select, there are deductibles and
cost shares associated with all out-of-network care. TRICARE Prime
families who rely on out-of-network providers could see significant
out-of-pocket costs with the new plan. We fear these costs will
disproportionately affect special needs families.
TRICARE Choice vs. TRICARE Standard: Utilization data for
TRICARE Standard, the current TRICARE Choice equivalent, suggest Active
Duty family members who opt to self-manage use significantly more
health care than the average Prime enrolled ADFM. \4\ This is
consistent with anecdotal evidence suggesting that within the ADFM
population, special needs families and those dealing with chronic
health conditions are the most likely to opt for TRICARE Standard. They
are willing to incur out-of-pocket costs to avoid barriers to care
prevalent in TRICARE Prime policy and the direct care system. How will
the TRICARE Choice fee structure impact TRICARE Standard ADFMs?
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\4\ Evaluation of the TRICARE Program fiscal year 2015.http://
www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Access-Cost-Quality-and-Safety/
Health-Care-Program-Evaluation/Annual-Evaluation-of-the-TRICARE-Program
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- Network deductible is eliminated to encourage use of network
versus non-network providers. For families with moderate utilization,
this change will likely lower total out-of-pocket costs. However, for
special needs families with high utilization, eliminating the
deductible only serves to spread costs out over a longer time period.
We support eliminating the network deductible, but it is important to
recognize it will provide minimal benefit for many TRICARE Choice
families.
- Out-of-network deductible is doubled. This will increase
and/or accelerate out-of-pocket costs for those families who must rely
on out-of-network care--most likely special needs families and those
seeking behavioral health care (a known TRICARE network inadequacy
issue.) Given that use of non-network providers is largely driven by
inadequate network coverage, we believe it is inappropriate to double
the out-of-network deductible.
- Catastrophic cap is increased by 50 percent. The
catastrophic cap is designed to protect families from financial
hardship. Many families already incur out-of-pocket costs in excess of
the catastrophic cap since the cap does not apply to any amount non-
participating providers may charge above the TRICARE maximum allowable
amount. Additionally, we know many families make the switch to TRICARE
Standard after encountering difficulties with the direct care system or
the referral/authorization process. We fear raising the catastrophic
cap 50 percent will trap some military families in an underperforming
direct care system by presenting a financial barrier to switching to
TRICARE Standard/Choice. This will disproportionately impact special
needs families, those with chronic conditions, and families seeking
ongoing behavioral health care.
Retirees and Families_Fee Increase Specifics
Career military service can present significant obstacles to long-
term financial stability, including compromised spouse employment, the
inability to grow equity in a primary residence, and the unavoidable
midlife career change upon military retirement. Military retirement
benefits, including low cost health care, enable career military
members to serve 20+ years and achieve long-term financial stability in
spite of those challenges. Robust retirement benefits also serve to
recognize the extraordinary sacrifices associated with a military
career. While we have always been willing to entertain modest fee
increases for working-age retiree health care, we also believe fees
must be contained to preserve the value of the retirement benefit.
Under the fiscal year 2017 DOD proposal, retirees face fee
increases in almost every area. TRICARE Prime/Select participation fees
would be increased and the plan again proposes a new participation fee
for TRICARE Standard/Choice beneficiaries. The annual catastrophic cap
for retiree families would be increased to $4,000. Furthermore,
participation fees would no longer accrue to the catastrophic cap,
increasing potential total out-of-pocket costs. Of course, retiree
families would also be subject to the doubled out-of-network
deductible.
TRICARE Standard/Choice families are hit particularly hard. TRICARE
Standard Retiree families who hit the catastrophic cap (primarily
special needs families and those facing chronic conditions, including
behavioral health challenges) face a 63 percent increase in potential
out-of-pocket costs due to the new participation fee and higher
catastrophic cap. These fee increases are particularly objectionable as
they are not accompanied by any improvement in the Standard/Choice
option, not even an acknowledgement of areas needing such improvement.
Another element resurrected in the fiscal year 2017 budget is an
annual open enrollment period with payment of the participation fee.
Retirees who fail to enroll during this time will forfeit coverage for
the year, unless they can show they are eligible for enrollment due to
a qualifying life event. While we understand DOD's rationale for
seeking clarity on how many beneficiaries will use their TRICARE
benefit in a given year, we believe existing historical data and trend
analysis can provide this information without the cost of implementing
an enrollment fee process that restricts access to the earned health
care benefit. We oppose the institution of beneficiary fees for the
Standard/Choice option while beneficiaries are still waiting for DOD to
make needed improvements.
Our Association also continues to oppose instituting a DOD TRICARE
for Life participation fee. Our Medicare-eligible beneficiaries--
retirees, some severely wounded medically-retired service-members, and
surviving spouses--already pay a high price just to maintain their
TRICARE benefit, at least $104.90 per month in Medicare Part B
premiums. DOD should not impose additional costs on this population.
NMFA Perspective on Fiscal Year 2017 Fee Increases
Our Association rejects the notion military health care reform
starts with the question: ``How much should military families pay for
their health care?'' We believe the starting point for reform is a
demonstrated ability to better meet beneficiary needs, together with a
plan for continuous improvement and modernization of the health care
benefit. Discussions about the appropriate level of out-of-pocket costs
should follow, and those discussions should always be grounded in the
principles of low/no cost health care for Active Duty families and
retiree costs that reflect the extraordinary sacrifices associated with
career military service and preserve the value of the retirement
package.
We contend the fiscal year 2017 proposed out-of-pocket cost
increases are too high given DOD's health care proposal provides no
corresponding increase in value for military families. What is the
value equation for military families? We believe value equals access to
timely and appropriate care + the quality of that care + the overall
patient experience divided by the cost of that care. The budget
proposal, by focusing primarily on the cost of care to the beneficiary
fails to address known MHS problems such as access, quality, and the
direct care patient experience. It does not even acknowledge TRICARE
coverage issues such as the failure to cover emerging treatments and
technologies or lack of coverage for alternative therapies (such as
chiropractic.) It also does not acknowledge the costs incurred by many
families, whether monetary or borne from the frustration experienced
when trying to access quality care in an environment with inconsistent
rules and procedures.
Our Association also believes out-of-pocket fee increases must be
used only to sustain or improve the health care benefit. We will not
support fee increases that fund other DOD initiatives such as lump sum
retirement payouts.
Our Association is willing to consider modest out-of-pocket cost
increases only if they correspond to enhanced value for beneficiaries
and are used only to sustain or improve the military health care
benefit.
National Health Expenditures Index
Over and above the cost increases specific to fiscal year 2017, the
DOD proposal would inflate out-of-pocket costs annually by the National
Health Expenditures (NHE) Per Capita Index. Although the only mention
of the NHE Index occurs in the participation fee section of the fiscal
year 2017 budget, senior Defense officials have clarified the Index
would apply to all out-of-pocket costs including copays, deductibles,
and catastrophic caps.
For 2014-24, per capita health spending is projected to grow at an
average rate of 4.9 percent. \5\ This far outstrips recent military
retirement cost of living allowances (COLA) and MHS pending growth,
which has leveled off in recent years. An index this high would reduce
the overall value of the military retirement benefit as health care
costs would outpace COLA. It also shifts the cost burden of the health
care benefit from DOD to beneficiaries over time.
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\5\ NHE Fact Sheet: https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-
and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nhe-
fact-sheet.html
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Recognizing the fiscal environment meant some fee increases were
inevitable, we did not oppose recent TRICARE pharmacy fee hikes. We now
have a pharmacy benefit with copays that mirror those of many
commercial plans. Our Association is concerned the DOD proposal sets us
on a path to an overall health benefit, particularly for retirees, that
is not sufficiently differentiated from civilian plans in terms of
costs. That outcome is unacceptable.
It is unrealistic to think military health care out-of-pocket costs
will never change. We acknowledge it is preferable to increase some
beneficiary fees slowly over time versus sporadically implementing
larger increases, the rationale for which is not transparent to the
beneficiary. Not only would a fee index be more predictable, but it
would set clear beneficiary expectations for out-of-pocket costs. An
ambiguously defined health care benefit, together with careless verbal
promises, has led to feelings of disappointment and betrayal,
particularly among military retirees. A clearly defined health care
benefit is vital for the future of the All-Volunteer Force. Career
military service must not become a buyer beware proposition.
That said, we believe the NHE Per Capita Index--far higher than
recent COLA or MHS spending growth rates--is too steep and will result
in a health benefit with reduced value that does not adequately protect
military families from health care related financial risk. Any
mechanism for indexing fees must be designed to ensure out-of-pocket
costs remain significantly lower than civilian plans. An index designed
to shift the health care cost burden from DOD to retirees, such as the
proposed NHE index, is unacceptable.
Concerns Regarding Fiscal Year 2017 Health Care Recapture Strategy
Changes in the TRICARE fee structure are designed to drive more
patient care into the direct system. While we appreciate the need to
better leverage the MHS's fixed facility and military medical personnel
investments, we are concerned increased demand will exacerbate MTF
appointment access problems.
In Congressional testimony, Dr. Woodson has stated the fiscal year
2017 proposal includes zero additional direct care resources to address
increased demand for MTF services. Instead, DOD plans to handle the
extra patient load by extracting efficiencies from the existing system
via extended MTF hours on evenings and weekends and expanded use of
technology including secure messaging, telehealth, and the Nurse Advice
Line. We believe this plan is unrealistic and inadequate for addressing
increased demand and believe all of these ``efficiencies'' will
actually take resources to implement. We have the following concerns:
Secure Messaging and the Nurse Advice Line (NAL) are
already in place and do not appear to have had much impact on
beneficiary appointment access challenges. In fact, DOD has failed to
address known billing problems related to NAL authorized urgent care,
leading to growing distrust of the NAL within the military family
community. DOD must provide specifics on how they will better leverage
these technologies to free up additional capacity within the direct
care system. Simply hoping or planning that increased Secure Messaging
and NAL use will lead to greater efficiencies is not an acceptable
solution to the inevitable influx of MTF patients under the fiscal year
2017 proposal.
While we are optimistic about the possibilities
surrounding telehealth, we are skeptical DOD will have a comprehensive
telehealth platform up and running by the projected TRICARE Choice/
Select launch date of January 2018. We are even more skeptical that a
newly introduced telehealth system will immediately be able to absorb
enough clinical care to address the increased demand resulting from
DOD's proposed TRICARE Select/Choice fee structure.
Readiness requirements limit the availability of
military medical personnel for beneficiary health care delivery. We are
not convinced DOD has a full understanding of MTF capacity for
beneficiary care given the readiness requirements demanded of military
medical staff. Our concern is increased beneficiary demand will lead to
either greater access problems or compromised military medical
readiness.
Not only has DOD proposed an unrealistic and inadequate plan to
address increased demand posed by the fiscal year 2017 proposal, we are
not convinced DOD has the ability to measure MTF capacity for
beneficiary care, demand for MTF services, or MTF performance against
appointment access standards. In a recent meeting with leadership from
DHA and the Services' medical commands, it became clear DOD continues
to use the same flawed measure to evaluate beneficiary access to acute
appointments that was discredited during the 2014 MHS Review. This
misleading measure reports the percent of acute appointments scheduled
within access standards but does not track suppressed demand or those
beneficiaries who are directed to the NAL, civilian urgent care, or the
ER. To successfully transition significantly more care into the MTFs,
it will be vital to quantify additional demand and pinpoint areas where
beneficiary needs are not being met so adjustments can be made. Without
proper metrics, it will be impossible to monitor progress against MHS
Reform goals for improving access, quality, safety, and the patient
experience.
Health Care Final Thoughts
Our Association urges you to reject not only the specifics
contained in the fiscal year 2017 budget proposal, but also DOD's
approach to MHS Reform. We strongly believe MHS Reform starts with
tangible improvements to access, quality, safety, and the patient
experience. We realize costs will also be a key component of reform and
trust you will ensure they reflect the value of military service.
The military is a uniquely demanding profession. The combination of
risk to personal safety, frequent geographic relocations, and lengthy
family separations is unmatched in the civilian sector. While no
financial compensation can fully offset the sacrifices made by
servicemembers and their families, it is imperative the compensation
and benefits package--including Active Duty and retiree military health
care benefits--reflect the costs of service.
We appreciate that recent MHS Reform proposals, including DOD's
fiscal year 2017 budget and the Military Compensation and Retirement
Modernization Commission (MCRMC) proposal, adhere to the principle of
no/low cost care for Active Duty family members. A robust health care
benefit alleviates barriers to health care, enhances family readiness,
and allows families to endure the many sacrifices associated with
military life. We hope as Congress considers reforms you will maintain
this aspect of the system--it is working and it is essential.
As you deliberate on the appropriate fee levels for working-age
retirees, we encourage you to consider the cumulative effects of a
military career. Under the best of circumstances, career servicemembers
and their families endure risk, upheaval and sacrifice on a scale that
is unimaginable to many civilians. Those currently approaching
retirement eligibility have served the greater part of their careers
during wartime--a time characterized by relentlessly high operational
tempo, multiple combat deployments, and tumultuous unpredictability.
For nearly 15 years, our servicemembers and their families have done
everything that was asked of them, often at great expense to their
family relationships and stability and physical and mental health. It's
not over yet. Young servicemembers currently contemplating their
futures do so with the understanding global threats persist and
extraordinary wartime sacrifices and uncertainty will be part and
parcel of a military career for the foreseeable future. For those who
endure for 20+ years, we contend the appropriate out-of-pocket costs
for retiree health care not just be billed as ``a discount off the
comparable civilian equivalent.''
commissary
Military families consistently tell us the commissary is one of
their most valued benefits. The savings military families realize by
shopping at the commissary is a vital non-pay benefit essential to many
families' financial well-being, particularly junior families, and those
stationed overseas or in remote locations. Our Association is grateful
Congress recognized the importance of this benefit to military families
and rejected funding cuts included in the Administration's fiscal year
2016 budget proposal.
In December 2015, DOD released a fact sheet outlining plans to
``optimize'' commissary operations. We were pleased to see in this fact
sheet both an acknowledgement of the importance of the commissary
benefit and a commitment to preserving the value of the benefit for
military families. However, we have concerns about how the Department's
plans will be put into practice and how military families will be
affected by efforts to optimize commissary operations. This is
especially true in light of the Administration's fiscal year 2017
budget, which proposes a $200 million reduction in commissary
appropriations. We would like information about how DOD intends to make
those cuts and what impact, if any, the cuts will have on store
operations.
Specifically, we ask Congress to require DOD to provide answers to
the following questions:
How does the Department intend to measure the benefits
of the commissary system as currently constructed, and what metrics
will it use to ensure any changes do not lead to a reduction in those
benefits?
How will the Department implement price flexibility
while ensuring families continue to receive the full value of the
commissary benefit?
The fiscal year 2016 NDAA authorized DOD to establish pilot
programs that would evaluate the feasibility of various changes to
commissary operations, including privatizing part or all of the system.
We thank Congress for its emphasis on preserving savings for military
families in this provision. However, we note the military resale system
is highly interdependent; changes to one element of the system may have
unintended consequences that will affect other parts. For example, if
one or more high volume store is privatized will the Defense Commissary
Agency (DeCA) still benefit from economies of scale that allow vendors
to sell goods at low cost? What would removing those high volume stores
from the system mean for smaller stores or those in remote locations?
We urge Congress to carefully consider the effect any change in
commissary operations will have on military families--particularly, the
risk the savings they enjoy by shopping at the commissary will be
reduced or lost.
military retirement system
We appreciate Congress' efforts in the fiscal year 2016 NDAA to
create a military retirement system that will allow more servicemembers
to accumulate retirement savings while preserving the defined benefit
for those who serve a full career. We also support those proposals in
the fiscal year 2017 budget that would enhance the retirement plan and
increase its value for servicemembers.
We ask Congress to increase the maximum level of matched
contributions to servicemembers' Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts to
5 percent--the level recommended by the MCRMC. Because the match is
based on servicemembers' basic pay, rather than total compensation,
servicemembers should have the option of a higher match in order to
maximize their retirement savings. We also ask Congress to extend the
Government match for the full career of the service member, rather than
ending it at 26 years of service.
We oppose the Department's proposal to delay matching contributions
until the service member has completed four years of service. In order
for servicemembers to maximize the value of the new plan, they must be
incentivized to begin saving early in their career. Without the
incentive of a Government match, some servicemembers may delay their
retirement savings, leading to a greatly diminished benefit in the long
term.
Finally, we note on January 1, 2018 servicemembers with less than
12 years of service will be given the choice of opting in to the new
retirement system or staying in the old one--a momentous decision with
the potential for significant financial ramifications. It is incumbent
upon the Department to ensure these young servicemembers--and their
spouses--are given the tools and resources they need to make this
decision. In the view of our Association, online training is not
sufficient. Service members and spouses require in-person training and
guidance to answer their questions and ensure they make the best choice
for their long-term financial well-being. We ask Congress to direct DOD
to provide additional details on its plan to educate servicemembers and
their spouses on the new retirement system.
We ask Congress to increase the maximum level of matched
contributions to servicemembers' TSP accounts to 5 percent and reject
DOD's proposal to delay matching contributions until the service member
completes four year of service.
We also ask Congress to direct DOD to provide details on its plan
to educate servicemembers and their spouses on the new retirement
system.
cumulative effects of cuts threaten military families' financial well-
being
The Administration's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal does not
consider the cumulative effects of a reduced pay raise combined with
lower BAH payments, loss of commissary savings, and possible out-of-
pocket health care costs on the purchasing power of servicemembers and
their families. This budget proposal would reduce cash in a service
member's pocket!
We ask Congress to reject budget proposals that threaten military
family financial well-being as a way to save.
sequestration: an ongoing threat to family readiness
The effects of sequestration have already resulted in cuts to
benefits and programs military families utilize to maintain their
readiness. Much of the funding for these programs is embedded in the
Service Operations and Maintenance Accounts, which have been the
hardest-hit by sequestration. Understanding what is affected by
sequestration has been confusing for families.
The total effect of sequestration on military families in unclear.
What is clear is that military families do not deserve having to deal
with such uncertainty--uncertainty of the availability of programs they
rely on, uncertainty of whether their service member will receive the
training they need to do their job safely, the uncertainty of not
knowing what new cost they will be asked to absorb from their own
pockets.
While the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 has provided some relief
for fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017, we know with future cuts
required down the road, military families will continue to see threats
to the programs and resources they require for readiness.
We ask Congress to end sequestration and end the threat to the
resources military families depend on for their readiness.
building the force of the future: what do today's military families
need?
It has often been said while the military recruits a service
member, it must retain a family. Our Association has long argued in
order to build and maintain the quality force our Nation demands, the
military must support servicemembers as they balance the competing
demands of military service and family life. Thus, we were gratified to
see significant family-focused proposals included in Defense Secretary
Ashton Carter's recent Force of the Future initiative. However, while
the Force of the Future initiatives, if implemented, can be an
important first step in easing the strain faced by many servicemembers
and their families, we urge Congress to continue to strengthen the
programs and services available to support all troops and families in
diminishing uncertainty and meeting the daily challenges of military
life.
maternity, paternity and adoption leave
We commend Secretary Carter for providing 12 weeks of maternity
leave for new mothers in every branch of service. While this does
unfortunately represent a reduction from the 18 weeks previously
available to women in the Navy and Marine Corps, we agree with the
Secretary this is a benefit that should be standard across the
services. Increasing maternity leave from six weeks, as was previously
the case in the Army and Air Force, will allow new mothers to recover
physically and bond with their newborns before resuming their demanding
jobs.
We also applaud the Secretary for recognizing the need for new
fathers and adoptive parents to spend time with their children.
We ask Congress to act on the Secretary's proposal to expand
paternity leave to 14 days and to allow two weeks of adoption leave to
both parents in dual-service families.
child care
According to the 2014 Demographics Profile of the Military
Community, more than 40 percent of servicemembers have children. Of the
nearly two million military-connected children, the largest cohort--
almost 38 percent--is under age five. \6\ Thus, it is not surprising
access to high-quality, affordable child care ranks among the top
concerns for military families. Like all working parents,
servicemembers with young children need access to affordable child care
in order to do their jobs. However, the military lifestyle comes with
unique challenges and complications for families. Service members
rarely live near extended family who might be able to assist with child
care. Their jobs frequently demand long hours, including duty
overnight. They are often stationed in communities where child care is
expensive or unavailable.
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\6\ 2014 Demographics Profile of the Military Community. Rep.
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community
and Family Policy), http://download. military onesource.mil/12038/MOS/
Reports/2014-Demographics-Report.pdf
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We are gratified in recent years DOD has made child care a priority
and has taken steps to improve families' access to child care. We were
also pleased to see child care provisions such as expanded hours for
installation child development centers (CDCs) included in the Force of
the Future initiatives. However, while expanded CDC hours will address
the needs of some military families, we urge Congress and the
Department to consider additional steps in order to meet the needs of
military families with young children.
Improve access to installation-based care: For families
living on or near a military installation, on-base CDCs are often the
preferred choice for child care, offering a convenient location and
high quality care at an affordable price. However, in some locations
demand for spots at installation CDCs far outstrips supply. In many
places the waiting list is so long the CDC is effectively not an option
for military families. The problem is exacerbated by the frequent moves
associated with military life. Following each PCS move, a military
family must restart the process of looking for care in their new
community and frequently find themselves again at the bottom of the
waiting list. In some locations, the issue is lack of physical
capacity. However, there are other obstacles hindering military
families' access to care. DOD could alleviate some of the shortage of
on-installation child care spots by addressing the following issues:
- Staffing: In some locations the reason for the insufficient
supply of on-base care is not a lack of space; it is a lack of staff.
The process of hiring CDC personnel is lengthy and arduous. It can be
difficult for CDC directors to find, hire, and put into place qualified
staff. This limits the number of children a facility can serve. DOD
should analyze whether and how the hiring process can be streamlined
while still ensuring that necessary background checks and training take
place to ensure children's safety. We also endorse the recommendation
made by the MCRMC that child care workers be exempt from furloughs and
hiring freezes. Budget cuts should not prevent CDC directors from
staffing their facilities appropriately.
- Wait list management: Typically, each CDC handles its own
application process and waiting list, so families often must visit
multiple facilities and submit applications for each hoping a spot
becomes available. This process adds to families' frustration. We are
hopeful the rollout of MilitaryChildCare.com to installations worldwide
will alleviate this issue. MilitaryChildCare.com is DOD's website that
allows parents to view all installation-based child care options at
their location and request a spot for their child. We are told the site
will provide greater visibility of waiting lists, so parents know how
long they will have to wait for care and the services can determine
whether access standards are being met. The site is currently utilized
at selected installations, but is scheduled to be available worldwide
later this year.
- Priority standards: DOD regulations give equal priority for
child care spots to military families and DOD civilians. While DOD
civilians also need access to quality, affordable child care, this
policy puts military families at a disadvantage due to their frequent
military-ordered moves. Each PCS move puts a military family at the
bottom of the waiting list for child care. We urge you to ask DOD to
assess usage of CDCs by DOD civilians and review child care wait list
priority policies to ensure parity for mobile military families.
Reinstate the authority to use Operation and
Maintenance funds to construct child development centers: Prior to
2009, DOD was given temporary authority to bypass the normal military
construction approval process and use Operation and Maintenance (O&M)
funds to construct CDCs. Under this authority, the services were able
to respond quickly to the growing demand for child care and completed
construction and renovation projects that allowed them to serve an
additional 9,000 children. This authority lapsed in 2009. In its
January 2015 report, the MCRMC recommended this authority be
reinstated. We agree with the Commission's recommendation.
Increase participation in the child care fee assistance
program: The fee assistance program operated by the services is an
innovative, effective approach to the problem of insufficient child
care availability on base. The program helps offset the cost of child
care in the civilian community, ensuring participating families can
access high quality care at an affordable cost. Despite recent well-
publicized issues with the Army's program, participating families
overall report a high level of satisfaction with the program. However,
relatively few families are able to take advantage of this benefit.
Expanding participation in the child care fee assistance program would
address many families' child care needs. We recommend the following
steps:
-- Increase number of eligible providers: DOD has stringent
requirements for child care providers participating in the fee
assistance program, to include national certification, regular
inspections, and background checks. However, many states have less
stringent requirements for providers. In those locations, families
often have difficulty locating a provider who meets DOD's eligibility
requirements. The Office of Military Community and Family Policy and
the Defense State Liaison Office (DSLO) have worked together to
encourage states to increase their standards to meet DOD's and have had
a great deal of success in this regard. We encourage them to continue
with this effort.
-- Standardize Service requirements: Because the fee
assistance programs are operated by the individual Services, there are
variations in eligibility requirements for providers and families. Some
Services require families live a certain distance from an installation
in order to participate in the program; others have no geographic
restrictions. The Marine Corps requires providers to have a specific
national certification that is not required by the other Services.
These differences lead to confusion and frustration among families. We
ask you to direct DOD to review Services' fee assistance programs with
the goal of standardizing eligibility requirements.
-- Raise awareness of the program among military families: We
consistently encounter families who have no idea the fee assistance
program exists. From our experience, it would seem most families learn
about the program through word of mouth from other military families.
If families are not aware of the fee assistance program and cannot
obtain care on base they may be forced to seek out less than optimal
caregivers who provide care at a lower cost. DOD must ensure the
Services are providing information about the fee assistance program to
eligible families to ensure military children are receiving quality
care.
Increase availability of part-time and hourly care:
Although the focus of the installation child care program is
understandably on meeting the needs of military families with two
working parents, many families also tell us of the importance of hourly
or drop-in care. Many military families--especially those overseas or
in remote locations--do not have easy access to reliable caregivers.
For those families, access to drop-in care at an installation child
care facility can greatly enhance their quality of life, enabling
parents to go to medical appointments, run errands, and volunteer in
their communities. This service can be especially vital when the
service member is deployed, providing the at-home parent with a much
needed break. We hear from families in many locations budget cuts have
led CDCs to reduce or eliminate drop-in care. DOD should evaluate the
programs at installation CDCs to ensure the mix of care offered--full-
time, part-time and hourly--meets the needs of the families they serve.
military children's education
Our Association has long argued DOD has a responsibility to support
the schools charged with educating military-connected children, to help
ensure military kids receive the best possible education. Military
families often have no control over when and where they move. They
worry about the effect multiple moves to locations with varying
standards and curricula will have on their children's academic
achievement. We urge Congress to continue funding programs designed to
support the education of military-connected children.
Impact Aid
We appreciate the inclusion of $30 million for DOD Impact Aid in
the fiscal year 2016 NDAA. We ask Congress to continue this funding to
offset the costs incurred by districts educating large numbers of
military children. These funds help local school districts meet the
education needs of military children in an era of declining state
budgets. Our Association has long believed both DOD and Department of
Education Impact Aid funding are critical to ensuring school districts
can provide quality education for military children.
Department of Defense Education Activity Grant Program
The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year
2007 established a grant program, administered by the Department of
Defense Education Activity (DODEA), to support public schools educating
large numbers of military children. This innovative program allows DOD
to offer tangible support to public schools charged with educating
military-connected students. Schools and school districts are able to
identify areas of need among the military children they serve and
design programs to meet those needs. The grants have been used to bring
Advanced Placement (AP) courses to high schools that would otherwise
not be able to provide this level of instruction. Other grants have
been used to fund special education, foreign language instruction, and
programs to enhance students' education in reading, science, and math.
Since 2009 this program has awarded nearly $400 million in grants
to over 180 military-connected school districts. These three-year
projects have supported nearly 500,000 military-connected students in
2,200 schools. However, this valuable program will sunset at the end of
fiscal year 2016 absent Congressional action. It would be regrettable
if military children lose access to the valuable educational programs
that have been made possible through the DODEA grant program. A
relatively small investment can make a huge impact at the local level.
We ask Congress to reauthorize the DODEA grant program and allow DOD to
continue supporting military-connected children in public schools.
spouse employment and education support
Spouse employment and education support is a critical component of
military family readiness. Much like their civilian counterparts, many
military families rely on two incomes in order to help make ends meet.
However, military spouses face barriers hindering their educational
pursuits and career progression due in large part to challenges
associated with the military lifestyle.
We are gratified in recent years Congress, DOD, the White House,
and States have all taken steps to lessen the burden of an Active Duty
member's military career on military spouses' educational and career
ambitions. We fully support these initiatives including DOD's portfolio
of Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO), which includes
educational funding for select military spouses, career counseling,
employment support, and the DOD State Liaison Office's (DSLO) state-
level initiatives. However, while progress has been made, military
spouses continue to face significantly lower earnings and higher levels
of unemployment and underemployment than their civilian counterparts
greatly impacting their families' financial stability. \7\
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\7\ Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Military Spouse
Employment Report, Syracuse University (IVMF) February 2014: http://
vets.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/
MilitarySpouseEmploymentReport--2013.pdf
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Grow our Own
One of our top legislative priorities is to ensure adequate access
to behavioral health providers who are attuned to the unique stressors
of military life for servicemembers and their families who have endured
years of repeated deployments, long separations, and possible injuries
or illnesses. We support efforts to educate and employ military spouses
as mental health professionals.
As military families struggle to cope with the effects of 15 years
of war, we are seeing an increasing demand for mental health services
within our families and community. Since 2004, NMFA's military spouse
scholarship and professional funds program has had more than 73,000
applicants. Data from this year's 7,000+ scholarship applicants, as
well as from Active Duty spouse respondents to MOAA's 2015 health care
survey, indicate alarming rates of behavioral health usage among
military families. Both surveys show between 40-50 percent of military
spouses have sought behavioral health care for someone in their family.
Unfortunately, access to top-notch care is limited. The shortage of
mental health professionals nationally is mirrored in the military
community; it is even greater at military installations in remote
areas. We believe our Nation has an obligation to prevent, diagnose,
and treat the mental health needs of servicemembers and their families.
Doing so in the face of a nationwide shortage of mental health
professionals will require innovative solutions and strategic public-
private partnerships including Congress, DOD, the VA, and other
organizations. We believe military spouses may also be a source of help
for their community.
Each year we've offered military spouse scholarships, the number of
spouses pursuing mental health careers and seeking help furthering
their education has increased. This number reached almost 10 percent of
our applicant pool of 7,000+ in 2016--more than 600 spouses. Twenty-one
percent of these mental health profession applicants are spouses of
wounded or fallen servicemembers. In a recent February 2016 Facebook
post a Marine Corps spouse shared an experience all too common for
military spouse mental health professionals:
``I'm looking for fellow military spouses who have completed
the practicum and internship process for clinical mental health
counseling or who have earned their LPC or LPCC by following
California, Arizona, or North Carolina state requirements. We
are currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA and I will start
my practicum this June. I have excelled in my graduate program
and now I am facing major challenges finding a facility that
doesn't require a year sign-on and who has openings for new
interns starting this summer. One specific problem I'm facing
is we aren't sure when new orders will come or where they will
be (making it additionally hard to convince licensed
supervisors to take a new intern on if I will only be there for
a couple months). Is there anyone who can share a professional
contact with me?
Many of our military spouses pursuing careers in mental health
fields intend to serve military families. Helping these spouses
overcome obstacles and pursue their careers has the dual benefit of
assisting the individual spouse and family while addressing the
shortage of mental health providers in the military community.
We offer the following recommendations for Congress to consider:
Include military spouses and others who enter the
mental health profession in federal loan-forgiveness programs;
Facilitate easier paths to both licensure and
employment for military spouses and veterans in the mental health field
when they work with our servicemembers and families;
Provide a tax credit for spouses' re-licensing after a
military move to offset the out-of-pocket cost of the additional
license;
Pass legislation to allow military spouses full
reciprocity when transferring an Active unrestricted mental or
behavioral health license from one state to another due to PCS;
Support partnerships between the Military Health System
and the VA to ease spouse difficulties in obtaining clinical
supervision hours, reduce licensing barriers, and spur employment of
military spouses and veterans in the mental health field.
We ask Congress to increase access to behavioral health providers
by supporting employment efforts of military spouses in the mental
health profession.
office of special needs and the services' exceptional family member
programs: more oversight is required
The Department of Defense Office of Special Needs (OSN) was created
in the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (fiscal year
2010 NDAA) (Public Law 111-84) to enhance and improve DOD support
around the world for military families with special needs, whether
medical or educational. Despite the establishment of the OSN, gaps in
support to special needs military families still exist, due in part to
differences among the various Services' Exceptional Family Member
programs (EFMP).
The EFMP is intended to perform three interrelated functions:
(1) Identify and enroll eligible family members;
(2) Coordinate the assignment process to ensure special needs
families are not sent to locations that lack adequate resources; and
(3) Provide families with information about and referral to local
resources.
While some Services take a centralized approach to EFMP, with
enrollment, assignments, and case management services all housed in a
single office, other Services' programs are more stovepiped. When a
breakdown in communication occurs, families may find themselves
assigned to locations without appropriate medical or educational
services for their special needs family member or unaware of resources
available to them through their communities. We often hear from
families who experience a long wait before receiving services at their
new installations because of lack of communication between EFMP
Coordinators at the old and new installations. Families need the
reassurance they will have continuity of care and a warm hand-off as
they move from installation to installation.
A 2012 GAO [Government Accountability Office] report, Better
Oversight Needed to Improve Services for Children with Special Needs,
(GAO-12-680, September 10, 2012) noted there are no Department-wide
benchmarks to set standards for the services' EFM programs. As a
result, the Department is unable to assess the effectiveness of the
branches' EFM programs and ensure improvements are made when needed. In
addition, although OSN was created to enhance and monitor the military
branches' support for families with special needs, it has no authority
to compel the branches to comply with DOD or Service-level program
requirements and it has no direct means by which to hold them
accountable if they fail to do so.
DOD must comply with the GAO recommendations and establish
benchmarks and performance goals for the EFM program. We further ask
OSN to develop and implement a process for ensuring the branches'
compliance with EFM program requirements.
We ask DOD and the Services to set a common standard of support
families can expect to receive through the EFMP. Families have the
right to expect a level of service for their special needs family
members regardless of the color of the uniform they wear. This is
especially important as joint basing becomes more common and when
families from one Service live and work on installations operated by
another.
Respite Care
Families with special needs children have unique child care needs.
For those families, dropping a child off at a day care center or with a
sitter may not be an option. Instead, parents of special needs children
need respite care provided by trained caregivers. Access to quality
respite care allows families to run errands, spend time with other
children, and simply recharge. Recognizing the importance of respite
care, especially for military families far from the support of friends
or extended family, the Services have provided respite care for
military families with eligible special needs family members as part of
the EFMP family support function. However, because the respite care
programs are operated and funded by each of the individual Services,
eligibility requirements and the number of respite care hours available
to families vary. This is a significant source of frustration to
families assigned to joint bases or installations managed by other
Services. We are also concerned the current fiscal environment may lead
the Services to reduce the level of respite care they offer.
Special Needs Navigators and Case Management Not Implemented
The fiscal year 2010 NDAA included specific directives for
providing family support and case management services to better serve
military families with special needs family members. Despite the intent
of the legislation, those services have not yet been fully implemented,
leaving families struggling to locate resources in their communities
and manage their complex medical and non-medical needs.
The fiscal year 2010 NDAA directed installation EFM programs to
include ``Special Needs Navigators'' to help families find programs and
resources available in their civilian communities. In locations where
Special Need Navigators are part of the EFMP, families report a high
level of satisfaction with the service and support they receive.
However, few installation EFMPs include Special Needs Navigators.
We urge DOD to meet the minimum level of family support
coordination outlined in the fiscal year 2010 NDAA by expanding access
to Special Needs Navigators.
The fiscal year 2010 NDAA also emphasizes the need for enhanced
case management support. Case management is specifically mentioned
three times in the legislation:
In addressing support for military families, the Office
shall develop a uniform policy that shall include DOD requirements for
resources (including staffing) to ensure the availability of
appropriate numbers of case managers to provide individualized support
for military families with special needs.
The program shall provide for timely access to
individual case managers and counselors on matters relating to special
needs.
Each program shall provide for appropriate numbers of
case managers for the development and oversight of individualized
services plans for educational and medical support for military
families with special needs.
Additionally, the fiscal year 2010 NDAA Conference Report language
makes clear the importance of case management support for special needs
military families:
``The conferees expect that implementation of this section will
result in substantial improvements in identification and
outreach to larger numbers of individuals who need support and
coordination of available services, expansion of case
management services, more direct training and counseling for
parents and families, and timely access to information and
referral to both Department of Defense and other federal,
State, and local special needs resources and services. The
conferees direct the Secretary to examine ways to mitigate the
challenges for families who may be disadvantaged by relocation
during their military service, and to ensure that enrollment in
the Exceptional Family Member Program, or any successor to that
program, is perceived as a positive and necessary family
readiness resource.''
Unfortunately, recently-released EFMP proposed regulations provide
few details on case management services. There are no specifics
regarding case manager resource requirements, acceptable case
management access standards, or requirements for the development and
updating of individualized service plans (medical and educational) for
military families with special needs. We regularly hear from special
needs families who are not getting sufficient support from case
managers in terms of establishing initial care, or re-establishing
services following a PCS [permanent change of station], for their
special needs family member.
Given the critical role of case managers, DOD must expand access to
high quality case management services for special needs families.
Section 582 of the fiscal year 2011 NDAA, Enhancement of Community
Support for Military Families with Special Needs, included two
provisions that have not been implemented to date:
(1) Periodic reviews of the best practices in the United States in
the provision of medical and educational services to children with
special needs, and
(2) Establishment of an advisory panel on community support for
military families with special needs.
DOD should conduct period reviews on the best practices in
providing medical and educational services to special needs children.
DOD should also establish an advisory panel on community support for
special needs military families.
Access to Health Care for Military Special Needs Families
Caring for a special needs family member can be difficult and
draining for any family. However, the impact for military families is
magnified by the unique challenges associated with military service.
Frequent geographic relocations are a fact of life for military
families. A geographic relocation will, by definition, disrupt the
continuity of care that is so important in managing complex medical
conditions. After every move, special needs military families must
begin a lengthy cycle of referrals, authorizations, and waitlists at
each new duty station, resulting in repeated gaps in care. A nationwide
shortage in pediatric specialists means even when families have
successfully navigated the authorization and referral process at their
new location, they may face a delay of weeks or even months before
treatment can restart. Military families fear these repeated treatment
delays have a cumulative and permanent negative effect on their special
needs family members.
It is frustrating for military parents to know these treatment
delays could be mitigated if the process for accessing specialty care
were more flexible and streamlined to address the unique aspects of
military life. Unfortunately, TRICARE's rigid referral and
authorization process--made even more difficult by varying Military
Treatment Facility (MTF) procedures--too often hinders the transition
process for military families rather than facilitating it. In addition,
providers often tell us working with TRICARE is overly complex. Many
choose not to participate in the TRICARE network because it is too
difficult to navigate and administer. The resulting shortage of TRICARE
network providers further impedes families' access to specialty care.
We appreciate the Administration's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal
has acknowledged the need for an improved referral process that
provides seamless mobility and fewer administrative burdens. Changes to
the referral process should make specialty care access more flexible
and streamlined to address the unique aspects of military life without
forcing Active Duty families to pay more out-of-pocket.
For special needs military families, frequent relocation presents
another obstacle: the inability to qualify for services through
Medicaid waivers. Caring for children with complex medical needs can be
incredibly expensive. We appreciate the MCRMC recognized this problem
faced by our families with special needs. Most civilian families in
this situation ultimately receive some form of public assistance,
typically through state Medicaid waivers. State Medicaid programs
provide assistance not covered by TRICARE: respite care, employment
support, housing, supplies, and more flexible medical coverage. Because
the demand for these services far outstrips the supply, there is a
lengthy waiting list to receive assistance in most states. For
that reason, these services are often out of reach for a military
family who must relocate every two to three years. A military family
who places their special needs child on a Medicaid waiver waiting list
must start again at the bottom of the waiting list when they move to a
new state. The Defense State Liaison Office (DSLO) has recognized
military families' inability to access care through Medicaid waivers as
one of its high priority issues and is working with state legislatures
to address this problem. However, little progress has been made in
resolving this disparity.
TRICARE's Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) program was designed
in part to address this imbalance, by allowing families to access non-
medical services not covered under TRICARE. According to TRICARE's
website, benefits covered under ECHO include ``training,
rehabilitation, special education, assistive technology devices,
institutional care in private nonprofit, public and State institutions/
facilities and, if appropriate, transportation to and from such
institutions/facilities, home health care and respite care for the
primary caregiver of the ECHO-registered beneficiary.'' However, in
practice military families find it difficult to obtain services through
the program.
This reality was reflected in TRICARE's May 30, 2013 report, The
Department of Defense Report to Congress on Participation in the
Extended Care Health Option (ECHO), detailing military families' usage
of the ECHO benefit. They reported, in 2012, 99 percent of funds
expended through the ECHO program were spent on Applied Behavioral
Analysis (ABA) therapy and ECHO Home Health Care (EHHC). Although these
services are important and popular with special needs families, it is
impossible to see this statistic and not wonder why families are not
accessing the long list of other services ostensibly available to them
under ECHO.
The MCRMC also found ECHO benefits, as currently implemented, are
not robust enough to replace state waiver programs. \8\ DOD has assured
our Association they are working on ECHO improvements. However, other
than a policy update to cover incontinence supplies, we have heard no
specifics. Given the importance of ECHO to special needs families, DOD
must examine how to bring the ECHO benefit on par with state Medicaid
waiver benefits.
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\8\ Final Report of the Military Compensation and Retirement
Modernization Commission--January, 2015
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Another service much in demand by families is respite care. For
families with special needs children, the time away afforded by respite
care is vital. Access to quality respite care allows families to run
errands, spend time with other children, and simply recharge. Respite
care is ostensibly available through the ECHO program, but TRICARE
policies limit its utility. ECHO sets strict requirements for respite
care providers, making it difficult for families to identify eligible
providers.
Congress has given DOD much more discretion in its coverage of ECHO
benefits than it has concerning medical benefits provided under the
Basic Program. Thus, TRICARE has the authority to make changes that
would enhance the ECHO program's utility to military families. Aligning
ECHO coverage with that of state Medicaid programs, as the MCRMC
recommends, would do much to enhance special needs military families'
readiness and quality of life.
TRICARE should enhance the ECHO program's utility to military
families by ensuring it covers the products and services families need.
The transition out of the military and into civilian life is
difficult for many families but especially so for special needs
families, who immediately lose access to ECHO benefits. Families may
still face long waits before being eligible for care through Medicaid,
which leads either to gaps in treatment or financial hardship for a
family trying to pay for needed care. To ease the hardship for families
in this situation, we recommend ECHO eligibility be extended for one
year following separation to provide more time for families to obtain
services in their communities or through employer-sponsored insurance.
We ask Congress to extend eligibility for the Extended Care Health
Option (ECHO) for one year following separation to provide more time
for families to obtain services in their communities or through
employer-sponsored insurance.
military families in crisis
Even though the war in Afghanistan is coming to an end, military
families continue to live extraordinarily challenging lives.
Reintegration continues to pose challenges for some. Others are
concerned they will be impacted by the military drawdown and are
anxious about their financial futures. Most military families are
resilient and will successfully address whatever challenges come their
way. However, some will need help. It is critical military families
trust DOD services and programs and feel comfortable turning to them in
times of need. These programs and services must be staffed and
resourced adequately so when families reach out for help, they can
trust it is available. Military families must be assured our Nation
will support them in times of family or personal crisis.
Suicide
In 2014, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) released a
report outlining an approach for tracking military family member
suicides. The report, Suicide and Military Families: A Report on the
Feasibility of Tracking Deaths by Suicide among Military Family
Members, was requested by the Senate and House Armed Services
Committees.
We appreciate Congress including a provision directing DOD to track
military family suicides as well as Reserve Component suicides in the
fiscal year 2015 NDAA, but are frustrated by DOD's delays in developing
a plan to meet this mandate. If we don't have solid information on the
extent of the issue, targeting solutions becomes more difficult.
Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect, and Domestic Violence
Research commissioned by our Association \9\ and others during the
past decade documents the toll of multiple deployments on children and
families, the difficulties many families face on the service member's
return, and the added strain a service member's physical and invisible
wounds can place on a family. These stressors put military families at
risk for marital/relationship problems and compromised parenting that
must be addressed with preventative programs.
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\9\ Anita Chandra, et al., RAND Center for Military Health Policy
Research, Views from the Homefront: The Experiences of Youth and
Spouses from Military Families, 2011
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Current research validates families will experience the effects of
war long after deployments end. A recent study highlighted parenting
challenges fathers face following deployment. The study found that
while deployment is a time of great stress for families, the need for
support and a strong community continues during the extended period of
reintegration after the service member returns. This need is
particularly pronounced when the returning service member is father to
a young child, and he faces the core challenge of reconnecting with a
child who has undergone significant developmental changes while he was
away. \10\ A 2013 research brief issued by Child Trends, Home Front
Alert: The Risks Facing Young Children in Military Families, \11\
concluded many children negatively impacted by a parent's repeated
combat deployments will continue to have exceptional needs as they grow
older.
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\10\ Tova B. Walsh, et al., ``Fathering after Military Deployment:
Parenting Challenges and Goals of Fathers of Young Children,'' Health &
Social Work: A Journal of the National Association of Social Workers,
February, 2014
\11\ ``Home Front Alert: The Risks Facing Young Children in
Military Families'', Child Trends, July 22, 2013
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Those looking for budget cuts may find it tempting to slash family
support, family advocacy, and reintegration programs. However, bringing
the troops home does not end our military's mission or the necessity to
support military families. Recent media coverage indicates the
incidence of child abuse and neglect among Army families has increased.
We are concerned the extraordinary stress military families have faced
could lead to increased domestic violence as well. Preventative
programs focused on effective parenting and rebuilding adult
relationships are essential. The Government should ensure military
families have the tools to remain ready and to support the readiness of
their servicemembers.
We are encouraged the Family Advocacy Program, a congressionally
mandated DOD program designed to prevent and respond to child abuse/
neglect and domestic abuse in military families, has redoubled its
focus on prevention programs. Their efforts to repair relationships and
strengthen family function will be essential. Programs like New Parent
Support focus on helping young parents build strong parenting skills
early on.
We encourage Congress and the Department of Defense to ensure that
Family Advocacy programs are funded and resourced appropriately to help
families heal and aid in the prevention of child and domestic abuse.
support for transitioning families
Transitioning due to downsizing affects the whole family. In
addition to the transition assistance program available to
servicemembers, resources relevant to family members need to be
identified. Issues such as how to find community resources to replace
DOD programs and the military spouse's role in the long-term care of
the family as a whole aren't addressed in the transition classes.
In May 2014, our Association conducted a survey of military spouses
facing transition. Over half the spouses indicated they were extremely
or very concerned about relocation and finding employment. Over three
quarters of the spouses were extremely/very concerned about being
financially prepared and finding employment for their service member.
Access to the counseling and other services provided by Military
OneSource, beyond the 180 days currently provided, would make available
resources and information to ease some of the concerns of our
transitioning military families.
Expand the opportunity for spouses to access transition information
including face-to-face training and on-line training.
Expand family access to Military OneSource to one year from a
service member's separation from the military.
today's surviving spouses need the dic offset eliminated
Our Association has long believed the benefit change that would
provide the most significant long-term advantage to the financial
security of all surviving families would be to end the Dependency and
Indemnity Compensation (DIC) offset to the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP).
Although we know there is a significant price tag associated with this
change, ending this offset would correct an inequity that has existed
for many years. Each payment serves a different purpose. The DIC is a
special indemnity (compensation or insurance) payment paid by the VA to
the survivor when the service member's service causes his or her death.
The SBP annuity, paid by the Department of Defense (DOD), reflects the
military member's length of service. It is ordinarily calculated at 55
percent of retired pay. Military retirees who elect SBP pay a portion
of their retired pay to ensure their family has a guaranteed income
should the retiree die. If that retiree dies due to a service-connected
disability, their survivor becomes eligible for DIC.
We ask the DIC offset to SBP be eliminated to recognize the length
of commitment and service of the career service member and spouse.
Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance
In the fiscal year 2008 NDAA, the Military Personnel Subcommittee
established the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) as a first
step in a longer-term effort to phase out the DIC offset to SBP.
That initial legislation authorized the SSIA for all survivors
affected by the SBP-DIC offset in the amount of $50 per month for
fiscal year 2009, with the amount increasing by $10 monthly for each of
the next five years, reaching $100 per month for fiscal year 2014-2016,
not to exceed the amount of SBP subject to the offset. The authority to
pay the SSIA, under this initial provision, was to expire on March 1,
2016.
In 2009, SSIA payments were extended through the end of fiscal year
2017, and the monthly SSIA amounts were increased:
Fiscal year 2014: $150
Fiscal year 2015: $200
Fiscal year 2016: $275
Fiscal year 2017: $310, with payment authority expiring as of
Sept. 30, 2017.
As of fiscal year 2017, phased SSIA increases will have eliminated
roughly 25 percent of the SBP-DIC penalty.
Including an extension of SSIA in the fiscal year 2017 National
Defense Authorization Act is necessary so SBP-DIC widows will not see
an interruption or elimination of the then-$310 payment.
Extend SSIA so the modest progress in eliminating the DIC offset to
SBP will not be lost.
SBP for Inactive Duty for Training Deaths
The Eleventh Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation released
in June, 2012 recognized the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity for
Reserve component personnel who die while performing inactive duty is
significantly less than the benefit available to survivors of Active
Duty members and Reserve members who die on Active Duty. Despite their
inactive status, these reservists are still performing military duties
at the time of their death. The review report recommends calculating
SBP benefits for a reservist who dies while performing inactive duty
training using the same criteria as for a member who dies while on
Active Duty.
Calculate Survivor Benefit Program annuities for a reservist who
dies while performing inactive duty training using the same criteria as
for a member who dies while on Active Duty.
caregiver and wounded service member support
Service members and their families must be assured our nation will
provide unwavering support to the wounded, ill, and injured. This
support must extend beyond the recovering warrior's medical and
vocational rehabilitation. It must also include programs and services
that help military caregivers, typically spouses or parents,
successfully navigate their new role.
Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living
(SCAADL)
Our Association appreciates that Congress authorized monetary
compensation to caregivers of catastrophically wounded, ill, and
injured servicemembers via the fiscal year 2010 NDAA. The Special
Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (SCAADL)
program helps offset the loss of income by a primary caregiver who
provides non-medical care, support, and assistance to the service
member.
We are concerned, however, DOD and the Services are no longer
providing an appropriate level of information and outreach on this
important benefit. The SCAADL calculator has not been updated on DOD's
website since January, 2015. The SCAADL page of the Army's Warrior
Transition Command is unavailable. Similarly, the Defense Finance and
Accounting Service website has a dead link to the SCAADL calculator.
We understand and are grateful the number of combat wounded has
decreased dramatically. However, there are still thousands of
servicemembers forward deployed to hostile environments. Military
service is inherently risky and servicemembers are regularly injured in
training or other line of duty incidents. It is important we maintain
programs established over the past 15 years of war to support families
of the wounded.
Consistent with recommendations from the Recovering Warrior Task
Force, we also request a legislative change to exempt SCAADL from
income taxes to enhance this benefit for wounded warrior families.
Maintain the SCAADL program, particularly outreach to wounded
warrior families, and exempt SCAADL payments from income taxes to
enhance the value to beneficiaries.
Medicare Eligible Wounded Warriors & TRICARE Coverage
Medically retired wounded warriors who receive Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits become eligible for Medicare Part
A after 24 months on SSDI. At that point, the wounded warrior must
enroll in Medicare Part B in order to keep TRICARE coverage. After the
wounded veteran enrolls in Medicare Part B, their TRICARE coverage
converts to TRICARE for Life (TFL). This poses a variety of problems
for the severely wounded population:
In the worst case scenario, the wounded warrior or his/
her caregiver does not realize or is not appropriately informed they
must enroll in Medicare Part B and they lose their TRICARE coverage
entirely.
In other instances, the wounded warrior or caregiver
understands and enrolls in Medicare Part B and retains TFL. Although
medical coverage is retained, the severely wounded veteran is now
paying more for medical coverage than most other working-age TRICARE
retirees.
Finally, there are some severely wounded veterans who
receive SSDI for over 24 months and are forced onto Medicare/TFL.
Eventually, the wounded veteran returns to work, but they are required
to stay on Medicare Part B for eight years after returning to work.
This results in over $10,000 in Medicare Part B costs to the severely
wounded warrior who returns to work.
This is an extremely complex issue facing the most severely wounded
servicemembers and their caregivers. These families face emotionally
challenging lives and overwhelming responsibilities. Making a mistake
on Medicare Part B should not result in the life altering consequence
of losing health care coverage. Furthermore, our most severely wounded
warriors should not be forced to pay more for their health care than
others.
This complex problem crosses many jurisdictions including the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, DOD, the Social Security
Administration, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means
Committee, the HASC and the SASC. Given this problem impacts our most
severely wounded veterans and their families, we urge the House and
Senate Armed Services Committees to take the lead in finding and
implementing a solution to this complex issue.
Supporting an Enduring Wounded Warrior Mission
The reduction in combat operations and the resulting decline in
combat wounded poses a risk that attention and resources for wounded
warrior programs and initiatives will shift to competing priorities.
Some of this shift is certainly warranted, but it is critical
improvements made over the last 15 years are not lost as we move
forward. We support Recovering Warrior Task Force recommendations to
formalize and marshal support for the way forward in wounded warrior
care and caregiver support for current and future generations of
wounded warriors.
military families-continuing to serve
Recent national fiscal challenges have left military families
confused and concerned about whether the programs, resources, and
benefits contributing to their strength, resilience, and readiness will
remain available to support them and be flexible enough to address
emerging needs. The Department of Defense must provide the level of
programs and resources to meet these needs. Sequestration weakens its
ability to do so.
Service members and their families have kept trust with America,
through more than 15 years of war, with multiple deployments and
separations. We ask the Nation to keep the trust with military families
and not try to balance budget shortfalls from the pockets of those who
serve.
Evolving world conflicts keep our military servicemembers on call.
Our military families continue on call as well, even as they are
dealing with the long-term effects of more than a decade at war. The
Government should ensure military families have the tools to remain
ready and to provide for the readiness of their servicemembers.
Effective support for military families must involve a broad network of
Government agencies, community groups, businesses, and concerned
citizens.
Senator Graham. Mr. Bousum?
STATEMENT OF SCOTT BOUSUM, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, THE ENLISTED
ASSOCIATION OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. Bousum. Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Gillibrand,
Senator Blumenthal, thank you for allowing me to testify on
behalf of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the
United States.
Our membership represents over 414,000 enlisted men and
women of the Army and Air National Guard, their families and
survivors, and tens of thousands of National Guard retirees.
Their lives are touched in some way by the decisions that are
made by you and your colleagues on the Armed Services
Committee.
I worked closely with you and your staff and your House
counterparts as you developed and considered the blend of
retirement proposals in the fiscal year 2016 National Defense
Authorization Act. We understand that much of the conversation
this year will be about reforms to the health care system.
Reforms to the personnel system and defense acquisition
system are driven by the budget. It is clear the Department of
Defense needs additional funds to research new technologies,
procure new weapons platforms, maintain equipment, start new
construction projects, and train and pay servicemembers and
civilian staff.
This year the Personnel Subcommittee is looking to reform
military health care without sacrificing quality, cost, and
access. During last month's budget rollout, the Department of
Defense distributed health care proposals to the Active
component. While the Department is still considering
improvements for members of the Reserve component, I am
prepared to discuss some of the ideas starting to be socialized
on Capitol Hill, such as transferring the management of the
Reserve component health care to the Office of Personnel
Management.
In conjunction with the Reserve Officers Association and
the National Guard Association of the United States, we
circulated a health care satisfaction survey to our members.
Together, our membership reflects the entirety of the Reserve
component, officers and enlisted. The results of our survey are
enclosed with my written testimony. Our survey shows that our
membership likes TRICARE when it works as designed.
Continuity of care is our greatest challenge.
I understand that the Reserve Officers Association
submitted a written statement today with excerpts from our
survey, and I am prepared to address those comments as well.
Thank you again for hosting today's hearing and for
inviting me to discuss Department of Defense personnel
programs. I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bousum follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Graham. Mr. Davis?
STATEMENT OF JOSEPH E. DAVIS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, VETERANS
OF FOREIGN WARS
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Chairman Graham, Ranking Member
Gillibrand, Senator Blumenthal. Thank you for letting the 1.7
million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and auxiliaries
giving us a voice here.
The VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] can support a lot of
initiatives currently on the table, such as the Force of the
Future and better suicide and sexual assault prevention and
response programs. Some initiatives we want tweaked, such as
matching military pay raises to the ECI [Employment Cost
Index], increasing the Government's TSP contribution to 6
percent, and extending it through retirement. Some initiatives
the VFW opposes, such as starting the Government's TSP program
match in year 5 instead of year 3, dismantling TRICARE on the
promise that better service will follow after enrollment fees
are created or increased, and anything that impacts morale,
such as the continuation of sequestration, which is still the
law of the land.
Everything the VFW wants costs money, but everything we
want is for somebody else, another veteran, a servicemember or
their families and survivors. As I said in my written
statement, our Government's most important responsibility is to
provide for the security and integrity of our Nation and very
close second is taking care of those who protect us.
I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Davis follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Graham. Thank you. That was excellent by all of
you.
Ms. Raezer, when it comes to TRICARE reform, my goal is to
make the program sustainable in terms of the budget but also to
make it more efficient and not repackage the system and just
charge you more. That is exactly where we are headed, and we
are not going to do that. We are going to change the system.
Give me just a couple of top line recommendations.
Ms. Raezer. I think, first of all, start with what you are
talking about, start with what is the benefit we want to
deliver, what are the problems we need to solve. Start with
designing that and then talk about what people should pay.
Consider the whole military health system. We cannot wall
off the military treatment facility and say they have got to
take care of readiness. They do not have a dog in this hunt.
They do. Our Active Duty families are having the most trouble
with the direct care system. So we have to consider it as a
system.
Look at ways to pilot some innovations. I think some of the
suggestions on the Reserve component side may be useful for
pilots or----
Senator Graham. Can I interrupt right there? Mr. Bousum.
How do you say it?
Mr. Bousum. Bousum.
Senator Graham. Bousum. I am sorry.
So we are actually thinking about taking the Guard and
Reserve and basically putting it into the Federal employee
system. Right?
Mr. Bousum. Correct.
Senator Graham. To me that is pretty exciting. I mean,
Guard and reservists generally speaking are not next to
military treatment facilities, and it basically would give you
the same access to providers every Member of Congress and our
staff has. You feel like that would be the way to go?
Mr. Bousum. We do feel like that would be the way to go.
Senator Graham. You know you got to pay for it.
Mr. Bousum. True. On that point, we would like for TRICARE
Reserve Select to be an option on FEHBP [Federal Employee
Health Benefits Program].
Senator Graham. Perfect.
Ms. Roth-----
Ms. Roth-Douquet. Like a bouquet of flowers.
Senator Graham. Douquet. Okay.
About child care, that is probably a problem for everybody
in the country I guess. What could we do better?
Ms. Roth-Douquet. There are a couple things. It is a
problem for everyone in the country, but it is moving every
one, two, and three years. So even if you do find it, you break
it and have to start over again.
Senator Graham. That is the problem is just people move all
the time.
Ms. Roth-Douquet. That is the problem. Exactly.
I think there is a lot to be said in investing more in
child care centers on base and extending the hours to hours
that military-connected women, the female servicemembers need,
starting them from 4:00 a.m. going to 8:00 p.m. That would help
a lot. Increasing training for military spouses to be child
care providers so that we both address employment----
Senator Graham. That would fit two needs there.
Ms. Roth-Douquet. You would hit two needs there.
Recognizing that this is a reason people leave military
service, both females and males. So there is a rationale for
making investments in it that pay off.
Senator Graham. We will definitely push that to make sure
they are looking at using the talented people to maybe provide
child care.
Mr. Davis, I really appreciate you talking about
sequestration. I just want you to know that if we do not fix
the top lines, none of this is going to work. When 70 percent
of the Marine Corps' expense comes in personnel, I do not know
how you keep them ready to fight. This is insane. The threat
levels are going through the roof. The number of people in the
services is well below what the threat level exists, and we are
taking money out of modernization, which means the next fight
is--I am not looking for a fair fight. I want an overwhelming
advantage to all the enemies this country may ever face. So I
just want to compliment you because you are one of the first
organizations to actually weigh in on the elephant in the room,
which is the top line number.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciated the last
panel discussion about sequestration because it was created 5
years ago, but it is still the law of the land.
Senator Graham. Look what has happened in the last 5 years.
Mr. Davis. You know, everybody in Congress hates it, but
nobody has yet dropped the legislation to end it. We have got
to figure out how to fix it.
Senator Graham. Thank you all.
When it comes to health care, I want to try to do in health
care what we did in retirement, think outside the box and get
better value and save some money in the process.
Senator Gillibrand?
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Roth-Douquet, I would like to work with you on a child
care center proposal to actually write language for this year's
NDAA because I think it is fundamentally one of the biggest
problems about why some of the men and women we have trained
for 10 years are leaving the military because right when
childbearing years happen, they do not have the resources for
affordable day care and they cannot manage their child care
responsibilities. So we are losing so much of our trained men
and women because we did not take care of their most important
need. So I would like to work with you.
I would like to ask you, Ms. Raezer, about a bill that
Senator Blunt and I introduced in the fall. It is called the
Military Family Stability Act, which both of your organizations
support. It allows families of servicemembers to move ahead or
remain behind for up to 6 months for schooling and employment
purposes.
So what led your organizations to support the bill?
I also support family leave for servicemembers to care for
children or sick family members. From your experience and that
of your members, would a more generous leave policy for spouses
also be helpful? Would these policies not help with retention
and improve the view of the military as a family-friendly
employer?
Ms. Raezer. Thank you, Senator Gillibrand.
I just also want to note on the child care issue our
written statement contains some of our recommendations on
solutions for the child care issue. So we would love to work
with you on that as well.
Senator Gillibrand. Great.
Ms. Raezer. I think the Stability Act--I think military
families are seeking certainty but sometimes that certainty
means they need some flexibility to adjust family life to the
needs of the military. Too often, they do not have that
flexibility to create a little more certainty in their lives.
Whether that makes sense or not, it does to many military
families.
What the Stability Act does and was attractive to us was
that it allowed families to plan not just forcing all of their
plans around a PCS move. We have a senior in high school. It
would be great to be able to allow that senior to graduate. We
have a spouse finishing their degree program in nursing, one
more semester to go. Would it not be great? Or spouse that
knows they are going to PCS, has been looking or a job finds
one, but they need him or to start now, allowing that family to
move ahead. That kind of flexibility adds to the military
family's loyalty to the military. It could add to family
financial stability, and it also helps the family feel a little
more in control of their circumstances. That is why we support
it and that is why we appreciate your introducing that bill.
Senator Gillibrand. Thoughts on leave, paid leave?
Ms. Roth-Douquet. I think paid leave is very useful. What
we find with our young families--and they are millennials--
having some control is extremely important to them. So the
Family Stability Act allows them to choose for their family
when the move is a good time to go. I think the paid leave also
puts a little modicum of choice into their own hands. The
uncertainty of military lifestyle is the number one concern
that servicemembers stated in our last survey. These kinds of
efforts make a huge difference with that.
People pay out of pocket. My husband and mine's last move--
we paid $10,000 out of pocket to keep our children in school in
Germany to finish the semester when he had a PCS June 1st. If I
was not working, that would have been extremely difficult for
our family. That happens over and over again. Twenty-five
percent of military families choose to live geographically
separated because of issues that make moving together
difficult. That is too much for our families and for the
future.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Mr. Bousum, I believe the National Guard can play a unique
role in recruiting and training cyber warriors. Individuals in
the private sector can join the National Guard, leveraging
their expertise for the military. For servicemembers with
training in cyber warfare, they can move into the National
Guard upon retirement, allowing the military to continue
utilizing their skills and knowledge.
What do you see as the role of the National Guard in cyber
warfare? How can DOD better support our National Guard members?
Mr. Bousum. I agree. I think that partnerships, especially
in more populated corridors where our guardsmen and women can
go in and work in the private sector and actually be skilled up
on how to secure private company databases--yes, I think that a
public-private partnership would be a good first step, and I
definitely think that there is room for the Guard in this area.
Senator Gillibrand. Great.
For the record, Ms. Roth-Douquet and Ms. Raezer, I want to
ask you specifically about the cutting of the autism
reimbursements, and you can answer that for the record. But we
have heard it is really damaging because the reimbursement
rates for the people who typically give the applied behavioral
therapy is so low that they cannot get a number of treatments
that they need. So that I will leave for the record.
Senator Gillibrand. For Mr. Davis for the record, I am very
concerned about Agent Orange for our blue water Navy vets
getting the treatment that they need. The VA has been arbitrary
and just decided if you are serving on blue water, you are not
covered. If it was brown water, you are covered, even though
aircraft was covered with Agent Orange, even though they were
drinking and bathing in Agent Orange-strewn water and have the
diseases related to exposure.
I would like a question for the record on that specifically
for you to respond to.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you so much for your testimony.
Senator Graham. Senator King?
Senator King. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for allowing
me to rejoin the hearing.
First to our two representatives of the families, in my
college years in the Washington area, I worked for Allied Van
Lines moving principally military families. I will never forget
one military spouse turned to me and said, you know, five moves
equals a fire. That was the pressure of the moving and the wear
and tear on the family and also on the possessions. I just want
to join with Senator Gillibrand. We have got to build in
flexibility for the family when the duty station changes but
the school is still not done. I mean, I think that is something
that we really need to take care of hopefully this year because
it is just so difficult.
Mr. Bousum, we talked in the prior panel about the OPTEMPO,
and part of that is the Guard and the pressure that has been
put on the Guard in recent years. Are we overstressing the
Guard by numbers of deployments, length of deployment, and is
that something that we should be concerned about both in terms
of the Guard, and I am also concerned about the employer base,
which is starting to get testy about this frequent deployment
and lengths of deployment.
Mr. Bousum. I do not think we are overstressing the Guard.
I think that the Guard would like to see more predictability. I
also think that the overuse of 12304b orders--and part of that
is in my written testimony--is putting a lot of stress on
family members and our servicemembers. But I do not think that
we are overstressing the Guard.
Senator King. So predictability is more important to you
than numbers, number of deployments.
The Guard rests to some extent on the good will and support
of employers, and I am hearing resistance from employers.
Mr. Bousum. I think it has a bit to do with predictability,
not quantity. I think that in the post-9/11 world, the reason
people join the Guard or the Active component is because they
want to serve. So our members of the Guard want to serve. They
just want more predictability so that they can allow their
employer to plan for it.
Senator King. Good. That is helpful.
I will ask the same question for the record that I asked of
the prior panel, and that is, could you supply your reflections
and thoughts on the effect of the retirement changes that were
made last year, and are there some necessary adjustments to
achieve the goals of that plan but to achieve them in a more
equitable or more effective way? So if you could just give us
that for the record.
Senator King. The largest question before this committee
is, are we recruiting and retaining the people that we need?
Are there policies that are getting in the way? It worries me
that, at a time of increasing threats, we are downsizing, as
you probably heard me ask the questions. But also, the
requirements for our military personnel are increasing. We have
Navy ships now that are manned by--personed by half of the
number that were there 5 to 10 years ago. So the skill level is
raised. Are the personnel policies, salaries, benefits,
retirement sufficient to attract and retain the people that we
need?
Ms. Raezer. I think that is a huge question that the
Department faces, that the Nation faces. Right now, if you look
at the recruiting numbers, you are seeing the services are
meeting their numbers. They are struggling in some cases, but
they are meeting their numbers.
We are concerned on the retention side, as all of these
things that we have talked about today, the OPTEMPO, the
unpredictability, the uncertainty, the pressure on compensation
and benefits, the inability to find child care or get an
appointment for a sick child or to help that special needs
child with additional services, that that day-to-day grind
sometimes is what is wearing our folks down to the point where
they say we cannot do this anymore. A spouse finds a good job,
and the servicemember says, you know, let us get out know. Let
us not move. Let us not mess up what we have. That is the
worry.
Senator King. The retention is so important because if we
could move the average retention out a year, that would be a
significant savings across the board because of the training
costs. We are spending a lot of money to train people for a 5-
year stint. I understand the average retention period is about
5-plus years. Is that the right number?
Ms. Raezer. It depends on the service.
Mr. Bousum. Yes, it depends on the service. It depends on
the component. The National Guard tends to serve much longer.
Senator King. Oh, yes, much longer. I understand, but I am
talking about Active Duty.
I mean, retention, it seems to me, has got to be a key
element because of the training costs.
Ms. Raezer. But it is also difficult right now because
several of the services are downsizing. So what is the
incentive for somebody who is highly skilled, who has skills
that are in demand outside the military? Even if they want to
stay in the uncertain time of downsizing, what is the incentive
to stay? If you can find a better opportunity, take it. Part of
the retention problem is the uncertainty the military faces.
Senator King. I want to ask our two advocates for the
families to answer this question. If you could wave a wand, if
you were sitting on this side of the dais--not that we get to
wave wands. It is harder than that. But if you could wave a
wand, what are the two or three things that you would do to
improve the lives of military families?
Ms. Roth-Douquet. I frankly think we have the opportunity
to do that and not spend a lot of budget money, and that is to
use the bully pulpit to bring more jobs to military spouses. We
can double the pay of most military families, the majority, 60
percent, by employing spouses at the level they want to be
working and that they are employed and able to work. It is one
of the top reasons that otherwise promotable people leave the
service. It is just families taking care of themselves the way
they want to and the way other American families do.
Senator King. Is the difficulty for spouses due to the
mobility problem? They have a hard time getting a job----
Ms. Roth-Douquet. Most people get jobs through
relationships, and when you are moving every one, two, or three
years, you are in a place where it takes a while to get a
relationship. But now that there is remote work--and military
spouses are invisible. You cannot tell they are a military
spouse. But if we called on the American people to hire these
talented folks particularly in technology and remote work areas
or in the kinds of work we were talking about with child care
or give more of a preference for on-base hiring, especially
overseas where people are otherwise not able to work, yet we
are flying people overseas to take jobs that military spouses
could do, we could make a significant dent in something that I
think is actually destabilizing our force.
Senator King. A new motto, Mr. Chairman. Support our
warriors. Hire the spouse.
Senator Graham. Very good.
Ms. Roth-Douquet. There you go.
Ms. Raezer. If I could wave a wand and fix something, I
would make the military health system more responsive to the
needs of our families.
Senator Graham. Senator Blumenthal?
Senator Blumenthal. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
I can attest to the fact that nobody on this side of
the United States Senate wears a Blue Star. I want to thank
you for your excellent work.
People sometimes say to me, oh, only two of you? But the
fact of the matter is that less than 2 percent of our
population has really been involved in an Active family way in
any of the wars over these last 15 years. I think that accounts
for some of the issues that have been raised here because if
more people were affected, there would be more interest and
less invisibility to the issues that you have very rightly
raised. I certainly commend you, all of you, for focusing on
the need for greater health care and job opportunities,
training for spouses, and other members of military families.
I want to ask you, Mr. Bousum, you made a statement which I
cannot contest with any hard evidence, but my experience has
been--and I spend a lot of time with our National Guard and our
reservists in Connecticut, but they are really weary that their
families, more than they, are weary. Our National Guard and our
Reserve are always ready to go. They will answer the call. They
are there because they want to serve, as you have said
correctly. But their families pay an enormous price, their
children. After two, three, or more deployments over a period
of maybe 5 to 10 years, their families suffer or serve and
sacrifice as much or more than they do. So I would tend to
agree that maybe they are not feeling the war weariness and
maybe the direct effects, but their families seem to be--at
least substantial numbers.
Would you agree or disagree? I would be interested in you
thoughts.
Mr. Bousum. Yes, I do agree with that, and I certainly
agree with your statement that our family members make as much
of a sacrifice as our servicemembers do.
I think that a lot of what you are saying has to do with
the continuity of care challenges in the health care realm that
part of this hearing is trying to address. There is a lot of
bureaucracy when we have 30-some duty statuses and there is a
lot of fudging the numbers and pushing the paperwork in a way
that it jeopardizes the benefits that our servicemembers
receive. There is a lot of knee-jerk reactions and decisions
based off of information that they just got the day before. I
think that if we can address some of the health care challenges
facing our members of the National Guard, especially rural
members of the National Guard, that we will start to see that
turn around.
Senator Blumenthal. Let me ask all of you. I was
particularly interested in what you said, Mr. Davis, about the
link between national security and personnel policy because I
think the two are clearly related.
You know, I just came from a hearing of the Airland
Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, and the Air Force
was testifying. In a remote paragraph of one of the
testimonies, there was this fact. We have 511 open pilot
positions right now, a deficit, as they put it, of 511, which
is expected to increase to 834 by 2022. We tend to focus on all
the bright, shiny objects, the new hardware, the F-35, the new
planes and all the technology that is exploding in
significance, and we should be because ultimately that
technology and weapons platforms are key. But we need to
recruit and retain, train, and put to work the best of our
people in the United States. So I want to thank you all for
your focus on this fact.
This subcommittee is in my view as important or more
important than any of the other subcommittees that we have
because ultimately our greatest asset as a military is our
people.
Thank you very much for being here.
Senator Graham. Any other questions?
[No response.]
Senator Graham. It is often said you recruit individuals
and you retain families. You think about it. A lot of people
come in single. By the time they reenlist, they are well on
their way to having their own families.
Mr. Davis, was there anything you wanted to add?
Mr. Davis. Sir, I could ask Scott right here to read
because I basically said right here you recruit the individuals
and retain the families. I just wrote it as a note.
[Laughter.]
Senator Graham. The NSA told me about what you were going
to say.
[Laughter.]
Senator Graham. The bottom line is not only do you help us
understand the nature of family service, you have ideas. I like
you all because you just do not complain. You actually have
concrete things that maybe we can implement. Without you, we
would be literally in the dark because only two members here
have family members. So without you, we would really not
understand what it is like to serve.
In that regard, thank you very much, and we will try to
implement as much of your ideas as we can, given the budget
constraints we have.
The hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:30 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
[Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]
Questions Submitted by Senator Lindsey Graham
1. Senator Graham. Do you consider cryopreservation of eggs and
sperm to be a medically necessary benefit or a quality of life benefit?
General McConville. Cryopreservation of eggs and sperm was
announced by the Secretary of Defense on January 29, 2016 as a Force of
the Future initiative, focused on improving the Quality of Life for
Servicemembers and their families while improving the overall mission
effectiveness and the strength and health of our teams. According to
Army medical experts, this is a quality of life benefit.
Admiral Moran. Because I am not a medical professional, I defer to
the Surgeon General of the Navy on the medical aspects of
cryopreservation. But I can certainly see that many servicemembers and
their families may consider it a quality of life benefit, in addition
to any medical necessity there may be for the practice.
General Brilakis. When cryopreservation of eggs and sperm is viewed
in relation to postponing child birth due to operational or career
demands, it may be considered a quality of life benefit. The question
is more complex when viewed in relation to the remote possibility of
losing fertility due to combat injuries. There are a host of legal,
moral, ethical, and social impacts that must be analyzed and resolved
prior to determining if this procedure, regardless of the reason,
should become a service member benefit.
General Grosso. Air Force cannot provide an official response to
this question as it warrants a Department of Defense (DOD) response
since this is a Secretary of Defense initiative.
Recommended Response for DOD: This investment will provide greater
flexibility for our troops who want to start a family, but find it
difficult because of where they find themselves in their careers. The
military understands the demands upon our servicemembers and wants to
help them balance commitments to force and commitments to family.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
combat integration implementation
2. Senator Gillibrand. Now that the decision is made to open all
military positions, including those in combat, to service by any
individual, man or woman, who can meet the occupational standard, what
is the way ahead for each of your services in implementing that
decision, and how will you work toward ensuring success in this effort?
General McConville. Upon receiving Secretary of Defense's approval
of the Army's implementation plan, we will execute a detailed,
incremental, and methodical approach by publishing an execution order.
The Army will focus on gender-neutral standards, and a leader's first
approach, meaning that female infantry and armor leaders (officers or
noncommissioned officers) would be assigned prior to the assignment of
female enlisted soldiers being assigned. The Army will continue to
assess the execution of its implementation plan through continued
studies to ensure successful gender integration.
Admiral Moran. We will apply lessons learned from previous
integration into ships and submarines and will follow approved
implementation plans, while upholding validated, operationally-
relevant, gender-neutral, occupational standards. We will select only
the best, fully-qualified candidates for entry into each profession,
including those involving combat roles.
General Brilakis. The Marine Corps began executing the Integration
Implementation Plan upon approval by the Secretary of Defense. The plan
has five phases: Setting the Conditions; Recruiting; Entry-Level
Training; Assignment; and Sustainment. The first two phases have
already begun and the subsequent phases will begin when female recruits
demonstrate an interest in formerly closed ground combat arms
specialties and successfully pass the gender-neutral physical screening
and entry-level training requirements, along with their male peers. The
Integration Implementation Plan uses physical screening tests, well-
defined occupational specialty standards, as well as teaming and
training cohort assignments, for integration implementation success.
Education and assessment elements are critical components of the
Integration Implementation Plan. The Education Plan will commence in
May 2016 and run through all phases. It will use subject matter experts
and a train-the-trainer approach to educate every Active Duty marine by
October 2016 and Selective Marine Corps Reserve Marine by the end of
January 2017. It will ensure marines understand relevant details of the
Integration Implementation Plan, address misconceptions, and prepare
marines and units for further female integration. The Assessment Plan
will be the mechanism by which integration is evaluated and will inform
in-stride policy adjustments as necessary. Data related to integration
issues will be collected and analyzed to help identify opportunities to
further improve the process and mitigate problems. Ultimately,
assessment will result in refined policies that improve outcomes.
General Grosso. The way ahead, per our Air Force Implementation
Plan for Full Integration, includes opening and managing all military
positions using the Air Force's existing life cycle processes
(recruiting, accessions, training, and assignment processes). The Air
Force Integration plan also pays special attention to seven integration
emphasis areas highlighted by the Secretary of Defense's (Transparent
Standards; Population Sizes; Physical Demands and Physiological
Differences; Conduct and Culture; Talent Management; Operating Abroad;
Assessment and Adjustment). Successful gender integration will take
time and requires a focus on standards, policy, education and engaged
leadership across the Total Force.
Our integration plan provides several deliberate steps to assist
with integration to ensure we have created the best opportunities and
environment for success. We have female cadre assigned in the training
pipeline and being appointed in operational units to assist with
integration. While we are not mandating any cohort size or holding up
any training until a critical mass in reached, our plan values the
benefits of mixing new airmen with more seasoned airmen where possible
to help during integration and training. Our plan further includes
education and communication tools and provides for periodic review,
data tracking, and continuous assessments to allow incorporation of
lessons learned and best practices as we move forward. Finally, our
plan leverages existing Air Force education and training on culture and
climate to ensure our Air Force standards for dignity and respect are
practiced at all levels.
3. Senator Gillibrand. How are you working with your squad and unit
level leaders to ensure successful integration?
General McConville. Once the Army receives Secretary of Defense's
approval of its implementation plan, we will publish an execution order
that will address an education, training, and communication strategy
that will be focused on squad and unit-level leaders.
Admiral Moran. Active, consistent, and committed leadership and
professionalism will set and maintain a fair and equitable environment
for successful integration. Additionally, we will ensure success by
expanding female staff representation at Naval Special Warfare training
sites, providing instructor training, conducting leadership exchanges
with integrated Special Operations Forces partners, and direct
engagement with the force.
General Brilakis. Our education plan uses a train-the-trainer
approach that organizes the entire Marine Corps into four tiers based
on leadership level. Squad leaders and all more junior marines are part
of the fourth tier and they will receive instruction from their platoon
commanders and platoon sergeants (tier 3) who, in turn, receive
education from their company commanders and first sergeants (tier 2).
Tier 1 individuals will be the designated command representatives from
every O-6/O-5-level command in the Marine Corps who receive their
education from the Integration Education Plan subject matter experts
directly.
Through the Integration Education Plan, marines will learn the
accurate details of the Integration Implementation Plan, dispel
misconceptions, and prepare marines, both female and male, for the
responsibilities associated with integrated units and specialties.
General Grosso. Leaders at all levels are vested in successful
integration. We are receiving continuous assessment and feedback from
leaders at the squadron and unit level to ensure successful
integration. We have kept in close contact with the Air Force
Recruiting Service, Air Force Personnel Center and Career Field
Managers on potential accessions. When we have females enter the
training pipeline and then assigned to operational units, leadership,
working closely with their female support cadre, will provide monthly
assessment reports to Air Staff which provide the status on integration
best practices, lessons learned, issues and mitigation efforts. Our
initial assessment of facilities, equipment, supplies and medical
support proved adequate for integration, but we will continue to
monitor and readdress as required. In addition, we have planned for the
Air Force Inspector General (IG) to review and conduct continued
assessment that standards are in compliance with public law and track
and address any IG complaints related to integration.
4. Senator Gillibrand. General McConville and General Brilakis, are
you developing predictive tests at the recruit stage to provide better
outcomes for those servicemembers who seek to join the ground combat
Forces and if so, can you describe the process being used to develop
those tests?
General McConville. The Army this year completed a Physical Demands
Study and developed a four-event Occupational Physical Assessment Test
(OPAT), which will allow the Army to screen applicants for their
propensity to succeed in their assigned specialty prior to entry into
training. All Army applicants, Officer and Enlisted, will be subject to
screening with the OPAT. The OPAT is expected to be in place next month
and to be used for screening later this fiscal year.
General Brilakis. Applicants seeking a Ground Combat Arms (GCA)
military occupational specialty (MOS) must meet the following gender-
neutral Initial Strength Test (IST) standards prior to shipment to
recruit training: 3 pull-ups; 1.5 mile run in 13:30; 44 crunches in 2
minutes; and 45 Ammo can lifts. The IST is the first step in the
physical screening process for an enlisted applicant to be eligible for
a service in GCA MOSs. Meeting the IST standards provide reasonable
assurance an applicant has the physical strength and stamina to
successfully complete recruit training and meet the GCA MOS
Classification Standards (MCS), a requirement to attend MOS specific
training following graduation from recruit training.
GCA MOS Classification Standards (MCS) are more rigorous and must
be met by each recruit who possesses a GCA contract prior to MOS
classification toward the end of recruit training. The MCS are: 6 pull-
ups; 3 mile run in 24:51; Movement to Contact within 3:26; 60 Ammo can
lifts within 2 minutes; and Complete Maneuver Under Fire within 3:12.
Our research indicates that recruits, who can meet these MCSs, have a
reasonable assurance of performing the GCA MOS-Specific Physical
Standards, are less likely to sustain physical injury in training, and
are more likely to successfully complete the MOS qualification course.
5. Senator Gillibrand. What steps are you taking to prevent
injuries?
General McConville. Readiness remains the Army's number one
priority, and preventing injuries of our soldiers is paramount to that
goal. Over the past few years, the Army conducted multiple scientific
studies and research to help us establish a deliberate, methodical, and
standards based approach for putting the right soldiers in the right
jobs.
US Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) and the US Army Research Institute
of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) conducted a comprehensive Physical
Demands Study to analyze the physiological requirements of combat
occupations. The study led to the development of a physical screening
test called the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT), which
beginning June 1, 2016, will help the Army select applicants for
occupations which they are physically capable of performing to
standard.
Furthermore, the Army believes the OPAT will help improve
performance, reduce attrition, decrease lost training time, improve
retention, reduce injury, improve overall satisfaction, and improve
total health.
Admiral Moran. A Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Human Performance
Program was developed to address long-term physical human performance
development and sustainment of NSW Active Duty personnel by providing
the highest levels of musculoskeletal care and human performance
enhancement. The program is designed to optimize personnel readiness
while sustaining and extending each participant's operational career
through state-of-the-art sports medicine, rehabilitation, physical and
mental performance enhancement, and nutritional programs.
NSW continues to conduct studies with Ohio State University,
University of Pittsburgh, Naval Postgraduate School, and Center for
Naval Analyses to reduce musculoskeletal injury and improve physical
readiness. NSW will continue to track injury rates for all candidates,
and injury rates among female candidates will be compared with those of
their male counterparts, to identify whether the need for program
changes is indicated.
Additionally, NSW Injury Prevention and NSW Rehabilitation Program
guides are provided to prospective candidates for injury prevention and
training pipeline preparation. The guides have been reviewed by medical
personnel of the NSW community to ensure all policies, processes and
practices are gender-neutral.
General Brilakis. The Marine Corps has developed a series of
physical screens to try to minimize the likelihood of injuries for both
male and female marines. First, prospective marines competing for
ground combat specialties must complete the ground combat arms initial
strength test and MOS Classification Standards. These tests will ensure
that those individuals with a likelihood of succeeding in these
specialties are assigned appropriately.
Subsequently, to maintain a physically-intense MOS, marines will
need to pass the MOS Continuation Standards during their service in the
operating Forces. The physical performance of non-ground combat arms
MOS marines will be evaluated against the load-bearing ground combat
arms (GCA) unit assignment criteria; those non-GCA MOS marines who are
likely to succeed are assigned to load-bearing units. This will help
prevent injuries among the non-GCA MOS marine population serving in
load-bearing units (infantry, reconnaissance, special operations).
Finally, the Marine Corps is undergoing a comprehensive review of
fitness throughout the Corps, led by our Training & Education Command.
This includes potential modifications to the physical fitness test and
combat fitness test that would incentivize greater fitness and make
marines more resistant to injuries.
General Grosso. The Air Force continues to pursue injury prevention
methods for all airmen. We refined our injury prevention efforts and
plan to introduce human performance optimization resources into the
Battlefield Airmen Training. Injury prevention begins with education;
on proper utilization of body mechanics, use of medically approved
health supplements (such as iron for women), and preventive physical
care/exercise/nutrition to strengthen the resilience of the
musculoskeletal system. The Air Force will surveil to identify physical
and mental injuries sustained by our Battlefield Airmen, to include
over use, load bearing and technique driven injuries such as shallow
water blackout or mental adaptive coaching. Prevention strategies are
optimized to training and operational mission requirements. Some
training and operational Battlefield Airmen units have programs that
embed rapid rehabilitative capabilities along with preventive assets.
These multidisciplinary teams include: physical therapists, strength
and conditioning coaches, operational psychologists, athletic trainers,
and sports medicine physicians. These multi-disciplinary teams have
proven to increase physical and mental resilience, speed recovery from
injury, and increase unit/mission readiness for the Battlefield Airmen.
6. Senator Gillibrand. Have you started to recruit women for combat
arms positions, and if so, when do you expect the first assignments to
be made?
General McConville. The Army has initiated gender neutral training
for all occupations and plans to train female leaders first for the
newly opened specialties, followed by recruiting and training the first
junior enlisted women. The Army has already received applications for
several dozen female officers, US Military Academy, ROTC and Officer
Candidate School cadets/candidates to branch in the Infantry and Armor.
These officers will begin training in the summer of 2016 and expected
to reach their new units in early 2017. Beginning in April 2016, the
Army plans to begin enlisting females for Infantry and Armor
specialties and schedule them for One Station Unit Training (OSUT)
classes that would allow them to arrive in their first assignments
after the arrival of female leaders in the same specialties to the same
units.
Admiral Moran. We have officially opened Special Warfare Officer
(113X) and Special Operations Officer (114X) designators, and Special
Warfare Operator (SEAL) and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman
(SWCC) enlisted ratings to all qualified applicants. Recruiters and the
Naval Special Warfare officer and enlisted community managers are
actively engaging with potential candidates interested in the program.
Assignments occur upon graduation from SEAL and SWCC pipeline courses.
General Brilakis. Yes, the Marine Corps commenced recruiting and
contracted over 70 women into select combat arms positions on 1 October
2014 following repeal of the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and
Assignment Rule by the Secretary of Defense. Some have completed
training and are in the Operating Forces. On 15 March 2016, upon
approval of the Marine Corps Force Integration Plan by the Secretary of
Defense, the Marine Corps opened all remaining combat arms positions to
women. Recently two female officers did request and were granted the
change of MOS to Artillery while stationed at The Basic School, and are
currently training at Fort Sill. The USMC has also received two lateral
move requests from female enlisted marines who participated in the
GCEITF. However, to date, no female enlisted recruit has either
volunteered or qualified to be contracted by Marine Corps Recruiting
Command into one of the newly opened load-bearing MOSs.
General Grosso. Yes, the Air Force started to recruit women for
combat arms positions on Jan 4, 2016. As with recruitment of men, there
are unique challenges in finding women with the motivation, mental and
physical prowess required for these special operations related career
fields. While we have had some initial interest, female candidates have
yet to enter any of the training pipelines.
Once we have a qualified candidate, Technical training for these
career fields can run from 6 months to over two years. Due to this
lengthy timeline, any woman qualifying for a combat position in 2016
will not be expected to finish training until 2017 or later.
7. Senator Gillibrand. How are you working with SOCOM to recruit
and train women to compete for special operations positions?
General McConville. Army Recruiting Command's Special Operations
Recruiting Battalion (SORB) works closely with the United States Army
Special Operations Command (USASOC) to determine recruiting goals and
requirements for specific units and military occupational specialties.
USASOC continues to remain fully integrated with gender integration
efforts at HQDA and SOCOM. Since the inception of the Women in Service
Review in January 2013, USASOC actions have been synchronized and
consistent with both HQDA and SOCOM. As the title 10 force providing
headquarters, USASOC is responsible for training, manning, and
equipping Army Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators for employment
across the Geographic Combatant Commands. Current USASOC recruiting and
training standards are gender neutral, operationally relevant, and
designed to build and maintain the most qualified Army SOF operator;
they mirror the Office of the Secretary of Defense-approved standards
outlined in the Army and SOCOM implementation plans for gender
integration. All infrastructure and administrative requirements have
been met to receive female ARSOF candidates beginning on April 1, 2016.
Admiral Moran. Naval Special Warfare (NSW) is synchronizing
integration efforts with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) by
conducting working groups and through scheduled weekly interactions
among working group counterparts. NSW continues to coordinate
integration efforts with accession and training pipeline partners at
Navy Recruiting Command, Recruit Training Command and Naval Service
Training Command.
General Brilakis. The Marine Corps does not routinely work with
SOCOM to recruit and train men and women for service in Special
Operations; however, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command
(MARSOC) has its own Recruiting & Advertising Branch. This branch
educates the marines through multiple awareness platforms to include
but not limited to Headquarters Marine Corps MARSOC Screening Team
visit program, Manpower Management Command visit program, command
sponsored local area visits, area canvassing, direct e-mail program,
MARSOC recruiting website (www.marsoc.com), and informational handouts
(posters, brochures and command pamphlets). Additionally, marines are
provided a 10-week workout program in preparation for Assessment and
Selection (A&S). MARSOC is working closely with Headquarters, Marine
Corps to ensure that recruiting efforts are screening and assigning
candidates with the requisite abilities and attributes that have the
greatest potential for completing the training pipeline.
MARSOC is now actively screening female marines who volunteer for
A&S. The next scheduled A&S begins August 2016, and has qualified
candidates. Upon successful selection at A&S, marines will be slated
for a school seat in an upcoming Individual Training Course (ITC). The
next ITC begins in January 2017. MARSOC has ensured a two female cadre
will be in place at ITC and is prepared for the arrival of female
candidates who complete A&S. ITC is the MOS producing school for the
Critical Skills Operator and Special Operations Officer. MARSOC
primarily recruits Corporals, Sergeants, 1st Lieutenants and Captains
who meet prerequisite standards listed within the Military Occupational
Specialty Manual and the Marine Corps Force Integration Implementation
Plan.
General Grosso. The Air Force is working with SOCOM to recruit and
train women to compete for special operations positions. For officer
positions, SOF operators visit the AF Academy and select Air Force ROTC
detachments to engage, inform and recruit male and female cadets into
the SOF/BA career fields. We also have permanent party SOF
representatives at the Air Force Academy who provide leadership, assist
with recruiting, and provide guidance on training during the initial
screening phase (to prepare cadets to pass the entry requirements
broken into three phases for entry to SOF/BA career fields). For our
enlisted positions, working with our Air Force recruiters, current and
past SOF operators assist in informing and recruiting when they engage
with members via phone or email about the career field, or when they
visit base and community events and functions. In addition, the Air
Force has contractors, who were previous SOF/BA operators, who are
mentors and assist in developing and training candidates to help
prepare them for success in meeting entry and training requirements.
8. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, will the Marine Corps
integrate all levels of training and if not, why not?
General Brilakis. Marine Corps recruit training is combined. Only
during the initial phase is training accomplished separately. Recruit
training is designed to transform civilians into marines. The initial
separation of our recruits removes potential distraction and allows
recruits to focus on their individual transformation to a marine. This
sets our female marines up for success because it allows them to
improve their physical fitness, to be led by female drill instructors,
and to have female officers as role models. Recruit training gets more
and more combined as recruits proceed through the recruit training
syllabus and, once recruits graduate as marines, all Marine Corps
training is fully combined. We believe the current training process,
honed over decades of experience, enables recruits to succeed. It has
proven, during war and peace, the best way to build marines.
9. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, I noticed that the Marine
Corps integration plan includes assigning women in cohorts. What size
would those cohorts be and what will you do if only one woman passes an
MOS school?
General Brilakis. The Integration Implementation Plan has two goals
associated with the assignment of females to previously closed units.
First is the ``teaming'' concept. The Marine Corps will seek to assign
females in teams of at least two (ideally of the same military
occupational specialty). Second is the ``cohesive cohort'' concept.
Under the cohesive cohort concept, the Marine Corps will seek to assign
female ground combat arms MOS marines to ground combat arms units along
with male and female members of their training cohort from their entry-
level MOS school. Male and female ground combat arms MOS marines who
have trained together at MOS school have already observed each other's
performance and can vouch for their respective abilities.
If only one woman passes a given MOS school then, in accordance
with our assignment goals, she would be assigned to the unit with at
least one other junior female of another MOS along with male members of
her training cohesive cohort at the MOS school.
10. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, I'm pleased to see that
the Marine Corps established gender neutral standards for combat MOSs.
How did you devise these standards? For example, the ground combat arms
initial strength test requires 25 ammo can lifts; why 25?
General Brilakis. For clarification, the gender-neutral Initial
Strength Test (IST) for applicants seeking a Program Enlisted For Code
associated with a ground combat arms MOS consists of 3 Pull-ups; 1.5
mile run in 13:30 minutes; 44 Crunches in 2:00 minutes; and 45 (vice
25) Ammo Can Lifts in 2:00 minutes. Collectively, research efforts from
2012-2015 identified and validated MOS-specific gender-neutral tasks
and correlated these tasks to the Service Physical Fitness Test and
Combat Fitness Test events, enabling development of physical standards
for IST for MOS Screening and MOS Classification Standards (MCS) for
MOS Classification. The IST and MCS for ground combat arms MOSs are
based on the 95th percentile of collected performance data, providing a
confidence level that 95 percent of those marines who screen through
the IST would be able to meet the MOS Classification Standards by the
end of recruit training. Meeting the MSCs in turn provides reasonable
assurance that marines can perform MOS Specific Physical Standards
(MSPS) necessary to achieve occupation qualification at the MOS
Schools. As of 30 September 2015, gender-neutral occupational standards
have been in use at all Marine Corps MOS-producing schools. As with all
training, the Marine Corps will continue to review and update
occupational standards to ensure mission effectiveness across the range
of military operations.
11. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, how many marines met
these standards in the research phase?
General Brilakis. All of them. Every individual--male and female--
met the minimum occupational standard for their participation in the
research. No unqualified individuals were used in the research. For
example, female 0311 subjects had to graduate from the Infantry
Training Battalion 0311 course. Additionally, all combat arms female
marines had to meet a minimum male 17-26 year old Physical Fitness Test
(PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT) passing score, the same as male
participants.
12. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, can you tell me what
percentage of the men and of the women met the standards in the
research phase?
General Brilakis. All of them. Every individual--male and female--
met the minimum occupational standard for their participation in the
research. No unqualified individuals were used in the research. For
example, female 0311 subjects had to graduate from the Infantry
Training Battalion 0311 course. Additionally, all combat arms female
marines had to meet a minimum male 17-26 year old Physical Fitness Test
(PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT) passing score, the same as male
participants.
13. Senator Gillibrand. General Brilakis, in your testimony you
stated, in regards to combat integration: ``The framework of our
research was--and continues to be--viewed through three interrelated
lenses: first and foremost, the combat effectiveness of our marine
units; second, the health and welfare of our individual marines; and
finally, with an eye toward the best talent management of our total
force--both today and into the future. I continue to have concerns in
all three areas, but am confident that our assessment and subsequent
adjustments during implementation will help us find the best way
forward.'' Can you expound on your concerns, and how would you address
each of them?
General Brilakis. Our study showed that female marines are capable
of performing physically demanding tasks. However, across all ground
combat occupational specialties, the gender integrated teams, squads,
or crews demonstrated somewhat lower performance in the time to
complete physically-intense tasks, especially under load. This occurred
despite the fact that our female volunteers were considered to be an
above-average to well-above-average representation of the PFC-Sergeant
female population, and had successfully met the physical and academic
requirements to graduate from their ground combat arms MOS-producing
school. I believe that clear and occupationally-relevant physical
performance standards at different points in the accessions and entry-
level training continuum will help mitigate this risk.
The associated risk is directly linked to the physiological
differences between males and females, and the risk lies in the
cumulative impact of this physiological disadvantage over the course of
regular, recurring and increasingly more challenging dismounted
movements under load in the operating Forces. The disparity in injury
rates between males and females at the Infantry Training Battalion and
during the conduct of our assessment provides an early indicator to
that effect. We will try to combat injury risk through physical
training preparation and equipment enhancements.
In regard to talent management, we have worked to increase the
number of female accessions, both officer and enlisted, to
unprecedented levels in the past few years. The Marine Corps does risk
losing talented female marines prematurely due to injury and the
extreme physical demands of the combat arms occupations. An
inextricable linkage exists between physical capacity and job
performance, especially in the early stages of a young marine's career.
The possibility of a female marine being less competitive in these
occupations may adversely impact our ability to retain females into
more senior ranks. This would be a tremendous loss for our Corps.
retaliation
14. Senator Gillibrand. Admiral Moran, you said that there is one
case of retaliation that was prosecuted in the Navy. Can you please
provide information about this case including the ranks of the offender
and victim, whether there was a supervisory relationship between
offender and victim, the court-martial forum, whether the member was
tried by panel or judge-alone, the punishment adjudged, the punishment
approved, and whether there was a plea agreement in the case?
Admiral Moran. Senator, to clarify, while the offender was held
accountable there was no prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military
Justice in this case. The offender was a senior chief petty officer (E-
8), and the victim a petty officer third class (E-4). The senior chief
was not the victim's direct supervisor, but was in her chain of
command.
In February 2011, the victim initiated a protected communication
under title 10, United States Code, section 1034, specifically, by
filing, with the Command Managed Equal Opportunity Advisor, an informal
sexual harassment complaint against another member of the command. A
review by the Inspector General of the Navy found that the senior chief
was aware of the protected communication and had committed reprisal
against the victim by failing to forward her Officer Candidate School
(OCS) application for consideration by the chain of command.
Following the Inspector General's findings, the completed
investigation was forwarded to commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central
Command, for administrative or disciplinary action against the
offender. The commander determined that court-martial was
disproportionate to the offense, and flag-level formal administrative
counseling was the appropriate action against the offender. The
commander informed the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and
Reserve Affairs) of his determination and that the flag-level
counseling had been completed.
The investigation was also forwarded to me for corrective action on
behalf of the victim; unfortunately, I was unable to take corrective
action. The victim had informed the Inspector General that she no
longer wished to be considered for commission as a naval officer. I
informed the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve
Affairs) of this result. However, I ordered that an appropriately
redacted copy of the Inspector General's investigation be inserted in
the senior chief's Official Military Personnel File and, following
appropriate due process procedures, I subsequently disapproved the
senior chief's advancement to master chief petty officer (E-9), which
will also be documented in his record.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Bill Nelson
survivor benefit plan offset by death indemnity compensation
15. Senator Nelson. General McConville, Admiral Moran, General
Brilakis, General Grosso, currently eligible survivors of Active Duty
personnel and veterans who have died due to causes connected with their
military service have Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities they
receive reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of Death Indemnity
Compensation (DIC) they receive (the SBP/DIC offset). Given that the
SBP is a voluntary insurance program that military retirees pay
premiums into, do you think it is acceptable that eligible survivors
are denied full payout of this purchased annuity plan based on the
receipt of a separate entitlement?
General McConville. As part of the Congressional review of the
Compensation Reform we are aware of the legislative proposal aimed at
adjusting the compensation under SBP and DIC. The intent of this
proposal is to improve Survivor Benefits by granting servicemembers the
option of purchasing additional SBP coverage, not offset by DIC. This
would provide servicemembers both an increased choice as well as
financially increased benefits.
Admiral Moran. There has been a shift in recent years, most
noticeably since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, away from original
Congressional intent to provide a total benefit composed solely of SBP,
solely of DIC, or of a combination of the two which would equal the
full SBP benefit. While the emerging view suggests that the DIC offset
reduces the survivor benefit, that view is inconsistent with original
Congressional intent.
I believe we can never do enough for our service men and women, our
veterans, and their families. If it were affordable, and could be
funded within the overall President's budget without sacrificing other
critical readiness priorities, changing the law to provide concurrent
receipt of full SBP and DIC, without an offset, would be well-received
by military surviving family members. But, I fully appreciate the
persistent challenge of finding and establishing the right balance
between applying increasingly austere resources to readiness costs and
personnel costs.
General Brilakis. The Department of Defense has consistently
opposed proposals to eliminate the offset between Survivor Benefit Plan
(SBP) annuities and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) at
Government expense primarily because both programs have the same goal--
to provide a continuing annuity to the survivors of military members or
former members--and both benefits are subsidized by the Federal
Government. DOD also notes that allowing concurrent receipt of SBP and
DIC would create a group of survivors receiving two Government-
subsidized survivor annuities, whereas survivors of most military
retirees and survivors of veterans who did not serve to retirement
would receive only one. Finally, eliminating the SBP offset for all
survivors entitled to DIC would cost the Military Retirement Fund more
than $7 billion over 10 years. The Marine Corps defers to DOD on any
change in position on this issue.
Admiral Grosso. No, it is not. The Air Force fully supports the
submission of OLC DESIGNATOR S.979 to repeal the requirement for
reduction of survivor annuities under the SBP by DIC.
special survivor indemnity allowance
16. Senator Nelson. General McConville, Admiral Moran, General
Brilakis, General Grosso, currently the Special Survivor Indemnity
Allowance (SSIA) is payed to eligible survivors whose SBP annuities are
offset in part or in whole by the DIC they receive--in effect
offsetting the offset, at least partially. The SSIA provision expires
at the end of fiscal year 2017. In the absence of a repeal of the SBP/
DIC offset, do you think it is appropriate to extend SSIA, and if so,
for how long?
General McConville. According to the DOD Office of the Actuary, the
SSIA provision was temporary and was therefore not included as part of
the DOD budget. The DOD never budgeted as a permanent benefit for this
provision and currently there are no plans to extend the SSIA past the
end of fiscal year 2017. While this benefit would assist survivors by
mitigating the SBP-DIC offset issue, it ultimately would run counter to
the Department's efforts to control the costs of entitlement programs,
achieve efficiencies and reduce the deficit.
Admiral Moran. I support the Department of Defense position not to
extend SSIA beyond fiscal year 2017.
General Brilakis. Currently there are no plans to extend the
Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance past the end of fiscal year 2017.
The program is not budgeted and will sunset on 30 September 2017. SSIA
was enacted by Congress and is administered by DOD, so the Marine Corps
defers to those entities on the appropriateness of extending the
program.
General Grosso. In the absence of a repeal to the SBP/DIC offset,
extending SSIA would certainly benefit the survivors of military
retirees who participate in SBP. As you can imagine, survivors now
count on this additional money as income. Removing it totally could
potentially cause hardship for many. The cost of a total repeal would
cost the Military Retirement Fund more than $7 billion over 10 years.
The SSIA extension would provide some relief to survivors as the
discussion to end the SBP/DIC offset continues. The initial legislation
for SSIA allowed payments for 8 years with incremental increases, and
should continue for the foreseeable future.